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USA
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Posted: Today 10:23:22 PM EST
How do cops and soldiers keep directional orientation?
In terms of "he's heading southeast" or "we're coming in from the northwest" Do they pull out a compass or is there some training or relatively easy trick? Prep work? Or do they just sense the iron in their blood like real men? I know the general orientation around my home and work, but if you dropped me off in a random location 15 miles from me, i may have some trouble figuring out directions without a compass. |
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Posted: Today 10:27:44 PM EST
[#1]
So, when I was a nuclear operator, I considered myself to be a professional and an expert at my craft, and that meant studying my craft daily. Be it procedures, emergency operating procedures, plant schematics, systems notes, etc, I always studied something.
To that end, I've always assumed that they too, as professionals, study similarly. They know the lay of their land. Practice. Read. Review. Etc. I could be wrong. |
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AB, CAN
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Posted: Today 10:28:03 PM EST
[#2]
☀️Mr Sun enters the chat.
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SD, USA
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Posted: Today 10:28:17 PM EST
[#3]
Context clues.
Sun, shadows, stars, moon, roadways, water bodies, vegetation, prevailing winds, a ton of information can be cleaned from small details. |
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Posted: Today 10:32:36 PM EST
[#4]
During the day, I use the zulu time and position of the sun along its ecliptic.
Night, I use the moon’s orbital inclination to ascertain direction of travel. |
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USA
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Posted: Today 10:33:02 PM EST
[Last Edit: 32ACP]
[#5]
If the town/city is oriented with streets east & west, avenues north & south, a quick glance at a sign might help. Or the compass on the dash or rear view mirror.
But mostly, if it TV or movies, it’s “artistic license.” Except Robocop & Terminators, because tech is tech.  ETA: for orienteering, you read your map, azimuth & chose a mountain or other object along that azimuth & walk towards it. If it’s north, anything right is east, left is west & behind you is south. When you lose your target or azimuth—map & compass come out, unless you have GPS. Do google glasses have heads-up display? |
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Posted: Today 10:37:22 PM EST
[#6]
I reference street's in my city. Otherwise I'm not really able to tell which way is north without a reference.
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Posted: Today 10:38:00 PM EST
[Last Edit: ENGCPT]
[#7]
No shit there I was. We were standing around in Africa and I needed to know what direction North was. It was almost noon. I looked at the sun and our shadows and pointed north. People were impressed. Until the ambulance showed up from the south.
The problem is that we were South of the tropic of cancer and it was mid June, so at noon, the sun was to our North. I pointed out how/why I made the mistake and people were impressed again. I pride myself on having a "map in head" that I work very hard to keep oriented. |
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JPN
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Posted: Today 10:40:19 PM EST
[#8]
Former Marine grunt here.
Whenever you see soldiers/Marines in a movie patrolling through an area what most people don't understand is that in real life most of those from the squad leader level up have studied the map of the area they are patrolling through and know what landmarks should be where in relation to where they will be going. You kinda have a 3D model in your head about where some building, hilltop, bridge, river etc. or other terrain feature is or should be and know where you should be on that image. The cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) are all part of that model. |
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CO, USA
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Posted: Today 10:40:47 PM EST
[Last Edit: centrarchidae]
[#9]
On the Front Range, the mountains are west. All you need to do is stand in the place where you were and now face West and carry a compass to help you along.
(Speaking of which, has anybody checked in on Michael Stipe in the last two days? Or are we waiting for someone to care?) ETA: Ronin22 points out terrain association as a technique, which is something you can do instinctively with a little practice. If you, say, know that the city clock tower (or any other geological or geographic feature) is NE of your house and SE of your destination, then knowing to keep it off to the right somewhere will help keep you pointed the right way. Which I think most of us do unconsciously and can get really good at by putting some thought into it. |
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Posted: Today 10:45:32 PM EST
[#10]
Originally Posted By Mah_lee: How do cops and soldiers keep directional orientation? In terms of "he's heading southeast" or "we're coming in from the northwest" Do they pull out a compass or is there some training or relatively easy trick? Prep work? Or do they just sense the iron in their blood like real men? I know the general orientation around my home and work, but if you dropped me off in a random location 15 miles from me, i may have some trouble figuring out directions without a compass. Testicles. That’s why Libs and pansy asses can’t. |
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VAT
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Posted: Today 10:49:14 PM EST
[#11]
I dunno how, but with the exception of one town in Alabama, I'm pretty much always able to know what direction I'm facing.
