Latitude

Field Length:  10

Cancer registry spatial data for a case record represents the point location of the individual's residence on the Earth's surface, expressed as a coordinate pair of latitude and longitude values.  These values, which are provided by a geocoding vendor, may be determined by any one of several methods:  geocoding, address matching, GPS readings, and interpolation from paper or electronic maps.  This field is available only in the KCR central registry database and is considered a confidential field.  

Codes

Latitude and longitude data shall always be stored and exchanged as numeric values.  Latitude north of the equator is positive. Longitude west of 0 degrees (the Prime Meridian) and east of 180 (approximately the International Date Line) is negative.  This applies to the entirety of North America with the exception of the tip of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.  

Latitude is a 10-byte numeric field, right justified.  This coordinate may be carried out to 6 decimal places with an explicit decimal point.  It has the following format:  x12.345678, where 'x' is reserved for a negative sign of the coordinate represents a location south of the equator.  

Spatial data are exchanged in "unprojected" latitude and longitude coordinates.  The data units will be in decimal degrees (not in degrees, minutes, seconds).  

Correct:     Latitude = 41.890833

Incorrect:   Latitude = 41 deg 53' 27"