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Mountain Rescue Mag Review of the ultimate navigation manual
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The second section details dozensof techniques that can be mastered,over four weekends with lessonplans that are graded like ski runsfrom green (Beginners) through toblack (Expert). Most of it you willalready know from CatchingFeatures to Slope Aspect, yet at thesame time there are a lot oftechniques you may never haveconsidered or even know about suchas Cliff Aspect or Warning Bearings.
It is good to be both reminded ofbest practice for basic navigation,maybe changing or relearning moremodern approaches to navigation tobeing introduced to new techniques,some never previously written about.
The third section deals withnavigating in different environmentsfrom Arctic and Mountain to Coastaland Urban areas. Focusing on whichtechniques work best in eachenvironment and variations of themspecific to that location.
The is an entire section that looksin detail at satnav (GPS/GNSS) frombasic use in the field right through toadvanced satnav use creating veryaccurate waypoints and usingproximity alarms. An overview of thesatellite systems available and beingdeveloped gives a good insight intothe continuing development of thistechnology and its importance toSAR. Digital mapping iscomprehensively explained, with‘how to do it’ screen captures frompopular digital mapping programs.
For mountain rescue there is animportant chapter dedicated toEmergency Management.
The combining of Satnav data withDigital Mapping for use in mountainrescue is nothing short of arevolution, providing for ground-breaking new strategies and tactics.Gone are the days when satnav anddigital mapping may have beenuseful, optional tools to consider in
planning and response. Thetechnologies have now become soreliable in enabling us to plan,conduct and expedite missions morequickly and safely that we would notbe fulfilling our duty of care to ourresponse teams, the casualties andthe general public at large if we didnot employ them.
Bespoke emergency managementdigital mapping is now readilyavailable. Such as the missingperson mapping program, MountainMap, developed by ScottishMountain Rescue or software fromcommercial organisations such asSARMAN by Mapyx.
The Emergency Managementchapter is broken down into fivestages for teams to employ, fromchoosing satnav handsets to incidentmanagement and post-missionanalysis.
Specifics for search managers increating bespoke operationalmapping for individual team areas,combining data such as accidenthotspots, emergency headquarters,including telephone numbers andalarm codes, even kit stashes.
Added to this operational teammap are known escape routes, newfeatures such as new scree slopes ormountain streams, even down to
individual gates in walls and fencesand if they are locked where the keysare held.
Specific detailed operatingprocedures describe how to markincidents at the locus and record thedata for evidence that can be bothused for incident reports to the policeand the use of satnav at potentialscenes of crime, whether suspectedby the police, or mandatory such asan air crash site, that can later beused as evidence in a court of law.
The last section providesinformation, again much of whichpreviously not in the public domain,about the best use of mobile phonesin contacting the emergencyservices and illustrations of modernground to air arm signals.
To accompany the manual, aninteractive website has beendeveloped where there areresources such as downloadablefact sheets and navigational aidsplus a library of videos, free to view,describing techniques and tips.
More info can be found atwww.micronavigation.org whichincludes some preview pages fromthe book along with option to buy.
List price is £14.99 although from acertain famous river site you can geta good discount. !
M O U N T A I N R E S C U E M A G A Z I N E PA G E 3 7J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 2M O U N T A I N R E S C U E M A G A Z I N EPA G E 3 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 2
navigation
What makes the book different fromother navigational resources is theprofessional background of authorLyle Brotherton, who spent six yearsworking with over 130 mountainrescue and SAR teams in 24countries. An active member of theTweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team,he both lectures and instructs‘Advanced Navigation’ to mountainrescue teams, SAR teams plus theSpecial Forces. Lyle also advisesgovernments on navigational strategyin Emergency Management Planningand works with them post majordisasters, such as the floods inPakistan, 2010.
Written in an accessible, modularformat to cover navigation from basicprinciples right through to advancedtechnologies, its appeal is further
enhanced throughout by the strikingphotography of Vaughan Judge,Professor of Fine Art andPhotography at Glasgow School ofArt, and Kate Jo, a practising visualartist who exhibits internationally.These images are combined withstylised, yet uncomplicated,diagrams to illustrate variousconcepts and procedures.
It is a hefty tome, over 360 pages,divided into five main sections,starting with the essentials maps,compasses and grid systems, fromclear explanations of latitude andlongitude (used to call in a fixed wingasset) to understanding how to use12-figure grid references, the typefrequently used by both the policeand the fire and rescue services. Aswell as explanations of the various
compasses and specialist equipmentused in SAR, including informationsuch as the correct way to usebinoculars.
Combined with the moreconventional aspects of a chapter on‘Environmental Navigation’, a subjectnot usually instructed in conventionalmap and compass navigation, withspecifics such as the air trafficcorridors in the region you work inand searching for aircraft contrails toorient yourself, or using televisionsatellite dishes to do the same.
Also a chapter on ‘StellarNavigation’, both in daylight and atnight, with simple techniques likefinding direction from any star at nighttime or estimating the time to sunsetusing the height of the sun above thehorizon.
ULTIMATE NAVIGATION
New from Harper Collins is the modestly titled Ultimate Navigation Manual. The preface, by SirRanulph Fiennes, summarises this book well: ‘Search and rescue teams are regularly calledout in the worst weathers and need to reach inaccessible areas quickly and safely. These samerequirements apply to anybody who wants to safely enjoy the outdoors. This field instructionmanual brings together for the first time ‘Best Practice’ as used by these teams throughout theworld and makes it accessible to everyone.’
EXPERT TIPS
ULTIMATE NAVIGATION MANUAL:ALL THE TECHNIQUES YOU NEED TO BECOME ANEXPERT NAVIGATOR by Lyle BrothertonPublished by Collins www.harpercollins.co.ukISBN: 978-0-00-742460-3. £14.99. 368 pages.
Adopting the brace positionwhile out with a group signalsto the others that you reworking and should be lefttop get on with it.
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"Work with the map facingaway from the prevailing windand weather. If on a steepslope make sure you areparallel with the contour linesfor stability.
SATMAPXPEDITION
Satmap are to launch aground-breaking onlineapplication to view maps,plan and share routes andmuch more. Featuresinclude topographicalmapping from OS as wellas international mapping.Great and useful displayoptions include both full andsplit screen view, giving youthe option to work acrossthe entire length of yourmonitor or on two windows/map types side by side.This flexible split screenview can display twodifferent sized maps, twodifferent types of map andtwo different zoom levels atthe same time: totalflexibility to see both thewhole mountain and thedetail of a craggy hill!Xpedition also incorporateswell known tools from yourActive 10 such as AOIs(areas of interest) and POIs(points of interest) to overlaythe map with key information.Search areas and PLS areeasily marked anduploaded and maps canbe customised through LOIs(lines of interest), highlightingparticular boundaries orrecent constructions andmodifications. The practicalsnap-to-road function easilyplans road navigation,automatically adjusting theposition of waypoints tofollow road network. Astandard and a premiumversion will be availablewith all current RoutePlanner users receiving thefirst year of premiumsubscription completelyfree. More info comingsoon!
satmap.co.uk