birding-aus

Decimal Vs Sexagesimal Notation for Geographical Location

To: "'Jim Smart'" <>, "'Birding-Aus'" <>
Subject: Decimal Vs Sexagesimal Notation for Geographical Location
From: "Alan Stuart" <>
Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 16:12:49 +1000
Jim - you have made an interesting suggestion.  The Birds Australia Atlas
requires us to put in the latitude and longitude when we submit any records
for the Atlas.  I think that if BA were to decide to use/accept decimal
notation on the record sheets, then it would be sufficient encouragement for
us all to switch over.  Presumably the software that BA use for the Atlas
does a conversion into decimal coordinates before the data are filed.

Would somebody from BA care to comment?

Alan Stuart

-----Original Message-----
From: 
 On Behalf Of Jim Smart
Sent: Monday, 10 May 2010 1:33 PM
To: Birding-Aus
Subject: Decimal Vs Sexagesimal Notation for Geographical
Location

Decimal Vs Sexagesimal Notation

Traditionally sexagesimal notation (degrees, minutes, and seconds) has 
been used to describe geographical location. More recently decimal 
degrees have become popular because of their ease of use in calculations 
and information technology. Almost all GPS devices and internet 
applications such as Google Earth, Earth Tools and Wikimapia have the 
option of using decimal degrees.

The International Standard for the standard representation of latitude 
and longitude has recently been revised (ISO 6709 - 2008). Sexagesimal 
notation is still allowed but decimal degrees are now the preferred 
method of specifying a geographical location. Latitude is given by a 
number between +90 and -90. Longitude is a number between +180 and -180.

The number of decimal places quoted gives an indication of the precision 
of the measurement. Two places imply a precision of around 1km. Five 
decimal places indicate a precision of around 1m.

May I suggest to the Australian Birding Community that perhaps it is now 
time to address the question of how we specify geographical location. 
The main application concerned is atlassing, both at the Birds Australia 
level and local club level. The current atlas forms have boxes for 
degrees, minutes and seconds but could be easily modified to include a 
decimal point.

Sexagesimal notation has been around a long time, since Sumerian and 
Babylonian times in fact. However I suggest that it is now time to use a 
simpler and more convenient method of describing location.

Those of us who still lament the passing of pounds, shillings and pence 
and quarters, pounds and ounces may resist changing but I am sure most 
birders will welcome this change.


Jim Smart

East Maitland

-32.7531+151.5884

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