Discussion: Ruinous

If our friend would just learn/consent to drafting correctly, he might be dangerous.

A Billygoat in its future for sure, but first the map file needs to be handed over to somebody competent, to spend a few evenings rendering it closer to spec. I think that's possible, though there's no way to be sure other than to try.

I realize the capability to change OCAD symbols exists, but the standard symbol set should be to ISOM spec, shouldn't it? Yet I seem to have read a lot on AP lately about symbols being wrong size etc.. Just a matter of people screwing around with defaults to suit their whims?

I guess. The ruin on Peter's course was also on Brown X, and was smaller at 1:7500 than any 1:15000 ruin I've ever seen by a good margin.

The stony ground was a total fiasco. It's at the limits of what I can see in good lighting, so it effectively didn't exist on the map. This was a little unfortunate since at least one control (not on my course) was on stony ground. This, however was a printing error, not a drafting error -- the stony ground looked fine on the inkjet prints that the setters/vetters were using.

As a competitor, I'm frustrated that there have been so many non-ISOM maps created and used lately. The standards exist for a reason, so that maps are understandable regardless of where in the world you are orienteering, and as someone who hopes to orienteer all over the world, I really want to be practicing running on standard maps. It's one thing to suffer through an old map that's both out of date and poorly/inconsistently drafted, it's another to have this happen on a brand new map. I normally don't get worked up about this sort of stuff, but it's a disturbing trend. Other than directly contacting the mappers who I feel are deviating too far, is there any way to constructively request that our mappers use the international standards?

Changing the ocad file for printing is a different issue, and related to the overall printing issue. Others can fight that battle =)

Don't worry, Alex, from what I've been hearing, this is exactly the sort of practice you need, because mappers in other places aren't sticking to the spec, either. :-(

Anyone else notice the surplus north arrows on day 2? More amusing than upsetting.

I didn't notice those until after the race looking at the route gadget maps. They are in the same place as the arrows from day 1, but a different size somehow.

That's so you don't confuse the east-pointing OUSA logo for a north arrow....

On Routegadget the thick green slash symbol is doing Morse code, dark light dark light dark dark light...

And multiple ruined wall symbols?

The green slash there is a result of the rasterization. You can see it switching between one pixel wide, and two. The two pixel wide lines have the lighter color since it was averaged across two pixels.

The route gadget map has the bridge over the stream near the finish correctly over the blue, so you can actually see it. On the competition maps, the blue streams are on top of, and knocking out black in places, including that bridge.

Maybe it's time for new A meet maps to be vetted (by some competent party) for ISOM standards as a pre-meet requirement. And not having optimal printing seems readily avoidable. Here in Concord, NH, Kinkos/FedEx has done a fine job. Visit the printer, look at a preliminary copy or several & give it a go if satisfactory. Not so difficult. I would think similar capability is available just about everywhere. Devil's in the details and that shouldn't be.

@bl--not sure if you are kidding but in case you're serious, I think it is the Kinkos/FedEx printing which you had been doing that the experts are no longer finding acceptable. There has been a lot of discussion/criticism of the print quality at US champs and the recent Love the lakes event. Personally I found the printing at both events perfectly adequate. Not saying it couldn't be better (I'm sure the experts would say it could/should), but from my perspective, it was fine. Maybe my eyes are just so bad I can't tell the difference between a great quality print job and the quality at the above events. I am partially color blind and maybe that's contributing to my impression that the printing was acceptable???

@edwarddes, I had a look at the maps before packing them, and the slash seems printed non-uniformly too.