GPS Picture

Ever wondered how good your young people were at route planning? Just exactly how straight a line can they tread? And if they need inspiration, would they be up for the challenge of drawing pictures that can be ‘seen from space’? As part of the 80th birthday celebrations we held for 1st Shipley Scout Group at the weekend, I got groups from all sections to show their creative side and try walking out a picture using nothing more than a GPS running watch (my Garmin 305), a large field and a bit of teamwork. The results were quite cool and can be seen online on. For an idea of what I am talking about without having to go online, here is a screenshot of a tent (mapped out over 0.17 of a mile.

The idea is simple but the results quite stunning. With enough people and perhaps a dot-to-dot effect, I reckon some quite complex shapes could be made, and why not extend it to hikes in general? With a creative mind, sections could devise routes over miles that write out words, recreate the constellations or make a massive fleur de lis? How about getting the West Sussex contingent of the World Scout Jamboree together and creating a ‘WA’?!!* But back to earth – the Group had a fabulous birthday party, the young people (and the once young people revisiting the HQ they have known and loved these last 8 decades) had a lot of fun and we even invested some new Beavers into the group. “WA: a Spirit of Unity” is the theme for the Jamboree. The Kanji Character “和” (WA) embraces many meanings such as unity, harmony, cooperation, friendship and peace. WA also represents Japan and its culture Chris Sturdy Explorer Scout Leader, Paladin DDC, Horsham Weald