Latitude

Latitude is the angular distance north or south of the Equator, expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds or decimal degrees. In marine navigation it forms the north–south half of a vessel’s position, used with longitude to identify an exact point on a chart, plot a waypoint, or report a location at sea.

Accurate latitude is essential for safe coastal and offshore navigation, from clearing hazards to estimating distance along a passage. One minute of latitude equals one nautical mile, making it central to chart work, position fixing and route checks alongside Longitude, GPS and Nautical Miles.

In PredictWind, latitude underpins forecasts, GRIB downloads, routing and tracking because every weather point, waypoint and vessel position is georeferenced. The Forecast and Offshore apps, Weather Routing and DataHub GPS tracking all rely on precise latitude data to match marine conditions to your boat’s location.