Compass Triangulation Free - User Manual

The Compass Triangulation App is a mobile-optimized website. It should work on most devices and web browsers.

A PRO version of this app is also available!

By accessing this application you hereby agree to the terms of our Software Disclaimer and of our Privacy Policy.

*Google Maps is a trademark of Google Inc. By using this software, you agree to the terms and conditions of Google Maps.

You obviously have to enable and allow your browser to access your location information. Browsers do this in a number of different ways, a GPS may not be required. However, a GPS is needed to provide good accuracy and near real-time location information.

Please see the FAQ section for any questions or issues not answered in this manual

Now available for FREE on:

The user interface is very straightforward for anyone familiar with mobile applications.

The blue dot represented by

https://sites.google.com/a/videreresearch.com/videre/projects/geolocation-web-application/compass-triangulation/compass-triangulation-user-manual/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-14%20at%207.39.09%20AM%20copy%205.png
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.videre.us.compasstriangulationfree

indicates your working location. It is referred to as the "working dot". The circle around the working dot represents the current accuracy of your location. It is green if your accuracy is 100m (33 ft) or better, otherwise it is red. If you are using GPS location, your position is very likely to actually be somewhere inside of that circle.

Or get the PRO version on:

You have the ability to move the dot to any location you chose, in which case the circle around the location will turn gray (no accuracy information available). Clicking on the icon will display some information about that particular location.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.videre.us.compasstriangulationpro
https://sites.google.com/a/videreresearch.com/videre/projects/geolocation-web-application/compass-triangulation/compass-triangulation-user-manual/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-14%20at%208.06.06%20AM.png

There are four buttons available on top of the screen:

Pressing on the button will move the working dot to the GPS location provi

ded by your device. In order to preserve battery life and reduce data usage, the GPS location is only enabled for a few seconds. This button will become disabled during that time. Depending on how long your devices' GPS takes to acquire a good signal, you may want to press this button several times in order to improve the accuracy of the reading.

The

https://sites.google.com/a/videreresearch.com/videre/projects/geolocation-web-application/compass-triangulation/compass-triangulation-user-manual/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-14%20at%207.53.43%20AM.png

button is really what this app is about, it allows you to add a bearing line and draw it on the map. The line will be drawn from the current position of the working dot, and will end at a bearing (Compass Heading) and a distance (Line Length) of your choosing. A blue marker will also be added at the same location as the working dot, and clicking on that marker will display information about that location and about the bearing added, including the date and time the bearing was added.

You can add as many bearing lines as you want, until you have enough information to determine the unknown location you are trying to determine.

The app also has several other options to help you. The "Map Actions" menu

allows you to perform a few actions. The "Save Map Location" option will save the current location of the working dot, the map's zoom level and the map type to your local device, so that it will be the default view when you refresh your browser or restart the application. The bearing lines are not saved.

The "Center on Marker" option will center the map on the current location of the working dot, and also change the zoom level to a closer location.

The "Get Marker in View" option will do the opposite, it will move the working dot to the center of the map being displayed.

The "Find Address" option allows you to move the working dot to a particular address or intersection. It uses Google's geocoding information and also taking into consideration the current position of the working dot. If only one location is returned, the dot is automatically moved to that location. If more than one location is returned, you are given a list of possible results and can chose which one is the correct one.

The "Get Nearest Location" option allows you to get the nearest address from the working dot, using Google's reverse geocoding information. It also provides information (heading and distance) on how to navigate from that address to the working dot's location.

https://sites.google.com/a/videreresearch.com/videre/projects/geolocation-web-application/compass-triangulation/compass-triangulation-user-manual/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-14%20at%207.39.16%20AM.png

Finally, the "Clear Map" option will remove all bearing lines and dots from the map and allow you to start fresh.

The "Settings" menu

allows you to set user preferences, and also adjust the way the map is displayed.

"Preferences" is a very important setting that you need to adjust depending on your location. The bearing lines added to this app assume that you are giving a compass bearing, and the lines drawn on the map are displayed as grid bearings. It is up to you to make sure that the correct value is entered to allow the app to perform the correct conversion. The "Get Declination from NOAA" button will use your current location to get the current declination (rounded) from https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag-web/ . Please use any appropriate resource to ensure that the correct information is being used.

The information box for the bearing line markers will display the values for both the compass heading and the grid heading as computed using the value you provided at the time the bearing was added.

https://sites.google.com/a/videreresearch.com/videre/projects/geolocation-web-application/compass-triangulation/compass-triangulation-user-manual/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-14%20at%207.39.23%20AM.png

The other Preferences options allow you to change the way the map is displayed. You can toggle between Night and Day colors, and also display the map as a Road map, a Satellite map, a Hybrid (Satellite with roads superimposed) and Terrain map (the default).