proper/best type for storing latitude and longitude

Question

In a system level programming language like C, C++ or D, what is the best type/encoding for storing latitude and longitude?

The options I see are:

• IEEE

Answer 1

You can use decimal datatype:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `map` (
  `latitude` decimal(18,15) DEFAULT NULL,
  `longitude` decimal(18,15) DEFAULT NULL 
);