How Many Decimal Places for GPS Coordinates? Precision Explained
When working with Latitude and Longitude in decimal degrees (e.g., 38.8895° N, -77.0353° W), the number of decimal places dictates the precision of the location. A common mistake is providing either too few decimals (placing a point miles away from the target) or far too many (implying millimeter precision from a smartphone).
Precision Scale: What Each Digit Means
At the equator, one degree of latitude equals about 111 kilometers. Therefore, moving the decimal point one place scales the precision by a factor of 10. (Note: Longitude lines converge at the poles, so the east-west distance gets smaller as you move north/south, but latitude distances remain roughly constant).
| Decimals | Example | Approximate Accuracy (at Equator) | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 40 | 111 km (69 miles) | Identifying a country or large state. |
| 1 | 40.1 | 11.1 km (6.9 miles) | Identifying a large city or county. |
| 2 | 40.12 | 1.11 km (0.69 miles) | Town or neighborhood level. |
| 3 | 40.123 | 111 meters (364 feet) | Identifying a specific neighborhood block or large estate. |
| 4 | 40.1234 | 11.1 meters (36.4 feet) | Identifying a specific parcel or street. (Common car GPS output). |
| 5 | 40.12345 | 1.11 meters (3.6 feet) | The Sweet Spot. Identifying a specific tree, door, or person. Matches smartphone GPS accuracy. |
| 6 | 40.123456 | 11.1 centimeters (4.4 inches) | Specialized mapping, differential GPS, laying out rough construction. |
| 7 | 40.1234567 | 1.11 centimeters (0.44 inches) | Survey-grade RTK GPS. Requires professional geodetic equipment. |
| 8+ | 40.12345678 | 1.11 millimeters | Tectonic plate tracking. Essentially meaningless for static mapping. |
The False Precision Trap
Software developers frequently export Latitude and Longitude as raw 64-bit floating-point numbers containing 13 or 14 decimal places (e.g., 40.1234567890123). This is false precision.
Unless the coordinate was generated by a geodetic surveyor using an RTK base station, taking a phone GPS reading and displaying 14 decimal places implies the coordinate is accurate to the size of a single human cell. In reality, the phone's hardware error circle was 4 meters wide. All digits after the 5th decimal place are random numerical noise.
DECIMAL(9,5) or DECIMAL(9,6)) before inserting into a database can speed up geospatial queries significantly.
Convert decimal coordinates to DMS or UTM and see how the precision holds up:
→ Decimal to DMS Coordinate ConverterUTM Precision Comparison
Unlike Lat/Long, UTM coordinates are measured in actual meters. Therefore:
- 0 decimal places (e.g., 400,123) = 1 meter precision.
- 1 decimal place (e.g., 400,123.4) = 10 centimeter precision.
- 2 decimal places (e.g., 400,123.45) = 1 centimeter precision.
This linear simplicity is why civil engineers prefer UTM or State Plane over calculating decimals of a degree.
FAQ
How many decimal places does Google Maps use?
When you right-click a location in Google Maps, the web interface typically copies coordinates to 5, 6, or 7 decimal places. Google's internal APIs often accept data at any precision but calculate paths based on routing nodes.
Why do longitude distances change by location?
Lines of longitude converge at the North and South Poles. At the equator, 1 degree of longitude is ~111km. At 60 degrees North (e.g., Oslo), 1 degree of longitude is only ~55km wide. Latitude distances, however, stay relatively constant pole to pole.
See also: MGRS Precision Levels | Data Validation
US State Plane (SPCS) Converters & Local Guides
Professional engineering and surveying transformations from state-specific conformal grids to GPS WGS84.