Military Grid Reference System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:26, 25 June 2025

Revision as of 23:49, 25 June 2025

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For machine-readability and database storage, all spaces may be removed.

An MGRS grid reference represents a square area on the Earth's surface, rather than a single point.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/mapping/properties/military-grid-reference-system.htm |title=Military Grid Reference System |website=ArcGIS Pro |publisher=Esri |access-date=25 June 2025 |quote=An MGRS coordinate defines an area on the Earth's surface as opposed to a specific point.}}</ref> A ''grid square'' references a square or polygon on the Earth with a side length of 10&nbsp;km, 1&nbsp;km, 100&nbsp;m, 10&nbsp;m or 1&nbsp;m, depending on the precision of the coordinates provided. (In some cases, squares adjacent to a Grid Zone Junction (GZJ) are clipped, so "polygon" ismay be a better descriptor of thesesuch areas.)

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The number of digits in the numerical ___location must be even: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10, depending on the desired precision. When changing precision levels, it is important to [[truncate]] rather than [[rounding|round]] the easting and northing values to ensure the more precise polygonsquare will remain within the boundaries of the less precise polygonsquare.

Related to this is the primacy of the southwest corner of the polygonsquare being the labeling point for anthe entire polygonsquare. (In instances where the polygon is not a square and has been clipped by a grid zone junction, the polygon keeps the label of the southwest corner as if it had not been clipped.)

[[Google Maps]] recognizes MGRS grid references which have 1-meter square precision (10-digit numerical ___location) and are stripped of spaces. The software drops a pin representing the [[centroid]] of the 1-meter square area.

==Grid zone designation==