Priory Navigation Part II

Introduction:

For the second part of the navigation activity, the class was divided into groups and given five sets of points from Professor Hupy, each group was provided with a different set of points. Every group was provided with a GPS to track their current locations, printed out maps created in the previous activity, and a base plate compass. The GPS was only to be used for insight but the main tool to be used for direction was the compass and the map. Here is a link to the maps used in the activity; Priory Navigation Map. Below are figures 1 and 2 representing the tools used in the lab. 

Figure 1: Trimble GPS used to help guide the groups through the activity

Figure 2: Base plate compass the main tool used to guide the groups through this activity

Study Area:

The area where this navigation activity took place was the areas surrounding the Priory at UWEC, which is located at Priory Hall: 1190 Priory Rd Eau Claire, WI 54701. The conditions for the day were sunny with a high of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the terrain of the surrounding areas of the Priory varied depending on where the person is located. In some areas there were large trenches with steep topography, while other areas were flat and very easy to walk through.  

Methods:

The first step was for each group to receive their  points from Professor Hupy, the points that were given to group six are listed below;

Set #5 of Points:

618011, 4957883

618093, 4957823

618107, 4957942

618195, 4957878

618220, 4957840

The points above allowed group six to start the journey, since there weren't six sets of five points group six was required to do the fifth set of points starting backwards. Before anything the pace count for each person was needed so then the amount of steps required for each point was recorded, this was done by measuring out 50 meters and counting your steps counting the same foot every time while walking. In order to start the journey of finding each point listed above the first step was to locate each point on the map and mark it correctly, next the base plate compass was needed to find the correct direction to start walking. To do this the compass needed to be aligned with where group six was currently located and align the edge of the compass with the next point. Once the arrow was within the red borders on the compass, or "the red is in the shed" then groups six can start walking towards that point using the GPS device as basically a last resort just in case the groups were to get lost. This process was used after each point was found. Each group was to provide evidence that each point was located, so pictures of each point was required. Below are the images of each point that was collected by group six.

Figure 3: The first point located by group 6 or point #5 in the fifth set of points

Above was the first point located by group six, this was an especially hard point to find because it was the last point in the set of five so it was the point that is furthest away. It was also on the other side of a trench, making it extremely difficult to get to, but once reached the picture was taken and the process to find the next point had started. 

Figure 4: The second point located by group 6 or the fourth point of the fifth set of points

This point was much easier to find because it group six had started to get a hang of locating these points just using the compass and only referring to the GPS when needed. This point was located on the opposite side of the trench so to find this point crossing the trench once again was a necessity. 

Figure 5: The third point located by group 6 or the third point on the fifth set of points

The third point was probably the easiest to find, because it was located on the edge of a trail, so once group six had gotten out of the forest it was very easy to locate where point three was located. The point wasn't covered by any other trees and was basically in an open area which made the marker very easy to locate. 

Figure 6: The fourth point located by group 6 or the second point on the fifth set of points

The fourth point was also a difficult point, because it required group six to go back into the trench where the landscape was very steep, making it hard to walk through and hard to get down to the point. Also the marker for the fourth point was well covered by the surrounding trees and leaves making it very hard to locate. 

Figure 7: The final point located by group 6 or the first point on the fifth set of points

The final point was also an easy point to locate, because it was also just off of the trail but it was harder to find because by this time the GPS device used by group six had shut off. So at that time group six did not have a GPS to refer our current location to at the time. The only tool that group six had available at the time was the base plate compass making it harder to find the final point. 

Discussion:

This activity was very enjoyable, because this allowed each member of every group to learn a new set of skills. Navigation is a very important part of life, especially when technology fails and all that is available to someone is a paper map, that is where these skills can come in handy. Group six only had a few issues, one was that the GPS device had failed during the end of the activity, another was that after some of the points the pace of group six wasn't always accounted for or kept track of. Instead all that was used was the bearing to the next location. But in the end the errors that did occur were minuscule and didn't affect the field activity in any large ways. Below are figures 8 and 9, representing the navigation trails of each group and the navigation trail of group six alone. 

Figure 8: A map representing the trails recorded by the trimble GPS device for each group

After reviewing the figure above, most of the trails aren't very neat meaning that each group had problems locating each point. For instance if one was to look at some of the trails, they would notice that there are clumps of points meaning that the groups had to turn around and retrace their steps to figure out the correct bearing. But in some areas the trails straighten out meaning that during some points of the activity each group had figured out the compass and GPS device using them to their advantages.

Figure 9: A map representing the individual trail of group six recorded by the trimble GPS device

After looking at the map above, group six did not have too many areas where there were huge clumps of points, meaning that group didn't have to turn around a lot. Actually most of the points are represented in a straight line, so this group had a good idea of the general direction needed to travel to locate each point in the fifth set.

Conclusion:

This activity taught myself and my group members a lot of information, one not to relay mainly on technology or GPS device because at some point the batteries may die and you will be lost. Two, that navigational skills are very important because if the technology was to die and all you had on you was a compass and a map then it would be easy to correctly direct yourself. The final point learned from this activity is that one needs to always be prepared when going out into the field and even the smallest mistakes can cause problems, so make sure all of the information required is accurate and correct.