IGN72 Nuku Hiva / UTM zone 7S to KML & KMZ

Good to know

• This is a southern-hemisphere grid: northings start at 10,000,000 m at the equator.
• Pick the UTM zone by longitude. Points outside the zone's area of use are flagged after conversion.
• Datum: Published 3-parameter shift (typically a few metres).

Convert a whole spreadsheet

1. Open the web app or the Windows app, and paste your rows from Excel or open a CSV file.
2. Under Coordinate system, search for “2978” and pick IGN72 Nuku Hiva / UTM zone 7S.
3. Check one point you know on the map, then press Save KML or Save KMZ and open it in Google Earth.

Common mistakes with IGN72 Nuku Hiva / UTM zone 7S

• Feet entered as metres. IGN72 Nuku Hiva / UTM zone 7S is in metres. Coordinates copied from a drawing in feet must be converted first, or every point moves outwards from the grid's origin.
• Forgetting the datum. IGN72 Nuku Hiva / UTM zone 7S is not on WGS 84: published 3-parameter shift (typically a few metres). Picking a WGS 84 grid with the same projection instead leaves the points off by that amount.
• Points outside the grid's area. IGN72 Nuku Hiva / UTM zone 7S is meant for French Polynesia - Marquesas Islands - Nuku Hiva, Ua Huka and Ua Pou. Points well outside that area convert with growing error; the converter flags them so you can choose the right grid.
• A local site grid. If every point is off by the same distance and direction, the drawing may be on a local site grid. Calibrate on three or more known control points instead.

New to this? Read how to convert easting and northing to latitude and longitude.