The global GPS system actually doesn’t have a coordinates system of its own.
It uses “geographic coordinates” systems that already existed before GPS, including.
Latitude and Longitude
GPS coordinates are most commonly expressed as latitude and longitude.
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The prime meridian is at 0 degrees longitude, extending east and west.
The location may also be expressed in a numbers-only format, per: 40.748440, -73.984559.
Being numeric-only, the second means of notation is the most commonly used for inputting positions into GPS devices.
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Universal Transverse Mercator
GPS devices may also be set to show position in Universal Transverse Mercator.
UTM divides the globe into a grid of many zones.
Related to UTM are the Military Grid Reference System and the United States National Grid.
These systems are commonly used by military personnel, federal agencies, and law-enforcement and search-and-rescue teams.
Newer USGS maps useNAD 83, the North American Datum of 1983.
However, by default, most GPS systems default toWGS 84, the World Geodetic System of 1984.
When in doubt, use WGS 84.
You will see thenumeric latitudeand longitude for the location.
Apple’s Maps app does not provide a way to obtain GPS coordinates.
