Military grid reference system
![](/Images/godic/202501/27/Azimutalprojektion-schief_kl-cropped3305.png")
![Figure 1. The origin of the MGRS grid, in the Pacific. Honolulu is in 4QFJ.](/Images/godic/202501/27/MGRSgridOriginSchemeAA3305.png")
![Figure 2. The MGRS grid around Hawaii. Honolulu is in the 10 km square that is called 4QFJ15.](/Images/godic/202501/27/MGRSgridHawaiiSchemeAARealigned3305.png")
![Figure 3. The MGRS grid around the South Pole.](/Images/godic/202501/27/MGRSgridSouthPole3306.png")
The military grid reference system (MGRS) is the geocoordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on the earth. The MGRS is derived from the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid system and the universal polar stereographic (UPS) grid system, but uses a different labeling convention. The MGRS is used for the entire earth.