gps to measure feet?

Does anyone know the exact conversion in feet for a minute of latitude and
longitude?

brucrx wrote:

Does anyone know the exact conversion in feet for a minute of latitude and
longitude?

Longitude is easy: 1 minute of longitude equals 1 foot ... if you
measure at the right latitude, that is.

Latitude is nearly as easy: Guess how the nautical mile has been defined?

Stefan

Does anyone know the exact conversion in feet for a minute of latitude and
longitude?

I find this on the web:

Latitude: 3.64 feet per 0.00001 degree, 6.06 feet per 0.001 minute,
10.10 feet per 0.1 second, 101.1 feet per second, 6066.7 feet per
minute.
Longitude: 3.04 feet per 0.00001 degree, 5.07 feet per 0.001 minute,
8.45 feet per 0.1 second, 84.5 feet per second, 5066.7 feet per
minute.

But I am scratching my head over the longitude! Doesn't a minute of
longitude depend on your location between the pole and the equator?

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

Okay, here's a more convincing exegesis, also found on the web (Google
is your friend!):

************************************************** **************************
A degree of latitude is 60 nautical miles, or 69.04 statute miles. A
minute of latitude is equal to one nautical mile, or 6076 feet; thus,
a second of latitude (6076 divided by 60) is 101 feet, 3 inches.
Conceptually and practically, latitude is the same no matter where you
go on earth; however, in reality it varies from 69.41 statute miles
per minute at the poles to 68.70 statute miles per minute at the
equator due to the earth bulging slightly from its rotational spin.
Longitude, of course, varies in length according to degree of
latitude. The following is a sampling of longitude lengths for
selected latitudes, beginning in the southern US and working north.

30 degrees North, (approximately Houston, Texas) a degree of longitude
is 59.96 statute miles, 5274 feet per minute (almost equal to a
statute mile), 88 feet per second.

35 degrees North, (approximately Albuquerque, New Mexico) a degree of
longitude is 56.73 statute miles, 4992 feet per minute, 83.2 feet per
second.

40 degrees North, (Kansas/Nebraska border), a degree of longitude is
53.06 statute miles, 4669 feet per minute, 77.8 feet per second.

45 degrees North, (Montana/Wyoming border), a degree of longitude is
49.00 statute miles, 4312 feet per minute, 71.87 feet per second.

49 degrees North (US/Canada national boundary), a degree of longitude
is 45.40 statute miles, 3995 feet per minute, 66.59 feet per second.

50 degrees North (approximately Powell River, BC, Medicine Hat,
Alberta, and Winnipeg, Manitoba), a minute of longitude is 44.55
statue miles, 3920 feet (1195 meters) per minute, 65.34 feet (19.9
meters) per second.

55 degrees North (approximately Ketchikan, Alaska and Dawson Creek,
BC) a degree of longitude is 39.77 statute miles, 3500 feet (1066.8
meters) per minute, 58.33 (17.78 meters) per second.

Finally, 60 degrees North (southern border of the Northwest
Territories), a degree of longitude is 34.67 statute miles, 3051 feet
(930 meters) per minute, 50.85 feet (15.5 meters) per second.

Whew! (grin) Had enough? I know I have! Hope this helps.

************************************************** ********************

A tip of the virtual hat to "Senty" at
http://www.hypernews.org/HyperNews/g.../1.html?nogifs



On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 06:30:33 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote:


Does anyone know the exact conversion in feet for a minute of latitude and
longitude?

I find this on the web:

Latitude: 3.64 feet per 0.00001 degree, 6.06 feet per 0.001 minute,
10.10 feet per 0.1 second, 101.1 feet per second, 6066.7 feet per
minute.
Longitude: 3.04 feet per 0.00001 degree, 5.07 feet per 0.001 minute,
8.45 feet per 0.1 second, 84.5 feet per second, 5066.7 feet per
minute.

But I am scratching my head over the longitude! Doesn't a minute of
longitude depend on your location between the pole and the equator?

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

brucrx wrote:
Does anyone know the exact conversion in feet for a minute of latitude and
longitude?


Did you poke around in the setup screens of your GPS. If you can
get it into a state plane or UTM readout it will read out in some
distance (typically meters). I know I can get my Garmin 195 into
UTM.

On Fri, 5 Nov 2004 21:35:16 -0600, "brucrx"
wrote:

Does anyone know the exact conversion in feet for a minute of latitude and
longitude?

1 degree of latitude = 60nm = 69sm = 364320 feet
60 minutes = 1 degree, so 1 minute = 364320/60= 6072 feet (or 1 nm)

Longitude varies depending on latitude. At the equator, the above
numbers are accurate.

"Ron Natalie" wrote

Did you poke around in the setup screens of your GPS. If you can
get it into a state plane or UTM readout it will read out in some
distance (typically meters). I know I can get my Garmin 195 into
UTM.

State plane?

UTM?
--
Jim in NC


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Morgans wrote:


State plane?

UTM?

There are other coordinate systems than lat/long. A state plane picks
an arbitrary place in the state and measures in feet (or meters) from
that North and East. Similarly, Universal Transverse Mercator chops up
the earth into 3 degree zones and then makes meters north and east from
a reference point in that zone.

It's a bit more involved than that, but it's good enough for the precision
of what unassisted GPS is going to give you.

"Ron Natalie" wrote

There are other coordinate systems than lat/long. A state plane picks
an arbitrary place in the state and measures in feet (or meters) from
that North and East. Similarly, Universal Transverse Mercator chops up
the earth into 3 degree zones and then makes meters north and east from
a reference point in that zone.


Sounds like something used mainly by surveyors?
--
Jim in NC


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Sounds like something used mainly by surveyors?

In the deeds I read, surveyers measured by chains and rods. I think
they also used perches, but I have never seen a reference to one.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net