GPS Tools for Python

A comprehensive Python library for working with geographic coordinates, providing tools for coordinate conversion, distance calculation, and spatial analysis. Designed for precision and reliability in GIS applications, navigation systems, and geospatial data processing.

Features

Coordinate Systems

• Latitude/Longitude - Standard decimal degree coordinates
• UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) - Grid-based system with zone divisions
• MGRS (Military Grid Reference System) - Military standard coordinate notation

Core Capabilities

• Coordinate Classes

  • Coordinate - Core class for lat/lon points with elevation support
  • UTMCoordinate - UTM representation with zone, easting, and northing
  • MGRSCoordinate - Complete MGRS coordinate representation
  • CoordinateList - Collection for managing groups of coordinates

• Distance Calculations

  • Haversine formula (great-circle distance)
  • Vincenty formula (ellipsoidal distance)
  • Path distance for coordinate sequences
  • Bearing and heading calculations
  • Midpoint determination

• Coordinate Conversions

  • Bidirectional transformations between lat/lon, UTM, and MGRS
  • Decimal degree to DMS (degrees, minutes, seconds) conversions
  • String parsing for multiple coordinate formats
  • Unified conversion interface

• Spatial Operations

  • Destination point calculation
  • Path distance computation
  • Geographic centroid determination
  • Bounding box generation
  • Longitude normalization

Installation

pip install gps-tools

Quick Start

Basic Coordinate Usage

from gps_tools import Coordinate

# Create coordinates
nyc = Coordinate(40.7128, -74.0060, name="New York")
sf = Coordinate(37.7749, -122.4194, name="San Francisco")

# Access properties
print(f"NYC is at {nyc.latitude}°N, {abs(nyc.longitude)}°W")
# Output: NYC is at 40.7128°N, 74.006°W

# String representation
print(nyc)
# Output: New York: 40.7128°N, 74.0060°W

Distance Calculations

from gps_tools import Coordinate
from gps_tools.distance import haversine_distance, vincenty_distance, bearing

# Create coordinates
nyc = Coordinate(40.7128, -74.0060, name="New York")
london = Coordinate(51.5074, -0.1278, name="London")

# Calculate distances
haversine_dist = haversine_distance(nyc, london)
vincenty_dist = vincenty_distance(nyc, london)
bearing_val = bearing(nyc, london)

print(f"Haversine distance: {haversine_dist/1000:.1f} km")
print(f"Vincenty distance: {vincenty_dist/1000:.1f} km")
print(f"Bearing from NYC to London: {bearing_val:.1f}°")

Coordinate Conversions

from gps_tools.converters import latlon_to_utm, utm_to_latlon, latlon_to_mgrs, mgrs_to_latlon

# Convert from lat/lon to UTM
lat, lon = 40.7128, -74.0060  # NYC
zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing = latlon_to_utm(lat, lon)
print(f"UTM: {zone_number}{zone_letter} {easting:.1f}E {northing:.1f}N")
# Output: UTM: 18T 583959.4E 4507351.0N

# Convert from UTM back to lat/lon
lat2, lon2 = utm_to_latlon(zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing)
print(f"Back to lat/lon: {lat2:.6f}, {lon2:.6f}")
# Output: Back to lat/lon: 40.712800, -74.006000

# Convert to MGRS
mgrs = latlon_to_mgrs(lat, lon)
print(f"MGRS: {mgrs}")
# Output: MGRS: 18TFR8395907350

# Convert from MGRS back to lat/lon
lat3, lon3 = mgrs_to_latlon(mgrs)
print(f"From MGRS: {lat3:.6f}, {lon3:.6f}")
# Output: From MGRS: 40.712800, -74.006000

Advanced Operations

from gps_tools import Coordinate, CoordinateList
from gps_tools.calculations import calculate_path_distance, calculate_centroid, calculate_bbox

# Create a path of coordinates
path = CoordinateList([
    Coordinate(40.7128, -74.0060, name="New York"),
    Coordinate(39.9526, -75.1652, name="Philadelphia"),
    Coordinate(38.9072, -77.0369, name="Washington DC")
])

# Calculate total path distance
total_distance = calculate_path_distance(path.coordinates)
print(f"Total path distance: {total_distance/1000:.1f} km")
# Output: Total path distance: 328.3 km

# Find the centroid
centroid = calculate_centroid(path.coordinates)
print(f"Centroid: {centroid}")
# Output: Centroid: 39.8575°N, 75.4027°W

# Calculate bounding box
sw, ne = calculate_bbox(path.coordinates)
print(f"SW corner: {sw}")
print(f"NE corner: {ne}")

API Reference

Core Classes

Coordinate

coord = Coordinate(latitude, longitude, elevation=None, name=None)

Primary class for representing geographic points.

