# Help me get map co-ordinates from this google map **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2007, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596 "2007-05-26T12:23:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/1 "2007-05-26T12:23:48Z")
Once again I appeal to the hive-mind if the SDMB. In this link there is a blue marker. How can I find the map co-ordinates for this location? I will be there in a few months and I want to enter the info into a satellite tracking site to see if we can spot any while we are there. [LINK](http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109883637077191680551.000001124aae51d676486&t=h&om=1&ll=9.956709,-84.15206&spn=0.002335,0.003616&z=18) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/2 "2007-05-26T12:53:48Z")
If you have Google Earth installed, you can just click on the KML link near the upper right corner of the map. This will open GE, and create a location in the Temporary Places folder. Click on the new location (“Pavas”), and it will zoom into it. Place your cursor on the marker, and read the lat/lon from the lower left corner of the GE window (9°57’20.80" N, 84°09’06.47 W). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/3 "2007-05-26T14:24:33Z")
Actually, you already have the coordinates in your link. If you read the url, keep reading along the (very long) address until you come to the string **&t=h&om=1&ll=** The “ll” (that is two lowercase Ls) appears to indicate Latitude Longitude… I do not know what the “&t=h&om=1” indicates, but it is sufficiently distinct in the very long url to be seen pretty easily to help find the “ll=” The pair of numbers, separated by a comma following the “ll=” are the latitude and longitude. In this case the latitude is **9.956709** (or a hair short of 10° North), specifically 9° 57’ 24.1524" N and the longitude is **-84.15206** or (about 10 minutes west of 84° West), specifically 84° 9’ 7.416" W. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/4 "2007-05-26T14:27:37Z")
The discrepancies between **Fear Itself** ’s coordinates and mine (which are pretty small, to begin with), are due to minor variations in the focus of the map and the position of the mouse when selecting the map. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/5 "2007-05-26T14:29:59Z")
The “Link to this page” in the upper right corner of the map contains the lat/long http:\*\*[//maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109883637077191680551.000001124aae51d676486&t=h&om=1&](https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109883637077191680551.000001124aae51d676486&t=h&om=1&)_ **ll=9.956709,-84.15206** _&spn=0.004681,0.008454&z=18 Ninja’d by **tomndebb** ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/6 "2007-05-26T15:24:41Z")
Thanks guys. Since **Fear** posted, I have spent the remainder of my day on Google Earth. Friggin’ cool stuff. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/7 "2007-05-26T17:42:50Z")
I want to argue that the coordinates may not be quite as accurate as you think they are. I haven’t been able to figure out what map datum Google is using. IF you are trying to find a specific place on the ground, that error could be significant if you’re using different datum sets. Up to a half of a mile in places, I believe. Given that you’re using it to track satellites, I’m sure it’s close enough. > **[Data](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datum)** > > In common usage and statistics, data (US: /ˈdætə/; UK: /ˈdeɪtə/) is a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted formally. A datum is an individual value in a collection of data. Data is usually organized into structures such as tables that provide additional context and meaning, and which may themselves be used as data in la... ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/8 "2007-05-26T18:09:20Z")
[QUOTE=threemae] I want to argue that the coordinates may not be quite as accurate as you think they are. [/QUOTE] There is that. Deb’s navigational GPS for her car kept giving me a reading fifty to a hundred yards off (compared to Mapquest and Google Earth). Before I decided the GPS was in error, I looked up the latitude of the Greenwich Observatory (51° 28’ 38"N) and then looked that up on Google Earth. According to Google Earth, the observatory is both North of its self-identified latitude and is also West of longitude 0°. (I have no idea how accurate Deb’s GPS may be, but I am not about to gauge it based on Google Earth or the other on-line mapping services.) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/9 "2007-05-26T23:02:57Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] There is that. Deb’s navigational GPS for her car kept giving me a reading fifty to a hundred yards off (compared to Mapquest and Google Earth). Before I decided the GPS was in error, I looked up the latitude of the Greenwich Observatory (51° 28’ 38"N) and then looked that up on Google Earth. According to Google Earth, the observatory is both North of its self-identified latitude and is also West of longitude 0°. (I have no idea how accurate Deb’s GPS may be, but I am not about to gauge it based on Google Earth or the other on-line mapping services.) [/QUOTE] A hundred yards or so off. That’s because zero longitude on the WGS84 datum used by GPS is [336ft east](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Meridian) of the Greenwich meridian. There’s no such thing as “proper” latitude and longitude, really. Different maps in different parts of the world use different datums. You can adjust most consumer GPS units to give the correct readout to tally with your maps. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-map-co-ordinates-from-this-google-map/405596/10 "2007-05-27T17:51:54Z")
Exactly. It isn’t so much “error” as it is different units.