Request for suggestions - how to get accurate location

Folks - I need to get more accurate co-ordinates for my location.

Any suggestions?

I was thinking of GPS but I don't really want to buy a receiver that'll be used only once...

Cheers

Dave

www.maporama.com/share will tell you.

Or get your coordinates from the OSI maps and use www.cademuir.net/geocaching.php or just mail me your OSI coords, that page has a couple of bugs with accepting input.

Try Google earth. I can pinpoint my house and it gives the cordinates.

Damon

Dave,

I have a Garmin handheld GPS I rarely use. You're welcome to borrow it if you can arrange pickup in Dublin city centre.

Seán

Good grief, you mean you *can't* deduce your exact position by celestial observation alone??? What kind of an astronomer are you! (Don't worry, neither can I!)

I have a GPS too but am out in Bray, so Sean is probably nearer for you. GPS will give you very accurate *relative* measurments (better than a couple of metres) but its *absolute* accuracy has been reduced by our American friends to no better than 15m. For instance, when I look at my track log when I am driving up and down the dual carriage way I can see that both tracks accurately map the lanes I was driving in (I can even see where I change lanes to overtake a car). However, when I compare these coordinates with an OS map, they often place the road a noticable distance away!

During the Gulf War II I landed my hang glider in a field beside a road after flying across country and phoned the coordinates to my retrieve crew. They had a lot of difficulty finding me because the coordinates my GPS gave me were more than a kilometre from where I actually was! The GPS accuracy only returned to normal some months later. Galilleo (Europe's own GPS system) will deliver better than 2m accuracy when it comes on line much to the consternation of the US military... they are not happy bunnys and are hopping mad over it! Excellent!!!!

Phil.

Thanks for the suggestions folks.

Maporama has little detail on Celbridge - being out in the sticks an' all...

I tried Google Earth but it still hasn't got the detail I need to pinpoint the house yet.

I guess the GPS is the way to go. Sean - that's a very kind offer and I'll touch base with you to try and sort out a pick-up.

Phil - looking forward to Galilleo so that I don't have to get out my astrolabe

Cheers

Dave