UTMCoordinate

utm = UTMCoordinate(zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing, elevation=None, name=None)

UTM coordinate representation.

MGRSCoordinate

mgrs = MGRSCoordinate(zone_number, zone_letter, grid_square, easting, northing, 
                      precision=5, elevation=None, name=None)

Military Grid Reference System coordinate.

CoordinateList

coords = CoordinateList(coordinates_list)

Collection for managing groups of coordinates with search and filtering capabilities.

Distance Functions

haversine_distance(point1, point2, radius=6371000.0)

Calculates great-circle distance between two coordinates using the Haversine formula.

vincenty_distance(point1, point2, iterations=100, tolerance=1e-12)

Calculates ellipsoidal distance using Vincenty's formula (more accurate).

bearing(point1, point2)

Calculates the initial bearing from point1 to point2 (0-360°).

destination_point(start, bearing, distance, radius=6371000.0)

Calculates destination coordinate given starting point, bearing, and distance.

path_distance(points, method="haversine")

Calculates total distance along a path of coordinates.

midpoint(point1, point2)

Calculates the midpoint between two coordinates.

Conversion Functions

latlon_to_utm(latitude, longitude)

Converts lat/lon to UTM, returning (zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing).

utm_to_latlon(zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing)

Converts UTM to lat/lon, returning (latitude, longitude).

decimal_to_dms(decimal, is_latitude=True)

Converts decimal degrees to DMS format (e.g., 40.7128° → 40°42'46.08"N).

dms_to_decimal(dms_str)

Converts DMS string to decimal degrees (e.g., 40°42'46.08"N → 40.7128).

latlon_to_mgrs(latitude, longitude, precision=5)

Converts lat/lon to MGRS string.

mgrs_to_latlon(mgrs_str)

Converts MGRS string to lat/lon, returning (latitude, longitude).

mgrs_to_utm(mgrs_str)

Converts MGRS string to UTM, returning (zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing).

convert_to_latlon(coordinate_input)

Unified conversion interface that accepts various coordinate formats and returns lat/lon.

Calculation Functions

calculate_distance(coord1, coord2)

High-level distance calculator using Haversine formula.

calculate_destination(start, bearing, distance)

Calculates destination coordinate given starting point, bearing, and distance.

calculate_path_distance(coordinates)

Calculates total distance along multiple points.

calculate_centroid(coordinates)

Finds geographic center of multiple coordinates.

calculate_bbox(coordinates)

Calculates a bounding box, returning (southwest_corner, northeast_corner).

normalize_longitude(longitude)

Normalizes longitude to -180 to 180 range.

Function Examples

Core Coordinate Classes

from gps_tools import Coordinate, UTMCoordinate, MGRSCoordinate, CoordinateList

# Basic coordinate
nyc = Coordinate(40.7128, -74.0060, name="New York", elevation=10)
print(nyc)  # New York: 40.7128°N, 74.0060°W

# UTM coordinate
utm_coord = UTMCoordinate(18, 'T', 583959.4, 4507351.0, name="NYC in UTM")
print(utm_coord)  # NYC in UTM: 18T 583959.40E 4507351.00N

# MGRS coordinate
mgrs_coord = MGRSCoordinate(18, 'T', 'FR', 83959, 7351, name="NYC in MGRS")
print(mgrs_coord)  # NYC in MGRS: 18TFR8395907351

# Coordinate collection
cities = CoordinateList([
    Coordinate(40.7128, -74.0060, name="New York"),
    Coordinate(51.5074, -0.1278, name="London"),
    Coordinate(35.6762, 139.6503, name="Tokyo")
])
print(len(cities))  # 3
print(cities.get_by_name("London"))  # London: 51.5074°N, 0.1278°W

Distance Functions

from gps_tools import Coordinate
from gps_tools.distance import (
    haversine_distance, vincenty_distance, bearing,
    destination_point, path_distance, midpoint
)

# Create test coordinates
nyc = Coordinate(40.7128, -74.0060, name="New York")
london = Coordinate(51.5074, -0.1278, name="London")
tokyo = Coordinate(35.6762, 139.6503, name="Tokyo")

# Calculate haversine distance
distance_km = haversine_distance(nyc, london) / 1000
print(f"NYC to London: {distance_km:.1f} km")  # ~5570 km

# Calculate vincenty distance (more accurate)
distance_km = vincenty_distance(nyc, london) / 1000
print(f"NYC to London (Vincenty): {distance_km:.1f} km")  # ~5570 km

# Calculate bearing from NYC to London
initial_bearing = bearing(nyc, london)
print(f"Initial bearing from NYC to London: {initial_bearing:.1f}°")  # ~51.4°

