Priory Navigation Maps: Part Two

Introduction

As a continuation from last week's lab we used the maps we created to navigate a predetermined course given to us only using a compass. It is necessary to be able to calculate the the correct headings, and know your pace count before embarking on a course where you only have a compass and map to lead you.

Study Area
Date: 26 October 2015, 3-6pm
Location: Land plot surrounding Priory Hall, 1190 Priory Rd, Eau Claire, 54701

Conditions: Overcast, Average Temp. 53°F

Methods

Figure 1. Creating headings and pace
counts for the course at the Priory. 

First, we were assigned a course based on a UTM grid scale. We plotted the points on our UTM maps we made of the priory the week before and double checked with our group members to see if we plotted them correctly.

Firgue 2. Distances measured
between each point to
calculate pace counts. 

Next, we chose a starting point. Since the parking lot had been updated since the basemap was created we chose to start at the Northeast corner of the Priory's garage. Here we sat down and worked out all of the headings to each point, and roughly calculated the distance based on the pace count, we had determined earlier. To find the headings we lined up the orienting lines with our UTM grid of the map and made sure the north arrow matched north on the map (we made sure that the compass was set to north with 0 degrees). Lines were drawn to and from each point to clearly see the path and to find the degrees of each point.  After, we used the ruler on the compass to measure the distance between each point to calculate the approximate number of paces would be required to each course point.

With this information we were ready to start our course. Matt was our leap frogger, who was pointed in the right direction and moved towards the next point. Alyssa was the pace counter for Matt, and notified me when Matt got to the destination or landmark. I was the azimuth controller; I would ensure the heading was correct and point Matt in the right direction.

Figure 3. A tree marked with
neon tape to identify the
course points. 

The course points were marked with neon colored flags on trees. Once Matt found a course point, I would first make sure the north arrow was "red in the shed" and then changed to compass to the correct degree bearing. It was very important that the base plate was stable the entire time, that the direction-of-travel arrow was pointing directly ahead of the person. To minimize the error of these issues, the compass was kept at chest height and not tilted, or turned side to side. Only by rotating my full body was the compass pointing us in to the correct path.

Metadata

Who: Matt Brueske, Alyssa Krantz, and Morgan Freeburg

What: Navigation to course points using a map and compass

Where: Priory Land, Eau Claire, WI (1190 Priory Rd, Eau Claire, 54701)

When: 26 October 2015

Why: To use the traditional method of compass navigation to locate course points

Discussion

When it came down to navigating the course, we ran into a couple of problems. At the very beginning while we were trying to plot our points, we noticed our maps did not have many decimal places to go off of forcing us to somewhat estimate the course. Also, we did not have divisions between the major grid lines. Minor tick divisions would have saved us a lot of time and effort trying to calculate the values in our head. Plus, this would have made our course more accurate on our map.

Figure 4. Looking from the northeast side of the
Priory garage towards our first course point... 

Another issue we faced was our starting point. Although it did not interfere with the orienting to the first point it was more of a mental obstacle to start with. By selecting the northeast corner of the garage, we had to send the leap frogger right through a patch of shrubs and smaller trees. This could explain how we did not exactly find our first point. We saw a branch with a neon flag, but we later realized the first point we were supposed to find was a little more to the west. The distance and angle were close so that is why we figured it was our first point, when it was only marking a trail.

Figure 5. Course point two not marked with tape.

Navigating to our second point was extremely difficult. The course took us through a forest of knee height shrubs and tree branches trying to stop us. The downhill path was difficult to count paces through and to even take a normal pace because of all the debris in the way. We had thought we had made the approximate amount of paces but could not see the marker in sight. We searched for around five minutes, trying to troubleshoot and double checking the compass. We ran into the other group completing course five also looking for the second point. We looked compared notes and looked for another ten minutes together. Finally, we consulted the GPS we were given only to use if we were lost, and determined the flag must have been lost. We picked a tree that was closest to the what he GPS said was the correct point and used that to head off to point three.

Figure 6. Challenge of counting paces downhill
and through trees and shrubs.

After struggling with the first to points, the rest of the course was fairly easy to navigate. We were excited when the compass pointed us in the right direction, only varying by a few feet or when the pace count was dead on. The difficulties from the rest of the course were trying to explain a landmark to the leap frogger when the only feature around was trees. The "tree" at that point did not serve as an accurate landmark and got quite confusing when they all appeared to be the same height and species. Sometimes it was beneficial to point out a landmark farther in the distance because it was easier to identify, however, if there was a communication error the leap frogger was off course. If we selected close landmarks it was more tedious and it seemed as though more obstacles were in the way. The final issues we faced were trees or poky plants slightly altering our course of direction by trying to avoid them as well as going up and down hillsides altering the pace count. We did not account for this and should be taken into consideration in future courses.


Track Log

Below you can see the path we took through trying to find the points using our map and compass. In the area that is dense with points, we were lost trying to find course point two (which we later found out was unmarked). The rest of the course, however, went somewhat smoothly, especially navigating through the dense (dark green) wooded area.

Figure 7. The track log from the GPS unit we carried with us through navigating the course. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, navigating is reliant on many little nuances that if vary even a small amount can throw you off course. A great map, proper use of a compass, and pace count are all essential in the successful navigation of any course. This activity showed the importance of ALL these elements and forced us to trouble shoot when we became a bit lost.