Getting the map boundary co-ordinates

If you are mapping an area in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) then you can use the ACT Government’s ACTmapi tool to work out the UTM co-ordinates of your map boundary.

If you are outside the ACT, then you’ll need to use some other service. Maybe you can get the latitude and longitude of your site from Google Maps or Open Street Map. There are lots of latitude-longitude to UTM conversion tools online.

Assuming you are in the ACT … Access the ‘Basic map with aerial photography’ option from the ACTmapi website. Zoom and pan as required to bring the map area into view. Change the co-ordinate system to ‘Default WKID: 28355 X/Y’ by clicking the co-ordinate box. The app will show you the UTM co-ordinates under the mouse pointer. The co-ordinates relate to the UTM Zone 55H.

Screenshot from ACTmapi, with co-ordinate box highlighted

My mapping project is going to be contained within these UTM co-ordinates, from zone 55H:

• South-west corner of the map area: 688600 6096750
• North-east corner of the map area: 690325 6098200.

This article is part of the Orienteering Mapping with LiDAR, Smartphones and Free Tools series.

Polite and constructive responses are always welcome.