PreLab Exercise: Field Lab #1: Topographic Maps & GPS/Compass Exercise
Name:_________________________________________________
For this prelab exercise, please review the Lab #9 sections on GPS (Global Positioning System), UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) and Compass Bearings. Then answer the questions below.
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a series of ______ navigational communication satellites in orbit approximately ______________ miles above Earth.
UTM System
In order to obtain a "fix", a GPS receiver must acquire and process radio transmissions from at least ______ satellites.
The UTM system is based on 60 north-south _____________, which are strips of longitude having a width of _____ degrees.
Here in San Diego, we're in UTM Zone _______.
The east-west location of a point within a Zone is defined by its _______________ coordinate (its distance within a Zone meaured from west to east in meters).
In the northern hemisphere, the distance between a point and the equator is defined by its ______________ coordinate (distance from equator measured in meters).
Compass Bearing
A _________________ is the compass direction along a line from one point to another.
The angular difference between the direction a compass points (magnetic north) and the direction to the north pole (true north or grid north) is called the _____________________.
You see a mountain in the distance, located due east of your location according to your compass. In this instance, the azimuth bearing of the line pointing from you to the mountain would be __________ degrees.
What is the azimuth bearing of a line pointing due south from one location to another location?
Azimuth bearing measurements can range from 0 to _______ degrees.
Fill in the right-hand column below by converting azimuth bearings into quadrant bearings:
Azimuth Bearing Quadrant Bearing
24 degrees
47 degrees
190 degrees
350 degrees