# Can you make Google Earth display wgs84 coordinates?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-google-earth-display-wgs84-coordinates/346273>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 27, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-google-earth-display-wgs84-coordinates/346273 "2006-02-27T05:06:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-google-earth-display-wgs84-coordinates/346273/1 "2006-02-27T05:06:27Z")

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The free version that is. I’m looking for wgs84 info in the HDDD MM.MM format or maybe HDDD MM.MMM instead of the DD MM SS.SS H that Google Earth uses. What’s that called? Are both of these just different formats of wgs84?

I’ve just started geocaching in case you’re wondering why I’d want to do this.

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**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-google-earth-display-wgs84-coordinates/346273/2 "2006-02-27T09:31:51Z")

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WGS84 is a datum.  
HDDD MM.MMM are decimal minutes.  
HDDD MM SS.SS are minutes and seconds.

Geocaching use WGS84 in decimal minutes format.

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**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-google-earth-display-wgs84-coordinates/346273/3 "2006-02-27T09:38:35Z")

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Sorry, I think I misunderstood.

You have a set of WGS84 co-ordinates in HDDD MM.MMM from [geocaching.com](http://geocaching.com).  
You want to enter these into Google Earth to plot the location.

The easiest method (without resortnig to manual calculations) …

Go to [geocaching.com](http://geocaching.com)  
Go to the cache you are interested in.  
Click on the link for LOC Waypoint File (\*.loc).  
Save that file to your computer.  
Open Google Earth.  
File | Open  
In the Files of Type, change that to GPX / LOC  
Open the .loc file you just saved.  
Google Earth should now show you that location.