Cave locations in Lat / Long ??

[Geoff R]

Could someone kindly point me in the direction of a list of Latitude and Longitude coords of Yorkshire caves.
Its to be my first visit !

My car gps and phone gps only take decimal lat/long inputs and caves seem only listed in OS grid refs.

Ive tried web converters between the two formats and you wont be surprised to learn Ive achieved a number of differing answers for good technical reasons (I guess). 

thanks 

 

[graham]

You can get conversions done at sites like http://www.geograph.org.uk/latlong.php

I very much doubt that anyone maintains a list in this format, as the OSGB grid is far more useful Try locating a spot on a 1:25000 OS  map using both types of co-ordinate.

You do need to enter the correct information, though, be sure exactly what co-ordinate system AND Geodetic you require.

Alternatively, invest in a new GPS unit

 

[Geoff R]

You can get conversions done at sites like http://www.geograph.org.uk/latlong.php

I very much doubt that anyone maintains a list in this format, as the OSGB grid is far more useful Try locating a spot on a 1:25000 OS  map using both types of co-ordinate.

You do need to enter the correct information, though, be sure exactly what co-ordinate system AND Geodetic you require.

Alternatively, invest in a new GPS unit

Thanks Graham for quick reply 
yes, I have no problems finding a number of web based converters.
Maybe its just the increasing use of this modern technology stuff thats increasingly (according to the web) being based on Lat / Long coords and not our OS system.

I do agree, with an OS map its currently much easier to use OS coords 

Im just hoping that somewhere out there we may have someone who has accurately fixed the positions with GPS. 
but for my forthcoming visit its no big deal if this is not the case
   


 

 

[graham]

Actually, I expect you'll find that stuff isn't based on Lat/Long but on UTM.

I haven't come across a GPS unit that didn't understand UTM since my very first Magellan died, years ago, now.

 

[footleg]

Have you found a comprehensive list of GPS coordinates in any format? I've not managed to track down one for Yorkshire.

 

[Robert Scott]

Visit www.cravenpotholeclub.org then click on Meets. Most meets, which of course may not be the caves that you want to visit , show longtitude & latitude. A negative longtitude means west of the meridian.

 

[SamT]

You could try using http://www.flashearth.com/

Use the Mircrosoft VE layer.

then find your cave - (comparing with OS maps/guidebooks etc). position the cross hairs over your cave. - then the lat/long is in the bottom right hand corner

eg -

GG = http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.149484&lon=-2.382758&z=17.3&r=0&src=msl

Its awesome for just getting a general idea of the lay of the land - walls, footpaths, etc. Great navigational aid.

 

[footleg]

You could try using http://www.flashearth.com/
<snip>
eg - GG = http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.149484&lon=-2.382758&z=17.3&r=0&src=msl

That is an excellent online resource which I had not come across before. Thanks for the link.

The actual reason I asked about sources of coordinates for Yorkshire cave entrances is that I am interested in a GPS cave database for the Dales which is not constrained by copyright issues. This really means cave location coordinates collected by individuals who are happy to donate the information to the public domain so that over time a complete list of locations can be assembled. There must be other GPS owners like me who have data they would happily contribute, but I don't know of an online location where such data is being published. There are a few for other regions or ones which contain only a handful of locations, but nothing as comprehensive as the Mendip Googlemap site for example.

 

[SamT]

Is this not the kind of thing that would be ideal to place on the UKcaving wiki non?

http://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

 

[footleg]

Is this not the kind of thing that would be ideal to place on the UKcaving wiki non?

http://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

I did consider that, but a Wiki is not the ideal format for a GPS locations database. The problem with a Wiki is that you have to browse through all the pages to find all the information, or you have to duplicate it on more than one page. The GPS data really needs to be held in a database so it can be structured and managed. Otherwise you end up with something that is difficult to use. Now if UKcaving could host PHP webpages which linked to a database then that would be useful.

 

[footleg]

I was browsing the aerial mapping for Matienzo in Northern Spain and noticed that the different mapping data providers show the maps in different positions! This does not seem to be a problem for the UK, but beware when deriving GPS coordinates from it. The maps may not be precisely georeferenced.

 

[francis]

I thought UMTS WGS84 was the norm today, maybe it isn't in the UK?

Francis

 

[biffa]

In the UK we tend to use the local Ordnance Survey grid (OSGB).  Other than that then I think UTMS WGS84 is the standard.

 

[footleg]

As a general rule, GPS coordinates tend to be quoted in the format which the local maps are drawn using. So French cave locations are often published in Lambert coordinates. All the Matienzo Spain data is published in UTM EUR79. Most UK coordinates are published in OSGB. The enables you to find the location on a map without needing a GPS or a computer to do coordinate transformations.

 

[Skybob]

All GPS receivers (without fail) work in WGS84 geodetic coordinate system.  This is the underlying coordinate system regardless of what being displayed on the screen.  I would recommend that wherever possible these coordinates are used for long term storage of coordinates because there are often different parameters to convert from WGS84 (a constant) to a local grid (X / Y Cartesian) coordinates.

In the UK the OS have published two transformations OSTN02 and OSGM02.  OSTN02 to convert WGS84 Lat/Long into OS X/Y and OSGM02 to convert the height datum.

I could go on, but I’m getting bored myself!

 

[footleg]

Agreed. In a database I would store as Lat Lon WGS84 but provide interfaces which allow different formats to be exported for whatever use is required.

 

[DCWB]

Anyone know of a utility to convert French xyz coordinates into Lat / Long?

 

[footleg]

Anyone know of a utility to convert French xyz coordinates into Lat / Long?

GPS Utility is a Windows application which can do most coordinate transformations. You will need to know what format and datum your French coordinates are in first though. This application suggests the most likely formats for each country. There is a free version which is limited to 100 points at a time. Available from http://www.gpsu.co.uk

 

[littlebear]

You could try using http://www.flashearth.com/

Use the Mircrosoft VE layer.

That's really useful thanks, worth mentioning though that most bits I looked at were better in the Google layer - but it is cool that you can switch between them.

 

[Gordy]

did you ever manage anything- i had a look at the mendip googlemap thing and thats really good. it would be epic if you could do something like that, and then eventually if they all got combined, it could be for the whole of the country and each one could have some info about the cave- maybee a bit wishfull thinking tho