original_query: What are the advantages of using the USNG (or similar grid reference systems) over latitude and longitude coordinates?
query: What are the advantages of using the USNG (or similar grid reference systems) over latitude and longitude coordinates?
answer: The USNG offers several advantages over latitude/longitude:  coordinate units representing actual ground distances, equal distance units in both directions, intuitive scale and distance understanding, simpler distance calculations, unambiguous representation, alphanumeric characters only, no negative numbers or special symbols, a familiar "read right then up" convention, and an explicit convention for shortening references.