GARS to Lat/Long Converter

Convert Global Area Reference System cell codes to latitude and longitude cell centers, corners, and cell size.

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How This Tool Works

The Global Area Reference System (GARS) divides the world into 30-minute by 30-minute cells on the WGS 84 latitude and longitude grid. A five-character code identifies the base cell: three digits for the longitude band and two letters for the latitude band, with I and O omitted from the lettering sequence.

This converter decodes the cell, applies the optional 15-minute quadrant and 5-minute keypad subdivisions, then returns the center point and southwest/northeast bounds in decimal degrees.

  • Input: A GARS code such as 361HN, 361HN1, or 361HN19.
  • Subdivision order: Quadrants are numbered from west to east starting with the northern row; keypad values follow the same top-to-bottom telephone-keypad layout.
  • Output: Decimal latitude/longitude for the cell center, plus bounding corners and cell size.

Why This Matters

GARS is an area reference system used for describing grid cells, especially in aviation, defense, search-and-rescue, and large-area coordination workflows. Converting a GARS cell to latitude and longitude makes the area easier to inspect in common mapping and GIS tools.

Because GARS describes areas rather than exact surveyed points, use the returned bounds when the full cell footprint matters and the center point when you only need a representative map location.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Do not include I or O: GARS omits those letters to reduce confusion with 1 and 0.
  • Do not treat GARS as a point format: A code identifies a 30-minute, 15-minute, or 5-minute cell.
  • Check quadrant order: Quadrant 1 is northwest, 2 is northeast, 3 is southwest, and 4 is southeast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the GARS to Lat/Long Converter

This converter handles decimal degrees, degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS), UTM, MGRS, and other common geographic coordinate systems used in mapping and navigation.

Sources & References

Geographic coordinate systems

Latitude/longitude, UTM, and datum definitions underlying coordinate conversions.
→Source: NOAA — National Geodetic Survey

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