The My Location blog
Practical guides to coordinates, IP addresses, maps and everything location — written to answer the questions people actually search for.
How to Find Your GPS Coordinates (Phone, Computer, and Map) A practical, step-by-step guide to finding and reading your GPS coordinates on any device, plus the difference between decimal degrees and DMS.
What Is an IP Address? IPv4 vs IPv6, Public vs Private, and Location A plain-English guide to IP addresses: IPv4 vs IPv6, public vs private, and how accurately your IP reveals your location.
IP Location vs GPS Location: Which Is Accurate? IP geolocation places you in a city or metro area, while GPS pinpoints you to a few meters — here's how each works and when to use it.
Decimal Degrees vs DMS: Coordinate Formats Explained Decimal degrees and DMS describe the exact same point two different ways — here's how to read each, convert between them, and pick the right one.
What Are UTM Coordinates? Zones, Easting, and Northing Explained A plain-English guide to UTM coordinates: what zones, easting, and northing mean, how to read them, and when to use UTM instead of latitude and longitude.
What Is MGRS (Military Grid Reference System)? A plain-English guide to the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS): its structure, how to read it, digit-by-digit precision, and how it compares to UTM and USNG.
What Are Plus Codes (Open Location Code)? A plain-English guide to Plus Codes (Open Location Code): how they encode any place on Earth, how to read the format, and how to convert them to and from coordinates.
How to Share Your Location Safely A practical guide to sharing your location safely with links, choosing between a static share and live tracking, and protecting your privacy.
How Accurate Is Phone GPS? A Practical Guide Phone GPS is usually accurate to about 3-5 meters under open sky, but buildings, trees, and indoor walls can push that to 10-20 meters or worse — here's why, and how to improve it.
How to Measure the Distance Between Two Coordinates A plain-English guide to measuring the distance between two latitude/longitude points, including great-circle vs straight-line, bearing, and finding the midpoint.
What Is Geocoding and Reverse Geocoding? A plain-English guide to geocoding (address to coordinates) and reverse geocoding (coordinates to address): how they work, real uses, and accuracy.
Elevation vs Altitude: What Is Your Height Above Sea Level? A plain-English guide to elevation vs altitude, how height above sea level is actually measured, and why your phone's GPS altitude is so often off.