Coordinate Converter

One tool covers both jobs that usually need two: stamping coordinates onto features from their geometry, and converting a column of coordinates already in the table from one notation to another.

• Everything converts through a common path — source → WGS 84 → target — so any supported input format can be written to any supported output format.
• Source chooses where the coordinates come from:
  • From geometry — read from each feature's shape. Geometry position then decides which point of the shape is used.
  • From existing field(s) — read from the table. Source format states how those values are written, and Single text field handles the case where a whole coordinate sits in one column.
• Geometry position matters for anything that is not a point: The same position is used for every feature.

• Output format is one of DD, DMS, UTM, MGRS, or XY. Two options shape the result:
  • One combined field (latitude + longitude) writes a single string instead of a pair of columns.
  • XY CRS (WKID) sets the coordinate system for XY output, entered as a WKID and validated as you type; Use map CRS takes the map's.
• UTM zone can be Auto — each feature gets the zone its longitude falls in — or Fixed, with an explicit Zone and Hemisphere. Use Fixed when a dataset straddling two zones must be reported in a single zone, which is common for a survey deliverable.
• New fields are created before any edit, with fixed types: Double, Short, or Text (64). Feature services are refused — the tool works on local data only.
• The whole run is a single undo step. All rows are converted first, in batches of 1,000 with progress and a cancel option, then written in one edit operation named Coordinate Converter.
  • Cancelling before the write phase changes nothing.
  • The write phase itself cannot be cancelled.
  • If the layer cannot be edited through an edit session, the tool falls back to a direct update cursor and reports that undo is unavailable — note this if it appears.
• Overwrite existing values decides what happens to rows that fail to convert: Either way, bad rows are counted and logged with their ObjectID in Details. Read that log rather than assuming every row converted.
  • On — a bad row's target cell is set to null, but only where the field is nullable and currently holds a value.
  • Off — existing non-null cells are left alone entirely.

Accuracy and range limits

• MGRS output is truncated, which is the standard convention, and parsing an MGRS value returns the south-west corner of its square. A five-digit MGRS round trip is therefore accurate to about 1.4 m, not 1 m. Do not treat MGRS as a lossless store for survey coordinates.
• UTM and MGRS are undefined outside 80°S to 84°N. Features beyond those latitudes are reported as out of range rather than converted; the tool does not fall back to UPS.
• In UTM text, a lone N or S is read as a hemisphere — which is what the tool writes — while the letters C to X are read as MGRS latitude bands. Mixed conventions in a hand-typed column are a common source of failed rows.
• Values longer than 256 characters are rejected, and each text parser gives up after 250 ms, so a malformed cell becomes a counted failure rather than a hang.

Stamp coordinates onto features from their geometry

1. On the KGA Toolbox tab, in the Data Management group, open the Attribute menu and click Coordinate Converter.
2. Set Layer / table.
3. Under Source, choose From geometry.
4. Under Geometry position, set Use. For irregular polygons choose Label point rather than Centroid, so the point is guaranteed to fall inside the parcel.
5. Under Target, set Output format. For XY, set XY CRS (WKID) or click Use map CRS. For UTM, set UTM zone to Fixed if the whole dataset must report in one zone.
6. Leave Overwrite existing values unchecked on a first run.
7. Click Run, then read Details for any rows that failed.

Convert a column of coordinates to another notation

1. Open the tool and set Layer / table.
2. Under Source, choose From existing field(s) and set Source format to match how the values are actually written. Check Single text field if the whole coordinate is in one column.
3. Under Target, set Output format to the notation you want.
4. Click Run, then check Details. Failed rows are usually a mixed notation in the source column — in UTM text especially, a lone N/S means hemisphere while C–X means an MGRS band.

Requires an active KGA Toolbox license. The tool validates the license before running.