How to find and share coordinates: latitude longitude, UTM and TUREF
Sharing a coordinate is easy until the format, datum and units are unclear.
Field takeaways
- Latitude longitude is usually WGS84 degrees and works well with KML.
- UTM and TUREF/TM metre coordinates are practical for CAD/GIS and field work.
- Share datum, zone, unit and point name.
- Phone location is approximate; precise coordinates need external GNSS/RTK.
- MapLab Survey combines point recording, coordinate display and export.
The one thing that must travel with the numbers
Sharing digits alone is not enough. A value like 39.925, 32.836 may be latitude-longitude; 482000, 4421000 may be a coordinate in metres. Without the datum, the zone and the order, mistakes happen at the office — a coordinate without its system is ambiguous, because latitude-longitude, UTM and a national grid can all describe the same place with completely different numbers.
Latitude-longitude, UTM and national grids
Latitude-longitude is the WGS84 degree notation common in map apps, and KML works that way. UTM and national TM systems are metre-based and read more naturally for distance, area, CAD and stake-out. In Türkiye, modern official and technical work runs on TUREF-based systems.
Recording the point
Record the point in MapLab Survey, name it, pick its layer, and add a photo and note where useful. Then send the same point as KML to a map user, CSV to a table, DXF to CAD or GeoJSON to a GIS system. The critical habit is checking the coordinate system before export.
Send text, not a screenshot
A picture of a coordinate cannot be pasted, checked or imported. Send the numbers, and the system, as text — and keep every decimal, because each digit you drop moves the point on the ground, particularly if someone will navigate to it.
What a good share looks like
Good: "Point P-12, TM33, E 482345.227, N 4412345.883, Z 912.45, RTK fixed". Bad: "coords 482345 4412345". The first sentence describes the job; the second one starts an argument. Add the date, the method and what the point represents — without that the recipient assumes it is a surveyed corner, and that assumption is expensive.
See it in action
MapLab Survey | Professional Mobile GIS, GPS Surveying & Land Measurement App
Visit the YouTube channel ->Try these steps on your own phone.
MapLab Survey handles RTK/GNSS point capture, drawing, area and volume calculations and coordinate conversion, then exports to DXF, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoPackage, NCZ or CSV. Capture, calculation and export work offline. Live NTRIP corrections and online basemaps need a connection.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find coordinates on a phone?
Save the current position as a point in MapLab Survey.
Are lat/lon and UTM the same?
No. Lat/lon is degrees; UTM is metres.
How should TUREF be shared?
With datum/projection/zone, E/N values and point name.
Can I send coordinates as KML?
Yes.
Technical references
The field guidance in this article is aligned with the technical and official references below.
Related: TUREF, UTM, ITRF selection · CSV coordinate list · Go to coordinate · MapLab Survey