Convert Kentucky State Plane Coordinates in WGS84 or NAD83 to/from UTM, lat / long

ExpertGPS Pro mapping software automatically converts Kentucky FIPS 1600 coordinates to and from any other coordinate format or datum, including UTM, lat/lon, and other Kentucky state plane coordinate formats, in NAD27, NAD83, and WGS84. ExpertGPS Pro instantly converts GIS shapefiles and CAD DXF drawings in Kentucky state plane coordinates to and from UTM or lat-long.

Kentucky FIPS 1600 Geographic Coverage

Kentucky covers these Kentucky counties: Anderson, Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Bracken, Bullitt, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Clark, Elliott, Fayette, Fleming, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Greenup, Harrison, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Lawrence, Lewis, Mason, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Rowan, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble, Woodford

Working with Kentucky State Plane Coordinates

The first step in working with or converting Kentucky FIPS 1600 state plane coordinates in ExpertGPS is to add the appropriate coordinate format and datum for your project. On the Edit menu in ExpertGPS, click Preferences. Click on the My Coordinate Formats tab, and click the Add Format button.

In the Add Coordinate Format dialog, change the Location, on the left side of the dialog, to World/North America/United States/Kentucky. A list of all of the coordinate formats used in Kentucky will appear in the Format pane in the upper right. Select Kentucky FIPS 1600, Meters, (or Feet, if you want to use US Survey Feet as the base unit). Now select NAD83 or NAD27 in the lower right pane, labelled Datum. (Note: WGS84 is identical to NAD83 in Kentucky, so select the NAD 83 datum if you are trying to convert from WGS84 state plane coordinates.)

Converting KY to UTM

You can use ExpertGPS Pro as a Kentucky state plane to UTM converter. Here's how to convert Kentucky coordinates to UTM:
First, add the KY SPCS, as described above.
Enter your data in Kentucky, paste it in from Excel, or import a shapefile or CAD drawing by clicking Import on the File menu. ExpertGPS Pro will convert your state plane coordinates and display them over a topo map or aerial photo of Kentucky.
Now add the UTM coordinate format and datum of your choice by returning to the Add Coordinate Format dialog. When you select UTM in the My Coordinate Formats list, all of your data will instantly be reprojected from Kentucky state plane to UTM.
You can now export the reprojected UTM data by clicking Export on the File menu, or copy and paste into a spreadsheet.

How to Convert Kentucky State Plane Coordinates to Lat / Long

Follow the instructions above, but instead of choosing UTM as your output format, choose one of ExpertGPS Pro's latitude and longitude formats. ExpertGPS can convert your Kentucky coordinates to lat-lon in decimal degrees, degrees and minutes (deg min.min), or degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS).

Sending Kentucky coordinates to your Garmin or Magellan GPS

Your GPS receiver can't display your location using the US state plane coordinate system, but you can use ExpertGPS Pro to send X,Y points or polyline data from your GIS or CAD software to your GPS receiver. Import or enter your data as described above. There's no need to select an output format like UTM or lat/long, unless you want ExpertGPS to display the same values that will be displayed on your GPS. Just click Send to GPS on the GPS menu. ExpertGPS will reproject the Eastings and Northings in your Kentucky coordinates into the native format used by your GPS receiver, and upload them directly to the GPS. Now you can view all of your GIS or CAD data in the field on any Garmin, Magellan, Lowrance, or Eagle GPS!

Viewing Kentucky State Plane GIS Data in Google Earth

Another option you have once you've imported GIS or CAD data in KY SPCS into ExpertGPS is to convert it to KML or view it directly in Google Earth. To convert state plane to KML, simply click Export on the File menu, and select the Google Earth KML file type. If you just want to view your KY SPCS data in Google Earth, simply press F7, the View in Google Earth command in ExpertGPS.

Using ExpertGPS as a UTM to Kentucky Converter

Add the UTM coordinate format to ExpertGPS, and then import or enter your UTM data. To convert UTM to state plane, add and select the Kentucky SPCS, as described above, and your UTM Northings and Eastings will be converted to state plane coordinates.

Converting lat/lon or GPS data to Kentucky

Use the technique above to convert latitude and longitude data to Kentucky Northings and Eastings. To convert Garmin, Magellan, or Lowrance GPS waypoints or tracks to Kentucky state plane is even easier - just click Receive from GPS. ExpertGPS Pro automatically reprojects your GPS data into whatever coordinate format you select: Kentucky state plane, UTM, or lat/long. You can then export your reprojected data into a GIS in shapefile format, export a DXF for your CAD software, or copy and paste into Excel or a CSV file.

How to Display Kentucky Coordinates on your GPS

Most handheld GPS receivers can't display Kentucky state plane coordinates natively. But if you've got an older Magellan GPS receiver that allows you to set up a User Grid (check your GPS manual for compatibility), you can use the settings for the Kentucky Transverse Mercator projection listed below to trick your GPS into displaying Kentucky coordinates in meters. On Magellan GPS receivers, go to the SETUP screen, and then click COORD SYSTEM, PRIMARY, USER GRID. If you want to use US Survey Feet instead of Meters, click UNITS TO METERS CONV and enter 0.30480061.

Kentucky FIPS 1600 Parameters (NAD83 Datum)

Kentucky uses a Lambert Projection.

Download ExpertGPS Pro: your Kentucky State Plane Converter

ExpertGPS makes it easy to convert coordinates to and from lat/lon, UTM, Kentucky, and other Kentucky state plane coordinate formats. In addition to batch coordinate conversion, ExpertGPS Pro is the perfect tool for combining data from your handheld GPS receiver with your GIS and CAD layers. Visualize all of your data over USGS topo maps, aerial photos, and your own site maps. Download your free trial of ExpertGPS Pro now!

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