Hi All -
Hate to belabor this point, but we use navigational terms and
I'm not so sure about these particular ones.
> So perhaps we live with the following?
> * platform_forward_angle or platform_forward_looking_angle,
> degrees (direction the platform is pointing, obtained from a (gyro)
> compass, corrected for magnetic declination)
> * platform_track_angle, degrees (direction the platform is moving,
> obtained from global positioning, corrected for magnetic declination,
> alias for true_heading or course_over_ground).
True heading should not be confused with course_over_ground.
In maritime terms, heading refers to gyro heading; true heading is
also the gyro, corrected for magnetic declination. Course is
what you are calling platform_track_angle. Platform_track_angle
is pretty descriptive, though I'm not sure it's more descriptive than
course.
I don't think the term platform_forward_angle is very descriptive, it
might be thought to imply angle of motion, forward does have that
connotation. Would it be more clear if you included the word heading
in the term?
Is there anything wrong with using platform_heading, platform_heading_true
(or platform_heading_corrected), and platform_course?
My 2 cents!
- Nan Galbraith
--
*************************************************************
*Nan Galbraith Upper Ocean Processes Group *
*Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole, MA 02540 *
*************************************************************
Received on Wed Aug 03 2005 - 14:25:14 BST
