Finding your position: thumbing the map, systematic relocation, phone GPS, altimeter and pacing compared

How do I know where exactly I am on the map?

Knowing the direction is not enough – you also need to know where you are. Five approaches are compared: following along with your thumb on the map, systematic relocation after losing your position, positioning with a phone or GPS device, a barometric altimeter together with the contour lines, and measuring the distance covered by pace counting and timing. Accuracy figures are deliberately not given – they depend on the device, terrain, weather and practice.

Starting situation

Legend
Method	Without power or technology	In fog, darkness or whiteout	Gives a precise point on its own	In featureless terrain	Notices mistakes early	Usable with little practice
Keeping in touch with the map: thumbing and ticking off features	Yes	Partly	Partly	No	Yes	Yes
Relocating yourself: systematic instead of guessing	Yes	Partly	Partly	Partly	No	No
Navigating with phone and GPS: offline maps, battery, limits	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Partly	Partly
Navigating with an altimeter	Depends	Yes	No	Depends	Partly	Partly
Measuring distance: pace counting and timing	Yes	Yes	Partly	Partly	Yes	Partly

Legend:● Yes◐ Partly◇ Depends○ No* = note available

Keeping in touch with the map: thumbing and ticking off features

Effort:: Low, but constant attention
Needs:: Map, ideally in a map case

Without power or technologyYes
In fog, darkness or whiteoutPartly
Features right on the path (stream, junction) can be ticked off even in poor visibility.
Gives a precise point on its ownPartly
As precise as the features you tick off.
In featureless terrainNo
Does not replace compass work there.
Notices mistakes earlyYes
Mistakes show up after minutes rather than hours – as long as you do not 'bend the map'.
Usable with little practiceYes

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Relocating yourself: systematic instead of guessing

Effort:: Moderate to high
Needs:: Map, compass, last certain point, calm

Without power or technologyYes
In fog, darkness or whiteoutPartly
Without visible landmarks only rough narrowing down via landform and slope aspect.
Gives a precise point on its ownPartly
More precise with a resection on visible landmarks.
In featureless terrainPartly
Notices mistakes earlyNo
It is the method for when the position is already lost.
Usable with little practiceNo

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Navigating with phone and GPS: offline maps, battery, limits

Effort:: Low, preparation needed
Needs:: Phone or GPS device, offline maps saved in advance, backup power

Without power or technologyNo
A flat battery takes away navigation and the emergency call at the same time.
In fog, darkness or whiteoutYes
Gives a precise point on its ownYes
Usually reliable in open terrain; less accurate in narrow valleys, beside rock walls, in dense forest and between buildings.
In featureless terrainYes
Notices mistakes earlyPartly
Only if you check it regularly.
Usable with little practicePartly
Practise operation and offline maps beforehand; check route suggestions for plausibility.

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Navigating with an altimeter

Effort:: Low to moderate
Needs:: Barometric altimeter (e.g. in an outdoor watch), map with contours and spot heights

Without power or technologyDepends
Many devices are electronic; mechanical altimeters also exist.
In fog, darkness or whiteoutYes
Gives a precise point on its ownNo
Gives only a height – a point emerges only together with a path, ridge or bearing.
In featureless terrainDepends
Helpful on slopes, hardly at all on flat ground.
Notices mistakes earlyPartly
Usable with little practicePartly
Reset regularly at known spot heights; weather changes distort the reading.

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Measuring distance: pace counting and timing

Effort:: Moderate, tiring
Needs:: Your own pace length measured in advance; watch

Without power or technologyYes
In fog, darkness or whiteoutYes
Especially important when nothing can be seen.
Gives a precise point on its ownPartly
Together with a bearing; the deviation grows with distance.
In featureless terrainPartly
Notices mistakes earlyYes
When the distance is covered and the target is missing, you notice.
Usable with little practicePartly
Only your own measurements help.

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