# Find destination 100km east of NYC
dest = destination_point(nyc, 90.0, 100000)
print(f"100km east of NYC: {dest}")  # ~40.71°N, 72.63°W

# Calculate path distance
route = [nyc, london, tokyo]
total_distance = path_distance(route)
print(f"Total route distance: {total_distance/1000:.1f} km")  # ~15200 km

# Find midpoint between NYC and London
mid = midpoint(nyc, london)
print(f"Midpoint: {mid}")  # ~48.7°N, 42.5°W

Conversion Functions

from gps_tools.converters import (
    latlon_to_utm, utm_to_latlon, decimal_to_dms, dms_to_decimal,
    latlon_to_mgrs, mgrs_to_latlon, mgrs_to_utm
)
from gps_tools.unified_converter import convert_to_latlon

# Convert lat/lon to UTM
zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing = latlon_to_utm(40.7128, -74.0060)
print(f"UTM: {zone_number}{zone_letter} {easting:.1f}E {northing:.1f}N")
# Output: UTM: 18T 583959.4E 4507351.0N

# Convert UTM to lat/lon
lat, lon = utm_to_latlon(18, 'T', 583959.4, 4507351.0)
print(f"Lat/Lon: {lat:.6f}°, {lon:.6f}°")  # 40.712800°, -74.006000°

# Convert decimal degrees to DMS
nyc_lat_dms = decimal_to_dms(40.7128, is_latitude=True)
nyc_lon_dms = decimal_to_dms(-74.0060, is_latitude=False)
print(f"NYC: {nyc_lat_dms}, {nyc_lon_dms}")  # 40°42'46.08"N, 74°0'21.6"W

# Convert DMS to decimal degrees
lat_decimal = dms_to_decimal("40°42'46.08\"N")
lon_decimal = dms_to_decimal("74°0'21.6\"W")
print(f"Decimal: {lat_decimal:.6f}°, {lon_decimal:.6f}°")  # 40.712800°, -74.006000°

# Convert lat/lon to MGRS
mgrs = latlon_to_mgrs(40.7128, -74.0060)
print(f"MGRS: {mgrs}")  # 18TFR8395907350

# Convert MGRS to lat/lon
lat, lon = mgrs_to_latlon("18TFR8395907350")
print(f"Lat/Lon: {lat:.6f}°, {lon:.6f}°")  # 40.712800°, -74.006000°

# Convert MGRS to UTM
zone_number, zone_letter, easting, northing = mgrs_to_utm("18TFR8395907350")
print(f"UTM: {zone_number}{zone_letter} {easting:.1f}E {northing:.1f}N")
# Output: UTM: 18T 583959.0E 4507350.0N

# Unified converter - accepts various coordinate formats
lat, lon, elev = convert_to_latlon("18TFR8395907350")
print(f"Lat/Lon: {lat:.6f}°, {lon:.6f}°")  # 40.712800°, -74.006000°

Calculation Functions

from gps_tools import Coordinate
from gps_tools.calculations import (
    calculate_distance, calculate_destination, calculate_path_distance,
    calculate_centroid, calculate_bbox, normalize_longitude
)

# Create test coordinates
nyc = Coordinate(40.7128, -74.0060, name="New York")
dc = Coordinate(38.9072, -77.0369, name="Washington DC") 
sf = Coordinate(37.7749, -122.4194, name="San Francisco")

# Calculate distance between points
distance = calculate_distance(nyc, dc)
print(f"NYC to DC: {distance/1000:.1f} km")  # ~328 km

# Calculate destination from bearing and distance
bearing = 45.0  # Northeast
distance = 100000  # 100 km
destination = calculate_destination(nyc, bearing, distance)
print(f"100km NE of NYC: {destination}")  # ~41.4°N, 72.7°W

# Calculate total path distance
cities = [nyc, dc, sf]
path_distance = calculate_path_distance(cities)
print(f"Total path distance: {path_distance/1000:.1f} km")  # ~4620 km

# Calculate centroid (geographic center)
centroid = calculate_centroid(cities)
print(f"Centroid: {centroid}")  # ~39.1°N, 91.2°W

# Calculate bounding box
sw, ne = calculate_bbox(cities)
print(f"Bounding box SW: {sw}")  # ~37.8°N, 122.4°W
print(f"Bounding box NE: {ne}")  # ~40.7°N, 74.0°W

# Normalize longitude to -180 to 180 range
normalized = normalize_longitude(185.5)
print(f"Normalized longitude: {normalized}°")  # -174.5°

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• numpy
• math

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Made with ❤️ by the GPS Tools Team