What is the maximum level of precision when measuring latitude?
Latitude, otherwise known as the angular distance north or south of the earth’s equator, is measured on the surface of a sphere or ellipsoid. Different countries use differing units and levels of precision while measuring latitude. To this date, the highest level of precision when measuring latitude is 1 microdegree. This is equal to one millionth of the angular degree.
The most used units for measuring latitude are natural units and degrees-minutes-seconds. Natural units are based on the 360° of the full circle, while degrees-minutes-seconds have each minute divided into 60 seconds. The microdegree is the smallest angular unit of latitude, and it is equal to 0.00000001 of a degree.
In ocean tracking and navigation, the use of decimal formats provides great accuracy. Decimal coordinates measure position in latitude and longitude up to a total of 6 decimal places. This is the same precision level used to measure latitude in decimal when using the microdegree unit.
For navigational use, the recommended GPS accuracy is an error of no more than 5 meters. To achieve this accuracy, the use of 6 decimal places of GPS data, which is equivalent to 1 microdegree of accuracy, is preferable.