What kind of things do you guys do to make your maps more user friendly?
Do you mark the street numbering system on street maps?
Do you draw the corrected magnetic north on your topos as a line so you won't need to calculate it every time, and have a quick way to check your declination if you do calculate it?

So what tricks do you guys have?

waterproof them.
Write as much as you can on them. phone numbers, addresses, grid references, if you are in the uk philips road maps are a god send as they print the name of the youth hostels next to them.
then write the phone numbers and opening nights on the map.

it all makes for good memories when you look at them again :-)

QJS

Use highlighters on the grid numbers.

Study it beforehand.

That puts me ahead of 90% of the population :-)

Simpler words could not be spoken. Always best to have a good idea of the route before hand.

When I used a paper map for vehicle navigation, I would often highlight the route and make any notations necessary.

Now, with the GPS, it is much easier. I still keep maps on hand in case of failure.

For maps, I highlight important info, make notes in the margins. I try to minimize writing on the maps, except for my routes of intended travel, notated with the magnetic compass courses, adjusted for Variation.

For Nautical Charts, I do the above listed items but, I also use a green highlighter to mark all water that is too shallow for my vessel.

For Aviation Charts, I will sometimes connect the electrical towers, thus showing where the electrical lines are actually running.

Because you may not have the map completely opened up,
I write the two digit North and East Grid (Large)numbers in the interior of the map. Saves you from having to look all over for the base UTM numbers.
If you do this then no mater how you fold the map you can find the MGRS or UTM reference locations with out unfolding.

I find using a declination compensating protractor the easiest way of addressing the G-M (Grid-Magnetic Angle) issue.
It is so quick, and error free. All boat shops and FBO stores for aviation have them, also on ebay you can find the military version. Most also have a longer base line than regular protractors.
With a regular protractor you can mark it with a preset line so it will read magnetic as well.
Some company actually sells something like this.

Some people draw red magnetic lines on maps (aviation charts have them printed in magenta)
The only problem with this is over time the secular variations (yearly changes) add up and you have to buy another map or carefully erase and redraw.

I don't prefer this, but like to make one line on the map which is magnetic so it is easily oriented with the compass.

In the Army we just used the LARS (Left add,right subtract) method, which assumes the item you want is either left or right from what you have (Grid and Magnetic usually, sometimes True)

The old Aviators (and mariners) memory aid:
TVMDC AW and CDMVT AT,
Here because aircraft and ships also have a deviation due to the residual magnetic signature of the craft.

True Virgins Make Dull Company Add Wiskey
True +/- Variation = Magnetic +/- Deviation = Compass Add Westerly

Can Dead Men Vote Twice At Elections
Compass +/- Deviation = Magnetic +/- Variation = True (or grid) Add Easterly

On land you don't have a deviation (that it consistent anyway).

Variation is the same as declination, but early navigators used that term for celestial navigation so it was renamed variation.

What kind of things do you guys do to make your maps more user friendly?


I'm done with it, I let someone else fold the d@mn thing!

I get my maps from MyTopo.com too. Great maps!!! My paper USGS maps are sitting on a shelf now. Don't underestimate the value of being able to print a single map that incorporate several of the 7.5 minute USGS maps. A big money savings even though each MyTopo map is more expensive.

I only order the 24” x 36” (medium size) waterproof 'paper' maps, with UTM grids. I'd order the smaller size if it suited my specific nead though. It is a huge advantage for me to have the UTM grids on them. I tried adding them to the USGS maps, but it was a pain. The grids allow me to easily transfer UTM coordinates from GPS to map, and vise versa.

I also have my name put on them so they aren't so apt to walk away, and I have them sent to me pre-folded.

The other thing I so - not so much with the paper map - is I use the on-line 24K topo maps in Geobuddy gps software to preview the area in both 24K topo form and as an aereal photo. I use Geobuddy to create key GPS waypoints of interest (just point and click), to use those waypoints to create GPS routes (mostly to obtain preliminary distance measurements) (its as easy as connecting the dots), and then upload those waypoints and routes to my GPS.

Not only is it real handy to pre-load the GPS with waypoints, but the routes provide key compass bearings, if needed. It is also a safety precaution, just in case I get lost and forget to capture those key waypoints on-site. Its nice to quickly be able to determine how close I am to my destination just by turning on the GPS.

Not only is the magnetic declination added to the map (that's on the USGS maps too), but it is the CURRENT (when printed) declination for the area - not the declination as it existed in 1965 when the maps were created. That can be a pretty substantial difference.

Ken

First and most important, as soon as I get a new map, I cut it up into pieces that can be filed in folders and stored inside my 17x12 weather-proof map case. The principle is never to have to fold or unfold a map, and always to keep them well enough organized I can always find the relevant detail map within 15 seconds without having to stop my vehicle.

Then I take another map that covers a larger area and draw the grid that represents the whole map that I just cut up. I draw lines where the cuts are and number the grid with letters and numbers (like 1a, 1b, 2a, etc). This then becomes the index map and goes in the front of the folder. For areas where I already have the base USGS maps (most of the areas I frequent), I use the same index numbers as the corresponding topo map so I can move easily between different types of maps that cover the same area.

As for notations on maps, I usually add GPS lines if they don’t already exist, and highlight them if they do. In some areas (national forests, especially) I keep detailed notes on the roads, like if they are paved or if they may become impassable in heavy rain, and any gates that I find. In some areas I transfer the lines of public land ownership as shown on the local resource (park) maps and as seen on the ground, to my topo maps which show greater detail than the park maps.

I mark all access points to public water, sometimes with notes on the details. On navigable rivers and creeks, I mark unmapped cut-offs, major blockages and manmade structures which front the stream. For some public areas that I frequent a lot, I’ll start with a 2x or 4x blow-up of the most detailed topo map and add in lots of features like good camping spots and jeep trails.

Note: This is all pre-mapping-GPS, which I am slowly transitioning to. I’ve been working with incorporating the GPS changes for 4-5 years, but it’s still not where it needs to be to totally replace my paper system. Soon, though, I think it will be (with its own paper-based back-up system to protect against power failure). For the last year, I’ve been using a PDA-based mapping-GPS system that looks very promising.