New Search Grid System... What gives???

[AlaskanCFI]

We have now been told that a new search grid system is being adopted, but nobody can tell us just what the heck it is...
The one remark that keeps being repeated is something about how it might not work here in Alaska...

[RiverAux]

Air search grid? 

Haven't heard of anything new in a few years.  The "Canadian" grid search methodology seemed to be catching on a few years ago, but haven't heard much about it lately. 

[lordmonar]

There have always been two grid systems.

The classic "CAP Grid" system where each sectional is divided and numbered and the cell system where each degree of longitude and latitude is quartered and quarted again.

Link http://www.cap-es.net/CAPGrids/CAP%20Grid%20Systems.htm

link 2http://nesa.cap.gov/curriculum_material/Aircrew%20Chapter%208%20-%20Navigation%20and%20Position%20Determination.ppt

IMHO the cell system is much better as you don't have to pre-grid your charts and don't have to carry around a lot of cheatsheets to find your target grid.

You just use the lower right corner to start your grid.

So STL grid 159 would be 36N102WAA

Much quicker.

[KyCAP]

More likely USNG.

http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=4883.0

[DNall]

There have always been two grid systems.

The classic "CAP Grid" system where each sectional is divided and numbered and the cell system where each degree of longitude and latitude is quartered and quarted again.

Link http://www.cap-es.net/CAPGrids/CAP%20Grid%20Systems.htm

link 2http://nesa.cap.gov/curriculum_material/Aircrew%20Chapter%208%20-%20Navigation%20and%20Position%20Determination.ppt

IMHO the cell system is much better as you don't have to pre-grid your charts and don't have to carry around a lot of cheatsheets to find your target grid.

You just use the lower right corner to start your grid.

So STL grid 159 would be 36N102WAA

Much quicker.

yep 

[_]

More likely USNG.

http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=4883.0

I've heard mention about 2 different grids being put out there for SAR.  I know one was UTM based and the other is Lat/Long based but I'm not too sure about the specifics.  I searched back through the emails I get from the SAR-L list and there was mention of USNG and another system, GARS.  Apparently AFRCC is talking about using GARS because it's based off of Lat/Long so it works well for aircraft but has some features of UTM type systems.

Global Area Reference System

[RiverAux]

I suspect that our mapping system for everything but flying will be decided far above CAP's paygrade by DHS at some point so that all agencies are using the same map references.  I suspect that process is underway...

[KyCAP]

This was covered in the thread I referenced.   DoD started to manadate GARS but backed off from that.   NSARC says that the point based system should be used for aerial search as well as USNG for "area" based identification.

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg534/nsarc/Georeferencing_info.asp

Presentation barely a month ago (10 Mbytes)
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg534/nsarc/JointSARconf(092208).ppt

DHS revised this in AUG 2008...  but NSARC stated in July 2007

http://www.fidnet.com/~jlmoore/usng/NSARC_Area_Point_Ref_Sys.pdf