Geocoding - Location coordinates

Why are there two different formats for Latitude and Longitude. Input is in decimal degrees, but database content is in degrees, minutes, seconds. Why not have the manual input be the same?

Just a thought, but maybe because the DMS format is easier to read while the decimal format is easier to enter. The decimal can be mathematically converted, whereas if one entered the DMS version, there is a bit of string parsing that has to happen to figure out what bit goes where.

I currently do not use geocoding in RootsMagic. How does one get started and do I need to enter all geo locations by hand? Thanks Don

Don, on the Places Tab click on the 3 Dots in the Places banner (to the right of the trashcan). This opens a menu option where you can choose either “Geocode selected place” or “Geocode all places”. You may get a list of places for which RM could not find a geocode, you can manually match if desired.

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You beat me to it there Alaine, I was just typing a similar post! I was however going to add that you can then go to each of your Place Details and Geocode them too but this really has to be done one-by-one as the gazetteer doesn’t know where 123 Main Street, or Anytown Cemetery is. I mostly Geocode my Place Details from Google Maps (this of course doesn’t work where a building or street is no longer in existence). Instructions as follows:

  1. Find the place Detail you want on Google Maps in your browser and Right Click. The decimal co-ordinates will appear at the top of the selection list.
  2. Click on the co-ordinates and they are automatically copied to your clipboard.
  3. In the Place Detail/Edit Place Detail window Paste the co-ordinates in the Latitude field using Ctrl-V (Win10) and hit Enter - the co-ordinates are automatically split and the Longitude field completed.
  4. Check by clicking on the “Folded Map” icon
    Hope this helps
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It makes sense to me now and follows with Google Maps using decimal degrees. I can right click and save the coordinates to the clip board, but when I right click again in RM, paste does not appear forcing me to manually input the data. Trying to remember if there is a W10 keyboard command for paste. Ah yes Ctrl V…that works!

Sorry, I forgot to put “use Ctrl-V” for the paste - there is no right click paste function here - I have edited my post for future readers

Hello,
I would like to add Latitude and Longitude to Place details, but when I do the copy/paste from Google Maps to the Latitude field, I get 0,000000 N in red in Latitude and nothing in Longitude.
I’m in France using French locale parameters in W10, could it be the problem? I tried to change , with . = same problem. I tried to enter manually, same. Even if I copy/paste the values from a geocoded Place, it’s modified. Worst, the only fact to copy an existing Latitude replaces it with 0,000000 N.
Many thanks for any idea