<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv=Content-Type> <STYLE type=text/css>DIV { MARGIN: 0px } </STYLE> <META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18975"></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Given multiple options to find and locate gps coordinates in longitude/latitude why not use the name as it appears in the document, then log it under longitude and latitude.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Easy enough to find those coordinates simply from google maps.  Find the location of interest, or as close to the area as possible on google maps.  Click on link (upper right hand corner next to 'print' and 'send'), and copy the result into a  text reader or even an email. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Looks like this: <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Calibri><A href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=54.996721,-1.663892&num=1&sll=43.4501,-87.222019&sspn=4.218381,8.195801&ie=UTF8&ll=54.996524,-1.664321&spn=0.00373,0.013036&z=17">http://maps.google.com/maps?q=54.996721,-1.663892&num=1&sll=43.4501,-87.222019&sspn=4.218381,8.195801&ie=UTF8&ll=54.996524,-1.664321&spn=0.00373,0.013036&z=17</A></FONT></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Calibri></FONT> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Calibri>The coordinates of interest above are the first ones 54.996721,-1.663892.  Plugging those into the search line on google maps will take you to the location (in this case a street in Manchester, UK.  Those coordinates will never change, unlike the constantly evolving names for same location.  Most genealogy programs will do the same thing. </FONT></P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal>When we note a location why aren't we automatically adding the coordinates for the benefit of future researchers.  Also allows a client to pull up google maps and see exactly where the location is/was.  Or at least the closest modern approximation (if the street doesn't exist, you can normally locate its modern location on google maps by cross-referencing period sources like maps and gazetteers with the modern map).  </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal>This has to be the way we go now, it's simply the most exact way to pinpoint a location (and it's independent of the past or current name).  More importantly it can take you to a jurisdictional level location (where you select the central point of that jurisdiction and use those coordinates), or narrow down to a specific map location.  More often now you can then overlay that modern location on Google earth with a historical map and at the same time have the modern location right in front of you.  Future researchers will always know what location is being referred to, and it's independent of language.</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal>A way of noting locations that a) will never change in the future  b). allows a unified way to catalogue a location to its various name changes over time, and c). is independent of language preferences. Given the ease of finding the coordinates for any location on the planet, it just makes sense</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal>Larry</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>