As mentioned above, when converting UTM coordinates to an MGRS grid reference, or when abbreviating an MGRS grid reference to lower precision, onecoordinates shouldare {{em|truncatetruncated}}, and not rounded up (which would indicate the coordinates,next notadjacent round.grid Thissquare hasinstead beenof controversialthe insurrounding thesquare). past,
This sincewas once controversial as the oldest specification, TM8358.1,<ref name="DMA8358_1_Chapter3"/> usedindicated rounding, asand early versions didof GEOTRANS<ref name="Geotrans">[http://earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/geotrans/index.html GEOTRANS] Geographic Translator software and source code from the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.</ref> beforefollowed version 3.0suit.
However, truncation ishas usedbeen applied in GEOTRANS since version 3.0, andas well as in NGA Military Map Reading 201<ref name="Military_Map_Reading_201"/> (page 5) and in the USU.S. Army Field Manual 3-25.26.<ref name="Field_Manual_3_25_26">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-25-26/index.html Map Reading and Land Navigation], U.S. Army Field Manual No. 3-25.26 (see section 4-6).</ref> The
Likewise, the civilian/continental version of MGRS, [[USNG]], also usesspecifies truncation.<ref name="Cavell">J. Anthony Cavell, [http://www.amerisurv.com/PDF/TheAmericanSurveyor_USNationalGrid-Cavell_June2005.pdf USNG: Getting it right the first time]. ''The American Surveyor,'' June 2005.</ref>
