utm

What it is and what it does

utm is a lightweight Python library that bidirectionally converts between geographic coordinates (latitude/longitude in WGS84) and UTM grid references. It provides two main functions: from_latlon() converts a geographic point to its UTM easting, northing, zone number, and zone letter; to_latlon() performs the reverse conversion. The library handles both scalar float inputs and NumPy arrays, making it suitable for batch processing of coordinate sets.

The package is designed as a faster alternative to generic projection libraries like pyproj for UTM-specific conversions. It has no external runtime dependencies, installs as a pure Python wheel, and requires Python 3.10 or later. The library is actively maintained, with recent releases and a stable repository.

Use it for:

• Convert GPS coordinates from a mobile app or GPS device into UTM grid format for mapping applications
• Batch-convert thousands of geographic points to UTM using NumPy arrays for geospatial analysis
• Determine which UTM zone a location falls into for regional mapping or surveying workflows
• Transform between coordinate systems in GIS workflows without the overhead of a full projection library
• Validate or standardize coordinate data by round-tripping between lat/lon and UTM formats

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Converts between latitude/longitude coordinates and Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid references in both directions, with support for NumPy arrays.

Yes. utm is a focused, dependency-free tool for a common geospatial task. Low install friction, permissive license, active maintenance, no known vulnerabilities, and strong performance for UTM conversions make it a straightforward choice for any project needing coordinate system conversion.

Install

utm on PyPI

pip install utm

uv add utm

poetry add utm

Installing utm

Before you install

Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent release (18 days ago) and steady repository activity.

License in practice

MIT license (permissive) allows unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in commercial and private projects.

Quickstart

pip install utm

import utm

# Convert latitude/longitude to UTM
utm.from_latlon(51.2, 7.5)
# Returns: (395201.3103811303, 5673135.241182375, 32, 'U')

# Convert UTM back to latitude/longitude
utm.to_latlon(340000, 5710000, 32, 'U')
# Returns: (51.51852098408468, 6.693872395145327)

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying

• Whether NumPy is an optional dependency or required for array support
• Accuracy specifications or error bounds for coordinate conversions
• Support for coordinate systems beyond WGS84

Package facts

Evidence: utm-0.9.0-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: utm, wgs84, coordinate, converter

Tags

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