Directions for coordinates

When you provide coordinates, i2® Analyst's Notebook® Connector for Esri® interprets the values in a defined order. The defined order is different depending on whether the coordinates use degrees, minutes, and seconds (latitude and longitude) or are distance-based (easting and northing).

Indicating directions for latitudes and longitudes

When you are using a geographical coordinate system, and unless you specify otherwise, the first coordinate value is interpreted as latitude (north or south). The second value is interpreted as longitude (east or west).

There are different ways to specify another direction, or to indicate that the coordinate values are reversed:

  • N, North, or Y
  • S, South, or - (minus)
  • E, East, or X
  • W, West, or - (minus)

These examples all describe the same location:

35:54:15 14:31:8
14:31:8E, 35:54:15N
North 35:54:15, East 14:31:8
x14:31:8 y35:54:15

Indicating directions for eastings and northings

When you are using a projected coordinate system, the first distance value is interpreted as the easting, and the second distance value is interpreted the northing.

There are different ways to specify another direction, or to indicate that the coordinate values are reversed:

  • N, North, or Y
  • S or South
  • E, East, or X
  • W or West
Note: You can specify directions only when your chosen coordinate format supports them. For example, UPS and UTM support directed eastings and northings, but British National Grid (Decimal) does not.

Separating pairs of values

You can use these characters to separate pairs of values:

  • Space
  • Comma followed by a space

For example:

  • 34.138 118.354
  • 34.138, 118.354
Note: If the thousands separator in your Windows™ regional settings is not a comma, then you can also separate value pairs with a comma that is not followed by a space.