# Latitude-Longitude software program **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478 "2005-08-31T20:12:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478/1 "2005-08-31T20:12:57Z")
Is there a software program that displays a map of the world, and which provides the longitude and latitude at whatever point the cursor lies? Move the cursor and the coordinates update as you go. I had one such program a long long time ago, but if I remember correctly, it was just North America - maybe just the U.S., in fact. So that’s my question. Software program with a world map that gives coordinates on the fly. Now as a sidelight… At the time I had that old program, I was also reading for the Stage Manager in **Our Town** , by Thornton Wilder. As many of you know, the Stage Manager in this wonderful play comes on at the top of the show and gives the background of the town, Grovers Corners, New Hampshire - the people, stores, churches, etc. He even tells us its coordinates: “…latitude 42 degrees 40 minutes; longitude 70 degrees 37 minutes.” So I happened to be playing with the map program and decided to use the Stage Manager’s coordinates to see just where in New Hampshire Wilder’s hypothetical town was located. Well, it turns out it isn’t anywhere in NH at all! In fact the longitude and latitude place it in the Atlantic ocean just a smidgeon off the coast of Massachusetts. Turns out this was not a dumb mistake on Wilder’s part. He did it on purpose to avoid the possibility of any law suits that might arise from anyone living anywhere in New Hampshire. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478/2 "2005-08-31T20:51:52Z")
ESRI’s GIS products (ArcMAP, ArcGIS, ArcINFO, and formerly ArcView) do this. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478/3 "2005-08-31T20:56:37Z")
Google Earth does this as well. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478/4 "2005-08-31T20:57:42Z")
sorry - link to Google Earth: [http://earth.google.com/](http://earth.google.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478/5 "2005-08-31T20:58:25Z")
You might find some other software that does this, but I doubt it’ll be cooler than [Google Earth.](http://earth.google.com/) Plus, it’s free! ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478/6 "2005-08-31T21:27:52Z")
And if your computer can’t handle Google Earth, just regular [maps.google.com](http://maps.google.com) will handle latitude and longitude. Use the “Link to this page” option to get them in your address bar to manually put 'em in. There’s no Google Earth for Mac yet, and my work computer is a P.O.S. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latitude-longitude-software-program/319478/7 "2005-08-31T21:43:48Z")
Thank you all!! Google Earth it is.