What maps are you using in the field for ground team work?

[RiverAux]

Much of the ground team task guide assumes that CAP ground teams are going to be using traditional full-sized USGS quad maps while out in the field.  While these are certainly useful for teaching maps skills in the classroom and perhaps while on a regularly used training site that you actually have full-quad for, it is just not practical to use them for actual SAR work.  Why not?  Well, who has a library of the hundreds of quad maps it takes to cover an entire state? 

So, when your ground team gets the call to go on lost person case out in the woods somewhere, what are you using for maps of the operational area? 

[cap235629]

I use a Delorme Atlas and Gazzetter

find yours here

1 book, entire state

[Hawk200]

Just downloaded Google maps for my Windows phone. May make use of it the next mission I'm on.

[Eclipse]

Garmin Mapsource

Google Earth w/ Aeronautical and grid overlays

Google Maps on Android

Gazzetter (last resort)

Before anyone decries tech or says "what about when you don't have internet - I can tether my 3G phone, have a 4G Clearspot, and Google Earth can be setup to cache the maps for disconnected use.

[Short Field]

I use a Delorme Atlas and Gazzetter

+1  I also carry a gridded sectional chart and GPS.  I also do some map work on Google Earth before departing or flying.

[lordmonar]

I use a Delorme Atlas and Gazzetter

find yours here

1 book, entire state

Them's the ones I use as well.

Not only do I have my state....but I have all the surrounding states as well...to care care of cross border operations and if we have to deploy to assist our neighbor states.

I also have the National Geographic Map software for Nevada...so I can print up any scale map I need for specific locations.

[IceNine]

Garmin Mapsource

Google Earth w/ Aeronautical and grid overlays

Google Maps on Android

Gazzetter (last resort)

Before anyone decries tech or says "what about when you don't have internet - I can tether my 3G phone, have a 4G Clearspot, and Google Earth can be setup to cache the maps for disconnected use.

Concur.

[SarDragon]

I use a Delorme Atlas and Gazzetter

find yours here

1 book, entire state

Well, most states; CA is split - North, and South.

[N Harmon]

who has a library of the hundreds of quad maps it takes to cover an entire state?

I do, in digital form on my laptop. I have the USGS quads as well as topos from DeLorme Topo USA. I can print out custom maps of any area in my state, and not even with Internet. All of that data is pre-loaded onto my computer. My GPS also has topographic information loaded for the entire state.

The DeLorme Gazateers are not sufficient for real ground SAR (anything that isn't glorified UDF). Case in point: We had a SAREX last year in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that involved a search for missing hikers along a rather obscure 4WD path. Well, this path just happened to follow some long-distance power lines, which were not on the gazateer. But they WERE on the topos. But we didn't have topos available.

That is when I resolved to make sure I had enough topo information available at my fingertips.

Our Gazateer is 1:160000 whereas USGS topos are 1:24000. That is a whole order of magnitude difference in detail, and in all of my map class I always pull each out to show new ground pounders the difference in detail.

My GSAR kit includes a gazateer, road map, gridded sectional map (for those times when Ground Branch assigns us a CAP grid to search  ). But all of that stays in the vehicle if/when we dismount. After that it's GPS, and any custom maps we printed or were given at briefing.

[davedove]

I have found that the Delorme maps are good for about 90% of the missions we have, because a big part of the missions has been mounted.

Now, once dismounted, the USGS maps are much more useful.  Sometimes, in a park and the like, if you can get a trail map that is even more useful.  One disadvantage of the USGS maps is that they are often not up to date, sometimes decades old.

[JC004]

WIWAC, I set up our UDF team and made kits.  I sold (at cost) kits to the members which included everything they needed for UDF, but the advantage was they could get it all from one source at one time, I bought stuff in bulk sometimes, so it cost less, and they didn't have to pay shipping on every little thing.

