How to enter exact GPS coordinates to a single POI?

General talk
1

Hello together,

perhaps a stupid question but I didn’t find an answer: how is it possible to enter the exact GPS coordinates to a single point with Potlatch 2? Example: I mark a viewpoint with my GPS when I am on tour and will afterwards transfer it to the exact position in the map. If I switch on the option “show mouse latitude/longitude” I see the exact mouse coordinates but with this information it is quite difficult to put a single point to the exact GPS position. Is there e.g. a key for the latitude and longitude value I can add to the view point node? Thanks a lot for your answer!

2

I am not aware that Potlatch2 has an option to enter oordinates for a certain node.

But you can try the editor JOSM … it has this feature! Maybe you have to install the utilsplugin2 for that.

3

In JOSM use Shift+D (i think it’s available in JOSM by default) or with Ctrl+Shift+L, if you have utilsplugin (you can access it in Lat Lon tools in More tools menu).

4

Thanks a lot. I installed JOSM on OpenSuse 12.1, it works perfect, great! I even succeeded in adding a new point with exact GPS coordinates (Ctrl+Shift+L, utilsplugin installed) and then giving the other required attributes (e.g. viewpoint, restaurant etc). What not worked however is to move an existing POI to the exact coordinates. The POI is selected, the unprecise GPS coordinates shown, but no chance to modify it. Any idea? Thanks again.

5

Note: Coordinates from a Consumer GPS unit are NEVER exact. They always have a system error of around ±10m! Even if the GPS unit says it is has an error of 5 m or less. These 5m are an additional error on top of the system error!.
To get really exact GPS coordinates (in the ±1cm range) you need (expensive) expert equipment and (pay for) correction data.

So usually it does not have any measurable effect (with a consumer GPS unit) if you draw the poi by hand at about the spot your GPS waypoint shows up in OSM.

In fact if you go there again and take another measurement with your GPS you are very likely to get different GPS coordinates every time you do that (on different days and time of day). as the measurement depends on satellite constellation and environmental influences (e.g. thickness of the ionos-sphere) at time GPS coordinates are taken.