Jump:

Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency

Site Search  
Skip:[Primary navigation]
 
Skip:[Secondary navigation]

 

 
Magazine Search

 

Taking a virtual recce by Tom Gibbs

15 August 2007

Digital mapping products like those from Anquet ™ let you recce Britain from the comfort of your own home. Using these products you can fly through your map in 3-D and bring the terrain to life.

Taking a virtual recce
Traditionally, competitors travel to the area and go around the course to get a feel for the land. I take a virtual recce using digital mapping before I go to any race area. This helps me understand the terrain and work out the best routes. It also means that if I do choose to travel to the area, I've narrowed it down to specifics that I want to check out rather than having to recce the whole area on the ground.

Making the best route choices
If the race is a set route, for example, a fell race or MTB Enduro, then I mark the checkpoints in Anquet as waypoints. I'm aiming to use the virtual recce to identify the best route choices along the race route.

FIND what you want quickly
Anquet's GOTO and FIND functions take me quickly to the routes and areas I'm interested in. The beauty of Anquet is that you can jump between map types whilst still focusing on the same area or route.

Using Ordnance Survey maps
I use Anquet’s free Philips Superplanner GB Overview as a reference map. Then I'll usually get most of my information from Ordnance Survey’s 1:25 000 scale OS Explorer Maps. They give a great level of detail and shows boundaries. OS Landranger Maps at 1:50 000 scale are also excellent for terrain and tracks, some of which you won't find on the 1:25 000 scale. The 1:50 000 scale is more suited to cycle events but doesn't show walls or fences.

Using photo maps
I compare Ordnance Survey mapping with aerial photography, the highest resolution I can get my hands on. It gives you a good idea of what it's like on the ground and you'll often find tracks on the aerial photography that aren't on the Ordnance Survey mapping.

Switching between maps
Switching between different map and photo types, I get a good level of understanding of the terrain – which paths exist and what the vegetation is like. The easier the terrain, the faster you go.

Tom Gibbs
Tom Gibbs is the 3 times British Champion of Adventure Racing and 3 times World Champion of IntelliSport. Gibbs uses Anquet digital mapping in his best loved sport: Adventure Racing.

For more information visit our Anquet product page or download Anquet software free 

Virtual Landscape is a trademark of Anquet Technology Ltd.

 
Skip:[Supplementary navigation]