Then we had a team kit.  The team kit included: Delorme Atlas, Google Earth, and a set of topos as far as nav stuff.  A GPS unit too.  Laptop had a complete set of state park maps for training missions (although they would have been useful if we had an actual in a state park too).

Each team member got a plastic bag as part of their kit with the following nav-related stuffz:
- state transportation map for simple quick reference
- state aeronautical chart
- airport directory for PA
- airport directory for NJ
- set of laminated maps
- nav supplies required of UDFT members (map case, alcohol pens, protractor, etc.)

[a2capt]

I've got Jeppesen Fitemap/Jeppview and National Geographic Topo! series maps installed on several portables, plus Delorme Topo.

Plus Thomas Guides (A California staple item) for the three counties nearest, and the California, AZ and NV Delorme books. Plus for contingency, an inkjet printer/AIO device (make copies of the maps, print maps from TOPO! with notes) and a box of those plastic sheet protector things.

[SarDragon]

... Google Earth can be setup to cache the maps for disconnected use.

How do you do that?

[lordmonar]

... Google Earth can be setup to cache the maps for disconnected use.

How do you do that?

You can down load goggle earth as a stand alone program.  Put it on the lap top and you can pull up the maps in the field.

[davidsinn]

... Google Earth can be setup to cache the maps for disconnected use.

How do you do that?

You can down load goggle earth as a stand alone program.  Put it on the lap top and you can pull up the maps in the field.

That requires a live net connection. Eclipse says you can use it offline. How?

[Eclipse]

That requires a live net connection. Eclipse says you can use it offline. How?

Offline Google Earth use:
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2005/08/offline_google.html

[sardak]

- DeLorme Gazetteer with CAP grids outlined, VORs drawn in and airports highlighted. As mentioned, at 1:160,000 scale not good for missing person search, but OK for DF work and large area search planning.
- Gridded sectionals and TACs
- US Forest Service visitor maps
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated

On the computer which is not carried into the field, but maps are printed out for field use:
- National Geographic Topo!
- MyTopo (formerly Maptech) Terrain Navigator Pro
- Google Earth (using cached photos when lacking an Internet connection)
- DeLorme Topo USA (least favorite of the computer mapping programs due to a clumsy interface and less than ideal graphics)
- Suite of GIS programs - ArcGIS, GlobalMapper, Manifold - for making custom maps

USGS digital topos in GeoPDF format. The new US Topos have layers, including satellite/aerial imagery, which can be turned on and off. Like their paper ancestors, these are full size and aren't tiled, though they can be imported into GIS software to make them so. All are free. The free GeoPDF toolbar for Adobe Reader is required to take full advantage of these maps. Go to the "Map Locator" at  http://store.usgs.gov

Referred to me just this week, so I haven't really had a chance to try it, Depiction, a mapping program that downloads layers to, and stores on, your computer for use when not connected to the Internet. Also imports shapefiles, KML/KMZ and other common formats. Can bring in non-georeferenced maps and pictures and georeferences them to base layers in a manner much easier than traditional GIS programs. Go to http://www.depiction.com and view the video on the How-To page for the best overview. In April it was 50% off but volunteer groups can still get a discount. $199 list.

And despite River's assertion about their utility, I and many others still carry paper topos. Thirty 7.5 minute topos cover my county, but I don't have to take them all into the field at once. There are almost 1600 for the state, but the mapping programs take care of these.

Mike

[Chief2009]

I was on a mission a couple years back with a cadet who had a set of maps that were about 8.5x11 (ish) plastic spiral bound, it kind of looked like a plat book, but it was just streets, no property lines.

Does anybody know something like this?

DN

[cap235629]

I was on a mission a couple years back with a cadet who had a set of maps that were about 8.5x11 (ish) plastic spiral bound, it kind of looked like a plat book, but it was just streets, no property lines.

Does anybody know something like this?

DN

Sounds like a 911 atlas for the county

[Eclipse]

Or selected pages from a laminated Streetfinder.