Coordinate use
  • Vote Up0Vote Down jessejazzajessejazza
    Whilst under info Supported formats it says that that the decimal DDD.DDDDD and DDD:MM:SS.SSSSS is supported. From what I can deduce it really is only DDD:MM:SS.SSSSS. [DD:MM.MMMMM is also supported but I've never found anyone uses this - it's a bit betwixt the two really].

    I can enter a location in decimals DDD.DDDDD but in my places it will save a location in terms of DDD:MM:SSS format. Is there a setting I have overlooked so that i can have the output in decimal form DDD.DDDDD?

    As I understand it the decimal form is becoming more established and I find has become the preferred format. google maps and other apps tend to give in decimal form (although can be converted). For other uses I have to use a converter which I'd rather avoid. Lots of folk don't bother with coordinates but when postcodes are poor I have to say coordinates have their place.
  • 3 Comments sorted by
  • Vote Up1Vote Down leechleech
    There is enough space at the "Enter world coordinates" dialog tab that the app could show a real-time "triple" converter for all 3 coordinate formats, exactly as seen at
    https://www.gps-coordinates.net/gps-coordinates-converter

    Including radio buttons for N S W E. That's better than having the user enter the negative sign, since i tend to forget what the "minus" means.

    Also the range of numbers (the so-called codomain) which can be entered for 1 particular format should be limited in a way which be clear to the user, either through a number drop down menu, a digit dial ring, or similar. There should also be left the option for the user to enter the coordinates freehand.

    Even better, see how it's done in Sygic. There is just 1 search bar and it finds in real-time whatever you start typing (Find-While-You-Type). And one can enter coordinates in any fast format, substituting spaces for N, S, W, E, negative signs, colons, degrees, ', ", commas, etc. One doesn't need to think about formats or follow notation rules. Sygic's Location Search surely is to be rated with 5 stars (*****).

    In MFN, a drop-down menu or dial ring could be cumbersome for entering coordinate numbers. Too slow, tedious. But i don't see any reason why the MFN dialog tab should NOT have the suggested triple RT converter including N S W  E radio buttons. With this improved dialog tab, one could use MFN as GPS converter app too!

    There are lots of things which could and should be improved in MFN. But looking at the app GUI, i don't see major differences between MF2.1, MF3.1, and MF4.0beta. Meaning, the app UX structure has remained, basically, the same for many years, with marginal improvements/fixes. There was no complete overhaul and rewrite, as witnessed for example in the TT app history.

    @jessejazza So seeing the MFN version history, i won't hold my breath. If i need a gps coord converter, i'll use the mentioned URL, if i need to search GPS locations in various coord formats, i'll use sygic, if i need uber detailed error-free lane guidance i'll use navigon, if i need deep zoom-in at confusing crossroads, i'll use TTGM. We don't have time to wait for the coder to improve the app the way we want it to be. The app is what it is. We can only appreciate and enjoy what the app does very well so far.
  • Vote Up0Vote Down whereami69whereami69
    It seems that the system primarily saves coordinates in DDD:MM:SS.SSSSS format, and there might not be a setting to change it to DDD.DDDDD. This can be inconvenient since DDD.DDDDD is becoming the preferred format, used by Google Maps and other apps. Unfortunately, it might require using a converter like whereami.place for now, as the system seems to favor the DDD:MM:SS.SSSSS format.
  • Vote Up0Vote Down tomastomas
    you can set preferred coordinate format in settings/map customisation 
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