Degrees, Minutes and Seconds (DMS) to Decimal Degrees (DD) Convertor

This tool permits the user to convert latitude and longitude between degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS) and decimal degrees (DD).

Latitude and longitude are coordinates that can be used to identify the location of any place on Earth. Latitudes are horizontal lines that measure distance north or south of the equator. Longitudes are vertical lines that measure east or west of the prime meridian in Greenwich, UK.

One way of representing latitude and longitude is to use degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS). This is the oldest format for representing geographical coordinates.

For example, the geographic coordinates expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS) for London, UK are:
Latitude: 51° 30′ 35.5140” N
Longitude: 0° 7′ 5.1312” W

Where:
° : degrees
‘ : minutes
” : seconds
N: North of the Equator (Can also be represented as S if south of the equator)
W: West of the Prime meridian (Can also be represented as E if east of the prime meridian)

Decimal degrees (DD) is a modern format to express latitude and longitude as decimal fractions, they can typically be found displayed on Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and web mapping applications.

We can convert from degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS) to decimal degrees (DD) using the following equation:
DD = degrees + (minutes/60) + (seconds/3600)
1 minute is equal to 60 seconds
1 degree is equal to 1 hour. 1 hour is equal to 60 minutes or 3600 seconds.

The geographical coordinates expressed in decimal degrees (DD) for London are therefore:
Latitude: 51.509865
Longitude: -0.118092

Convert from Decimal Degrees (DD) to Degrees, Minutes and Seconds (DMS) by using this tool.