HACKER Q&A
📣 Raed667

Shortest string representation of GPS coordinates?


What is the shortest possible way to encode valid GPS coordinates (with reasonable precision) as a readable string?

Should I be looking at `baseXY` encoding schemes or totally different spacial representation system?

If you're curious it is for a tattoo I want to get, and I think the shorter, the better it would be!

Plus Codes[0] seem to be an option, but I'm not really into the idea of putting something pushed by Google on my body instead of a standard.

[0] https://plus.codes/


  👤 sizzzzlerz Accepted Answer ✓
The Maidenhead system, used extensively in ham radio, can encode latitude and longitude in 6 ascii characters to a precision of 10.4 km, or 6.3 miles. Adding two additional characters can reduce that even further.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Locator_System


👤 Nextgrid
Plus Codes is actually based on a standard called Open Location Code: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Location_Code