Navigation

-n Navigation The process of controlling a vehicle or craft from one place to another. There are 3 main types of Navigation. -Dead Reckoning -Pilotage -Celestial Navigation Dead Reckoning is judging position by looking at your previously determined position, elapsed time, speed of craft and set course. You then calculate current position from that data. This can lead to inaccuracies as you need to know the exact speed of craft at all times and not deviate from set course at any time. This is an age old way of navigating and is the most famous. Despite its perilous nature it is the most logical of navigational tactics. Pilotage is a type of navigation which requires land to be in sight. It relies on landmarks and visual points of reference. There are some difficulties with this technique, the navigator must be familiar with the landmarks in order to determine position from them, this difficulty is usually overcome with a map of the area. Landmarks can include Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, Highways, Cities and Airports. This basic form of navigation is used in everyday situations such as locating oneself in a town or suburb. It also requires no additional equipment being done with just one's mind. Celestial Navigation is the act of navigating through the recognition of celestial bodies. Once a celestial body has been sighted you can judge your speed and position from the bodies changing

position relative to you. You measure the distance from the body to the horizon, measured at a later time the body will either be higher or lower form the horizon. By calculating the time between measurements you can determine your speed. By keeping the body ahead of you or in any other position all of the time, you can keep your direction as well as determine speed. Celestial Navigation has been used for hundreds of years by multiple civilizations, it is used as a backup for modern navigation equipment and when done correctly is more reliable that Pilotage and Dead Reckoning. G.P.S Global Positioning System GPS is a space based system of navigation that uses multiple satellites to determine the position of a GPS receiver. GPS require a clear line of sight to at least 4 satellites, there are currently 31 satellites orbiting around the earth. The coverage extends to the entire surface of the planet. GPS is used in a number of professions. The Military use GPS to track vehicles and infantry. Cartographers use GPS extensively to map large areas. It's also utilized in disaster relief to find the locations of missing persons. It's used commercially by the public as a map or as a tracking device for belongings. GPS is found in most modern devices. All Smartphones carry a GPS chip. You can buy devices built specifically for GPS. Car based GPS devices are common. Human Navigation - Marco Polo Marco Polo was an Italian merchant from Venice. His father and uncle made trips into Asia and he learned the merchant trade from them. He started his first trek to Asia at the age of seventeen. Three and a half years after leaving Venice the Marco Polo, his father and his uncle met with The Kublai Khan in modern day Beijing. He became quite good friends with the Khan. He visited the western and eastern provinces of China, going so far as to reach Burma. The Khan denied the Polos requests to leave China and they became increasingly agitated

about their safety. Should the Khan die and a rival take action against them for their close involvement with the leader. They eventually left China with the Khan's Persian nephew in a wedding party. They sailed to Singapore on a fleet of 14 junks, from there they made their way to the Arabian Sea, the crossing of which took 600 lives. From there the Polos went back to Venice. On returning to Venice Marco discovered they were at war with Genoa, the Venetian fleet was overwhelmed at the Battle of Curzola and Marco was taken prisoner by the Genoans. He spent several moths dictating his travels to a fellow inmate Rustichello Da Pisa who added his own tales and general anecdotes from affairs in China at the time and compiled them. The book spread throughout Europe and became known as The Travels Of Marco Polo. It have Europeans a first glimpse into the workings of Central Asian culture. Polo was released one year later and returned to Venice, he continued his merchant practice and became quite wealthy but never left Venice again. Navigational Professions Some professions are based around navigation. These can be jobs in the army or in a private construction company. To navigate anything you need a high level of judgment and an accurate mind. Submarine pilots get readouts from machines but still make decisions about speed and direction of their craft. Truck and construction vehicle drivers require the ability to navigate effectively. To operate heavy vehicular machinery without damaging property or life needs navigational skills. Spatial awareness is needed in all things in life. Basic navigation skills are prevalent within all jobs, especially jobs involving vehicles. This is a broad topic, full depth of subject needs years to discover and understand. Brief description and introduction are sufficient for a primary understanding of topic. But for a larger idea of concept life dedication is needed. That is something that few on this earth have and those that do squander it or use it for other desires. Great learning was had in this time frame, hopefully more is to come, if in near future or in later life.

-To Days To Come