GPS Coordinates
Accurate GPS coordinates drive the map pin, the directions, the weather forecast, and the site details on a project. DrillerDB gives you several ways to set them, and every way ends in the same two fields: GPS Latitude and GPS Longitude.
The fields sit in the Well Location card on the project's Overview tab, under the site map.
Quick Start: Add Coordinates
- Open the project and scroll to the Well Location card on the Overview tab.
- Choose a method: pick the address from the suggestions, click Address → GPS, type the coordinates, or click Adjust on the map.
- DrillerDB saves the change and the pin moves.
Ways to Set Coordinates
| Method | Best for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Pick an address suggestion | Most projects | Type in Well site address and choose a match. DrillerDB fills the address, city, state, ZIP, and county. It fills the GPS fields only when they are empty, so it never overwrites surveyed coordinates |
| Address → GPS | An address that is already entered | Looks up the coordinates for the saved address. If the project already has coordinates, you are asked before they are replaced |
| Type the coordinates | Survey or regulatory data | Enter GPS Latitude and GPS Longitude in any supported format |
| Adjust | Choosing the spot visually | Opens the Adjust GPS Location window (below) |
| Get GPS | A parcel number | In the Adjust GPS Location window, enter a Parcel ID and click Get GPS to look up the parcel's location |
The reverse also works. GPS → Address fills the well address, city, state, and ZIP from the coordinates, and asks before it replaces an address that is already there.
Rural addresses often geocode to the nearest existing house. For a new build or a rural lot, set the pin with Adjust and check it on the satellite map.
The Adjust GPS Location Window
Click Adjust in the corner of the site map. The window has up to four tabs:
| Tab | What you do |
|---|---|
| Map pick | Drag the pin or click the map |
| Decimal entry | Type latitude and longitude as decimal degrees |
| DMS entry | Type degrees, minutes, seconds, and the N/S and E/W direction for each |
| UTM entry | Type a UTM location. Colorado projects only |
Click Update Location to save. DrillerDB writes the new coordinates at once, then refreshes the elevation, county, and township for the new point. If the pin moved, a window asks "Update the address to the new location?" Choose Update address to replace the well address, city, state, and ZIP with the address at the pin, or Keep current address to leave them.
Coordinate Formats
You can type coordinates in the GPS Latitude and GPS Longitude fields in any of these formats. DrillerDB converts them to decimal degrees when you leave the field.
| Format | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal degrees | 43.074722, -89.384444 | Preferred, no conversion |
| Degrees, minutes, seconds | 43° 04' 29" N, 89° 23' 04" W | Common in survey and regulatory documents. Also accepted with spaces: 43 04 29 N |
| Degrees, decimal minutes | 43° 04.488' N, 89° 23.066' W | Converted on entry |
| UTM | 13N 500000 4427757 | Zone and hemisphere, easting, northing in meters. Colorado projects only |
A direction letter (N, S, E, W) sets the sign. South and west are negative. Without a letter, a leading minus sign sets it.
Use decimal degrees when you can. The coordinate chip on the map and the exports show decimal degrees.
UTM on Colorado Projects
Colorado projects carry a fourth format. DrillerDB shows the UTM equivalent of the project's location beside the other formats, and lets you type a location in UTM. The project's state has to be Colorado. On any other project the UTM readout and the UTM tab are not there.
| What you get | Where it is |
|---|---|
| UTM readout | Under the Latitude and Longitude fields, next to the DMS and DDM values |
| UTM readout | On the coordinate chip in the corner of the site map, on the project and on the work order location card |
| UTM entry tab | In the Adjust GPS Location window, beside Map pick, Decimal entry, and DMS entry |
Step-by-Step: Enter a Location in UTM
- Open a Colorado project and click Adjust on the site map.
- Click the UTM entry tab. If the project already has coordinates, the field starts with them in UTM, so you can read the current location before you change it.
- Type the zone and hemisphere, the easting, then the northing, separated by spaces, as in
13N 500000 4427757. - Click Update Location. DrillerDB converts the entry and saves the location.
The work order location card opens the same modal with two tabs, Map / decimal and UTM entry, and its button reads Save Location.
Which Zone to Use
| Zone | Covers |
|---|---|
| 12N | Colorado west of 108 degrees west |
| 13N | Colorado east of 108 degrees west |
DrillerDB reads the zone from the longitude, so a readout on an existing project already shows the right one. You type the zone yourself when you enter a location.
An entry DrillerDB cannot place in zone 12N or 13N is refused with this message: "Enter valid UTM coordinates in zone 12N or 13N, for example 13N 500000 4427757. Easting and northing must fall within the entered zone." Nothing is saved until the entry is valid, so correct it and click the button again.
UTM is an entry and display format. DrillerDB still stores decimal degrees, so maps, directions, exports, and state reports work exactly as they do on a project you set from the map.
Check a Coordinate
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| The map does not show | The project has no usable latitude and longitude. A project with 0, 0 is treated as having no GPS set |
| A field will not take your entry | DrillerDB could not read the format. Use one of the formats above |
| The chip shows five decimal places | The map chip rounds to five places, about 3 feet. The saved value keeps what you entered |
Importing Projects
The project import reads GPS coordinates from the PDF well report when the document has them. It does not take a spreadsheet of coordinates for projects you already have. See Importing Projects.
Troubleshooting
The coordinates do not save?
- Check the format against the table above.
- Try decimal degrees.
- Reload the project and check the GPS Latitude and GPS Longitude fields.
The address lookup put the pin in the wrong place?
- Rural addresses often geocode poorly.
- Click Adjust and move the pin.
- Try a more specific address.
The coordinates show 0, 0?
- The lookup failed or nothing was entered.
- Type the coordinates, or click Adjust.
No marker on the map?
- The project has no coordinates. Click Geocode address, or enter them.
No UTM entry tab in the window?
- UTM entry is Colorado only.
- Set the project's state to Colorado, then reopen the window.
UTM entry refused?
- Use zone 12N or 13N.
- Type the easting before the northing.
- Check both values fall inside the zone you typed.
Related Topics
- Project Map - The map on each project
- Job Map - All projects on the map
- Directions - Navigation from the map
- Map Filtering - Filter map markers