Mapping Guidance

Pros :

• Always available (if you’ve got one !) - nothing to fail.

• Typically cover the whole of the UK.

• Easy to estimate approx. distances between locations based on the map scale.

Cons :

• It won’t show you’re current location. You’ll need to work it out yourself !

• Accuracy is limited to what the scale of the map can show & you’re ability to work out where you are.

• Location definition is based ONLY on Town / City & road name / road number – not good in the countryside.

• Height contours, small side roads, narrow lanes, bridle ways & private roads are typically not shown.

• No off-road information at all !

• The map is not updated for modified roads, new housing developments etc. Maps can sometimes be a few years out of date – even when new.

• Knowledge of temporarily closed roads, road works, accident hold-ups etc is up to you !

• Navigation to your destination is up to you !

• Needs co-driver / navigator in the car or potentially frequent stops to read map

• Not good in the dark ! (eg not easy to read map or see / identify landmarks to work out current location)

Pros :

• Always available (if you’ve got the relevant one !) – they don’t rely on anything that can fail - which is why they’re still recommended as a minimum as a back-up for walking in areas away from civilisation.

• The maps show a lot of detail, including height contours, small roads, woodland, tracks & footpaths.

• Locations can be defined to within 100m (Landranger 1:50,000 scale) or 50m (Explorer 1:25,000 scale) using a 6 fig. simple OS Grid Reference [made up of 3 figs for the East-West Reference ("Easting") & 3 figs for the North-South Reference ("Northing")]. Accuracy can be increased to 10m by specifying an 8 fig Grid Reference.

• On a Landranger map 1km = 2cm on the map .
  NB Location accuracy is easier to achieve & more detail is provided by using the less common & more expensive Explorer 1:25,000 scale maps where 1 km = 4cm on the map.

• Ideal for use when “off the beaten track” eg Green laning.

• Easy to estimate approx. distances between locations based on the map scale.

• Easy to use if you’re familiar with them

Cons :

• You need the relevant map for the area you’re interested in, or a large collection of maps (there’s nearly 200 for the whole of the UK !)

• The paper map is not updated for modified roads, new housing developments etc. Maps can sometimes be a few years out of date – even when new.

• Knowledge of temporarily closed roads, road works, accident hold-ups etc is up to you !

• Navigation to your destination is up to you !

• Needs co-driver / navigator in the car or potentially frequent stops to read map

• Not good in the dark ! (eg not easy to read map or see / identify landmarks to work out current location) !

Pros :

• Easy to input PostCodes, City / Street / House No. addresses or Longitude / Latitude as a destination.

• Will find your current location & provide turn by turn visual or audible navigation to your destination – in daylight or darkness & hands-free for the driver.

• Knowledge of temporarily closed roads, road works, accident hold-ups etc can be downloaded almost “live” to the device & used for live route corrections (but may need an annual paid for subscription).

• Many SatNavs now permit destinations to be added easily on a Home Computer & “transferred” to the device used in the vehicle.

Cons :

• Devices with lots of easy to use functions can often be large, expensive & problematic to keep safe, secure or to carry.

• Typically only includes road mapping,

• Typically will not work with What3Words locations.

• Typically very short battery life if not connected by cable to car electrical system.

• Maps need to be updated on regular basis for modified roads, new housing developments etc (free initially, but potentially at on-cost outside of support period.

Pros

• Many people already have one & carry it with them in their car.

• Easy to input PostCodes, City / Street / House No. addresses, Longitude / Latitude & What3Words location as a destination.

• Internet Browser can be used to search for places & transfer location info. to Navigation App (Eg from Google or Chrome Search).

• Will find your current location & provide turn by turn visual or audible navigation to your destination.

• Can typically use free Apps such as Google Maps, Waze & What3Words for Navigation.

• Paid for Navigation Apps eg TomTom can be purchased at low cost versus stand-alone devices (some may need ongoing annual subscription).

• Maps on Google Maps, Waze & some other free software are typically automatically updated on regular basis for modified roads, new housing developments etc.

• Knowledge of temporarily closed roads, road works, accident hold-ups etc can be downloaded almost “live” to the device& used for live route corrections (but may need an annual paid for subscription)

• Navigation Apps such as Google Maps can be switched to “Satellite View” to provide more recognisable view of local landmarks, gate entrances, buildings etc to help navigation or location finding – even if off-road.

• Ordnance Survey based maps can be added via software / Apps to permit route following and / or recording when “off the beaten track” eg Green laning.

Cons :

• May need mobile data connection at extra cost – dependant on Software / Apps used for Navigation and / or whether relevant maps can be downloaded onto the device.

