Compass Fields
Avenza Maps provides several different ways of using your device to navigate, create tracks, and orient yourself on a map. Several of these tools and resources, along with how they can be used are discussed below.
Bearing Compass Heading Course
Bearing
The Bearing value is strictly used in conjunction with the navigation activity. This means the bearing value will not populate until the user is in an active tracking activity such as walking. Unless a placemark, line or track map feature is under navigation, a bearing value will not be calculated. When navigating a line, track or placemark feature the bearing value is calculated by measuring the angle between your current location and the feature being navigated. This makes the bearing relative to your current location. The image above has been overlaid to demonstrate this.
By using your current location to produce this value, there is no dependence on whether Magnetic North or True North is selected in the Avenza Maps settings menu.
Compass Heading
The compass widget can be found in the center of the Location and Tracking panels and on the Navigation panel while a navigation activity is running. The heading value displayed in the center of the compass indicates the direction in which the top of the device is facing relative to North.
The compass heading uses the magnetometer within the device. By default, Avenza Maps uses True North as its reference, but this can be changed to Magnetic North in the Map View settings.
The compass heading is independent of the Bearing and Course values. For best results, calibrate the device’s compass and place the device on a flat, level surface when taking readings. For example, a compass heading of 240° indicates that the top of the device is facing west-southwest, or broadly southwest.
Course
The Course field, found to the right of the compass widget, uses changes in the device’s location fixes to report the current direction of travel. As your position changes and you continue to move in any direction, the course value continuously updates to report your current travel direction. Like the Bearing field, this value is relative to your position. When stationary, the course value will remain blank.
The Course value does not require an active navigation or tracking activity. It populates whenever Avenza Maps receives location updates and detects movement.
When navigating, users can move toward their destination by adjusting their direction of travel until the Course value matches the Bearing value. This may not always be possible because of terrain or other obstacles. For example, a Course value of 91° represents a direction almost due east, specifically, one degree south of east.
Comments
2 comments
1. COMPASS HEADING:
a) Penultimate sentence refers to a non-existent "image below".
b) Last sentence refers to an "image above" displaying a compass heading of 240°. There is no such image.
c) The last sentence claims that a compass heading of 240° means the device is pointing "approximately southerly". This is not correct, as 240° is closer to West (270°) than South (180°). A better description would have been 'approximately South Westerly'.
2. COURSE:
a) Last sentence refers to a non-existent "image below".
b) The last sentence claims that 91° represents "East North-East". This is not correct. It should be 'almost due East' or 'very slightly South of East'. Note: South not North.
Hi Malcolm,
Thank you for taking the time to identify these errors. I have updated the article to correct the inconsistencies you noted.
Best,
Andy
Avenza Support Team
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