Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency

Using your GPS with a paper map

06 December 2007

Paper maps have been the primary tool for navigation for centuries. Most maps are very reliable when used with a compass to determine orientation and direction. With the advent of GPS technology you might think maps have become obsolete. In fact, they have become even more useful.

To effectively use a Garmin® GPS handheld with a paper map, one of the first things you must do is ensure the map datum matches the one of your paper map. For example, if you are in Great Britain and have an Ordnance Survey map, you should set up your handheld to synchronise with this. On most Garmin GPS units, for example, this is done by going to ’Main Menu‘, choosing ’Set Up‘, then ’Units‘. In the Position Format field choose British Grid. The map datum field automatically defaults to Ordnance Survey Great Britain.

Alternatively, if you take a walking holiday in the Alps you can change the grid reference system to that of the country you are in. If you wish, you can change the elevation to be shown in metres as well to conform to the measurements on the map.

This set-up allows you to match your GPS unit to almost any Ordnance Survey map, which is essential if you want to use your GPS in conjunction with a map for navigation. Once this has been set you will always be able to see your exact grid reference displayed on your GPS, and know exactly where you are on the paper map.

You can also create a route to your destination on your paper map then transfer your coordinates for each point on your route to your GPS. With this information the GPS constructs the route and leads you to your destination, providing time and distance information as you travel and even store information about the destination and the route to it for future use.

If you have a GPS with mapping capability you can also see your exact position on the screen of your GPS (as well as the grid reference). The advantage of this is that you don’t always have to refer to your paper map, and you can zoom in and out easily to get more detail.

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