• Maps on paid for Software / Apps typically need to be updated on regular basis for modified roads, new housing developments etc (free initially, but potentially at on-cost outside of support period

• What3Words locations typically need extra steps to transfer location into Navigation App

Not much use for off-roading !

By definition, they’re only intended to be accurate for locations where post needs to be delivered.

Most people are very familiar with adding Post Codes to Sat Navs & Mapping Software such as Google Maps, TomTom etc.

A full 6 figure Post Code typically covers an average of 15, but upto 100 properties - which in a built-up area, Towns or City can be an area as small as a single building - eg a block of flats. However, in the countryside where our off-road sites are typically located, this can be a very large area - more than a mile across.

For this reason Post Codes are almost no use for finding our sites & we don't bother providing Post Codes !

Not very common unless you have some oldish paper OS maps.
Longitude / Latitude Map References are generally a better choice !

Until SatNav (Satellite Navigation) devices & Google Maps became common, a more accurate method for defining & finding locations in the UK was using OS (Ordance Survey) Grid Reference & paper maps – as the maps provide the most comprehensive / detailed mapping for the UK & are divided into 1 km squares or grids.

By providing a Map Number & 6 figure Grid Reference, a location can be defined to within 100m using the more common Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps where 1km = 2cm on the map . The 6 fig Reference is made up of 3 figs for the East-West Reference ("Easting") & 3 figs for the North-South Reference ("Northing"). Accuracy can be increased to 10m by specifying an 8 fig Grid Reference.

NB 1 : Location accuracy is easier to achieve & more detail is provided by using the less common & more expensive Explorer 1:25,000 scale maps where 1 km = 4cm on the map).

NB 2 : The OS Grid References are based on actual distances in metres from an artificial origin and DO NOT relate to Longitude / Latitude Map References (as explained below).

NB 3 : Nowadays, the mapping detail provided by Ordnance Survey can be obtained by using portable Tablets, PCs, Smartphones or dedicated devices using OS based mapping software / Apps. This software / Apps typically permit use of Longitude / Latitude Map References as well as OS Grid References.

Amongst the easiest systems to use to locate places accurately & fast via GPS systems, modern SatNavs & Google Maps !

All of the above mainly use a Global Map reference system based on Degrees of Longitude (Eastings) & Degrees of Latitude (Northings) with 0 Longitude being a line North - South through Greenwich (near London) & 0 Latitude being the Equator. 

This system allows anywhere on Earth to be defined to a very high degree of accuracy.

Historically , people defined positions in Degrees, Minutes & Seconds eg 51°57'29.2"N 1°36'38.5"W

However, many people now use "Decimal Degrees" since it is far easier to remember the string of numbers & enter them into GPS or mapping systems / devices. Eg 51.9581,-1.6107 

NB 4 digits after the decimal place is usually enough to define a location to within a few meters accuracy.

W3W (What3Words) is a relatively new (global) system that aims to achieve similar accuracy to 12 figure Longitude / Latitude Map References – ie a 3m square, but using 3 unique words to describe a location (rather than numbers).

Eg https://w3w.co/soup.bookshelf.hiding is the same location as described by the Longitude / Latitude Map Reference above.

Including the initial “https://w3w.co” part is not mandatory, but if included, permits the W3W website or App to automatically open if the link is clicked. The “.” separating the words are critical !

The objective of W3W is to provide improved accuracy versus PostCodes & similar systems in other countries and provide location references for everywhere on the planet (!)

The idea is that by using unique words, it’s easy to communicate a location quickly & accurately verbally to Emergency Services or others.

In theory, due to the method used to allocate words to specific locations, similar words should not “fit” locations that are nearby, so a misheard or mispronounced word should be noticed by professional call handlers because the location will NOT correlate with the area that is expected.

In practice, there is still a lot a doubt about the potential for misheard words being detected & many Emergency Services will not use W3W references.

To use W3W location references : You need either access to the www.what3words.com website or the what3words App (available for Android or Apple Smartphones).

If you receive a W3W reference it can be added to either website or App & the location will be found & a map shown of the location / surrounding area. Within the website or app, ONLY the 3 words separated by full stops are required.

W3W does not include a navigation function & w3w references are NOT accepted by most Navigation software / Apps.
However, W3W will usually provide the option to Share the exact location with any Navigation software or Apps that W3W finds on your device.

If this option is selected, the relevant software / App is automatically opened with the destination set as the W3W location & start point set as your current location.

To create a W3W location reference : Add a Postcode, Longitude/ latitude or house address to either the website or App & then move the cursor to the exact location (3m square) that is desired. Then select the “Share” button & either copy the relevant w3w reference or select the desired option. Share the location reference as you want.