In Troy I could never figure it out. I don't know why. |
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Posted: Today 10:50:38 PM EST
[#12]
Long ago when I played in a Recon Platoon, we used these things called maps, compass, and counted pace. Lots of guys carried beads to track pace count.
Routes were pre-planned, navigational landmarks were noted, such as roads, radio antennas , terrain contours, rivers, lakes. GPS wasn’t available to us back then. When I’m hunting, I .generally know the terrain and use the sun or moon & stars to keep me moving in the right direction. I also wear a compass around my neck to shoot azimuths to my hunting area and back to the truck. And these day’s if there’s good cell service, I drop a pin on the truck and my stand…. 
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Posted: Today 10:57:04 PM EST
[#13]
If you think in terms of NESW as part of your job, you just get used to thinking that way all the time and keep a record in your head as you go. At least, that's what I do.
I did also go to Seattle for a week and was constantly confused until the sun came out. |
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Posted: Today 10:58:15 PM EST
[#14]
Growing up in a swamp state, it was very easy to get disoriented because the land is flat and the vegtation is so thick you cant see any landmarks. Out west where there's always a mountain range in the distance, you'd have to be excruciatingly stupid to get lost.
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USA
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Posted: Today 11:03:58 PM EST
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Subpar: During the day, I use the zulu time and position of the sun along its ecliptic. Night, I use the moon’s orbital inclination to ascertain direction of travel. and you call yourself subpar |
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CO, USA
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Posted: 11/8/2024 12:12:07 AM EST
[#16]
Lots of environmental clues if you know what to look for. Sun, mountains, where satellite dishes are pointing...
And if you're operating in an area often and that sort of thing is important, you start to just figure it out. Areas I ride motos/snowmobiles regularly, I have a good feel for cardinal directions. When I travel to new areas, I'm doing a "guess and check" ... "I think i'm facing north right now", when I fire up the sled or glance at the GPS on my bars and start moving, "yup, northwest". Or glance down and look at the vehicle's dash? Or the GPS? 
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Posted: 11/8/2024 12:14:20 AM EST
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By SnowMule: Lots of environmental clues if you know what to look for. Sun, mountains, where satellite dishes are pointing... And if you're operating in an area often and that sort of thing is important, you start to just figure it out. Areas I ride motos/snowmobiles regularly, I have a good feel for cardinal directions. When I travel to new areas, I'm doing a "guess and check" ... "I think i'm facing north right now", when I fire up the sled or glance at the GPS on my bars and start moving, "yup, northwest". Or glance down and look at the vehicle's dash? Or the GPS? https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-TWSKWhc/0/L/i-TWSKWhc-L.jpg That's cool and all but what OP is talking about is when a cop says "the suspect is travelling northeast on general and discussions." Not of himself, but of another person is his territory. I'd argue that communicating such information is much more difficult than discerning it for oneself. I could be wrong. |
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Posted: 11/8/2024 12:28:10 AM EST
[#18]
Former police officer here. I knew which way streets ran in my district so that was how I knew what direction we were going most of the time. Then of course there is position of the sun. But I also worked at night and occasionally in unfamiliar areas. Hence the little compass on my dashboard.
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Posted: 11/8/2024 12:33:17 AM EST
[Last Edit: Eli822]
[#19]
I work with people who believe north is the direction they are facing since that the direction of the arrow on their phone GPS.
As beat cop a lot has to do with your environment and just knowing the area. Even number streets might run east, odd number streets may run west. Maybe first street divides the city north and south. Main Street divides east and west. Certain highway runs a direction. |
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Posted: 11/8/2024 12:40:49 AM EST
[Last Edit: redoubt]
[#20]
It has to do with learning your area. And sometimes there are tricks.
Like in the Denver Metro Area, when it comes to address numbers: East is even, and South is similar (to East). So even addresses are on the East side of a North/South street, and on the South side of an East/West street. And the mountains are always West, so that solves that. Where I live now, I have to rely on my local knowledge of geography. |
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