Author Topic: A Life-saving free app from Ordnance Survey; it’s a must have!  (Read 3727 times)

Lyle Brotherton

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 939
  • Competent and safe navigation sets you free.
    • View Profile
OS Locate is a brand new app which quickly and accurately pinpoints your current location and displays it as an OS Gird Reference – anywhere in Great Britain – the best part is that your smartphone does not need a mobile phone signal.

The most important, and frequently the most difficult information to obtain, which all search and rescue teams need is the exact location of the incident. Not just when people are lost, also, for a myriad of reasons, many people wrongly report their location or are unable to be precise.

Every Mountain Rescue Teams, RAF/Navy SAR helicopter, Lowland SAR Teams in Great Britain work with and use OS Grid References.

I would recommend everybody who ventures into the great outdoors, whether that is the lowland fens of Norfolk or the highlands of Scotland to have this free app on their smartphone. If for whatever reason you need to call for help, obtain your grid reference from this app, even if you are using a map and have taken your grid reference manually, this is a belt & braces approach.

The app does a lot more than this basic function, from allowing you to connect with other folk via text messages and social media and letting them know where you are, to an in-built digital compass, it even contains hints and tips and a guide to map reading.

iOS users can download OS Locate for free from iTunes and ordnance survey inform me that an Android version is expected to be released in May 2014

Note: Remember even if you appear to have no mobile phone signal to summon help you can still text the emergency operator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPZv_8dABfU
“Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance” - Plato

captain paranoia

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 384
    • View Profile
Re: A Life-saving free app from Ordnance Survey; it’s a must have!
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2014, 12:15:43 PM »
> the best part is that your smartphone does not need a mobile phone signal.

It will need a GNSS receiver, though...

Other similar apps are available to do the same thing: display an OSGB grid ref.  A nice, simple one that has been around for years (starting on WinMobile, IIRC) is Grid Reference.  It does what it says on the tin, with a nice, clear & simple display of grid ref.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.blerg

Which reminds me; must go and add nice toys to the Apps thread...

Pete McK

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 374
    • View Profile
Re: A Life-saving free app from Ordnance Survey; it’s a must have!
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2014, 09:43:40 AM »
I guess that GNSS receiver are available anywhere in the outdoors, whereas mobile phone signals are not. A simple App, which, as stated, could be a life-saver :)

captain paranoia

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 384
    • View Profile
Re: A Life-saving free app from Ordnance Survey; it’s a must have!
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2014, 10:33:40 AM »
Hmmm... I think I may just have found a flaw in this cunning plan.

Whilst it's good that the app doesn't need a mobile signal (and, if using a GNSS receiver built in to the phone, there's really no reason to need a phone signal, apart from to report your every move to the ghost of Steve Jobs and his counterparts at Google), a phone signal is required to report your position to the emergency services...

Of course, you might have your iPhone with you that is unable to pick up a phone signal because its receiver is 19dB less sensitive than a Sony handset, but can still run the app and give you a position fix, but someone nearby might have a decent phone, and you could use that to call for help...

Less facetiously, many apps rely on remote compute or data services, which require a 2.5G or 3G data connection, and the coverage is much poorer than for a simple voice channel.  Again, there's no need for a data connection for a phone equipped with a GNSS receiver to provide a position fix, even as OSGB, since the computation is well within the capabilities of a mobile phone.  The only data service that might be required for a GNSS-equipped phone is to provide A-GPS data to give a hot fix.  The receiver will acquire this data on its own if you give it time to do a cold start (as any GNSS receiver will).  It may be that the reports of "my phone's GPS doesn't work unless it has a data connection" may arise from lack of understanding of the need for a cold start; their phone didn't give an immediate fix, so they assumed it wasn't working.  Or it may really be poor software design of the phone, insisting on availability of A-GPS data before it will consider providing position fixes.

Lyle Brotherton

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 939
  • Competent and safe navigation sets you free.
    • View Profile
Re: A Life-saving free app from Ordnance Survey; it’s a must have!
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2014, 10:40:58 AM »
CP wrote: “a phone signal is required to report your position to the emergency services...”

Absolutely correct CP.

At the same time though I cannot stress enough that frequently when people report that they have no phone reception, this is invariably from their network provider, and should not be taken to mean that they have no cellular reception whatsoever, as 999/112 calls latch onto any network plus texts to emergencySMS text relay service  take on average 0.0625 seconds for the transmission exchange to complete (signal acquisition/tower registration/message transmission/network acceptance) and my message is:

1. Always attempt to call the Emergency Operator by dialing 112 irrespective what your mobile phone signal strength reads
2. If you are not successful after two attempts in quick succession send a text to 112 - you must be preregistered to use this service
3. Continue to repeat calling the Emergency Operator, if you are able to change you location this will improve your chances of success

« Last Edit: March 29, 2014, 10:49:57 AM by Lyle Brotherton »
“Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance” - Plato