Soldiers have become reliant on MGRS and may be unaccustomed to seeing UTM coordinates. QTopo State mapping grid example and product note

An example of this is provided in Figure 1.įigure 1.

The challenge that soldiers face when using maps provided by external organisations is that these maps are produced using UTM grids and coordinates. A simple error such as this can have devastating and deadly consequences in a military context.Īn example of this going horribly wrong in a military context occurred when a soldier directing a bomb strike gave incorrect coordinates, which resulted in a friendly airstrike on a HQ of allies that caused multiple deaths and injuries. If coordinates are not obtained correctly from a map, or if the wrong coordinate system is used, then erroneous location information will be provided.

Coordinates are used to give an accurate position for a point on the Earth’s surface. Civilian mapping agencies tend to use the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) reference system instead.Ĭoordinates are an essential element for mapping, both in identifying a location and for the purposes of navigating. These are produced using the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) coordinate standard – the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS). Within Australia, AGO’s focus is on mapping ADF training areas – referred to as Australian Specials (AUSPECs). The Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) is responsible for Defence’s topographic mapping. How do you relate this information to another person or group of people? The answer is to use a coordinate system. But how do you tell others where something is? It is easy to identify a specific location on a map the problem arises when you have to tell someone else the location, especially when they are not standing next to you and looking at the same map. Maps are used to show where something is relative to all the other things around it – and the relationships between those entities. It depicts both man-made and natural features, usually with an applied geographic coordinate system, and usually with a key or legend. A map provides a graphical representation of a part or the whole of the Earth’s surface shown on a planar (2-D) surface.

Us map with coordinate grid