reid@decwrl.UUCP (05/08/87)
The following sites have illegal formats or bad data in their #L fields. I have reported this several times to cbosgd!uucpmap, but it they gets fixed. Maybe by posting it somebody will actually make changes. I have software that makes geographically correct maps of USENET, but sites with bad #L fields lose out. acf1-acf6 bay beva cjn cmcl1 cmucspt columbia cosmos csd1 csd2 dcrag1 disc dycom elroy ems fntr fred fruitfly gladys grscs harvax hut idabs infko inthap liberty lsp1 mas1 molbio mot mu nttca nyca1 nyfca1 nyu-tut pbhya pbhyb pbhyc poloyb polyof quincy santra sbsvax tolerant tupu turtlevax valhall virus weitek wyse xray
henry@garp.mit.edu (Henry Mensch) (05/08/87)
Brian Reid sez: >The following sites have illegal formats or bad data in their #L fields. I >have reported this several times to cbosgd!uucpmap, but it they gets >fixed. Maybe by posting it somebody will actually make changes. I have >software that makes geographically correct maps of USENET, but sites with bad >#L fields lose out. > (list deleted for brevity's sake) Well, if you spent two or three lines describing the correct format it just might get done. Not even a "RTFM" is appropriate if this is that simple and that important. I'd describe the format myself (instead of bitching about it) but I don't know what it is. # # Henry Mensch / <henry@garp.mit.edu> / E40-358C MIT, Cambridge, MA # {ames,cca,rochester,mit-eddie}!garp!henry
heiby@mcdchg.UUCP (05/11/87)
Henry Mensch (henry@garp.UUCP) writes: > Well, if you spent two or three lines describing the correct format it > just might get done. The format is described in the "README" file distributed with each batch of map postings to (now) comp.mail.map. Here is an excerpt from the latest such posting. The information is also found in the 2.11 source distribution in the file misc/dirform. ---------- # #L latitude and longitude # # This should be in the following format: # # #L DD MM [SS] "N"|"S" / DDD MM [SS] "E"|"W" ["city"] # # Two fields, with optional third. # # First number is Latitude in degrees (NN), minutes (MM), and seconds (SS), # and a N or S to indicate North or South of the Equator. # # A Slash Separator. # # Second number is Longitude in degrees (DDD), minutes (MM), and seconds (SS), # and a E or W to indicate East or West of the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, # England. # # Seconds are optional, but it is worth noting that the more accurate you # are, the more accurate maps we can make of the network (including # blow-ups of various high density areas, like New Jersey, or the San # Francisco Bay Area). # # If you give the coordinates for your city (i.e. without fudging for # where you are relative to that), add the word `city' at the end of the # end of the specification, to indicate that. If you know where you are # relative to a given coordinate for which you have longitude and # latitude data, then the following fudge factors can be useful: # # 1 degree = 69.2 miles = 111 kilometers # 1 minute = 1.15 miles = 1.86 kilometers # 1 second = 102 feet = 30.9 meters # # For LONGITUDE, multiply the above numbers by the cosine of your # latitude. For instance, at latitude 35 degrees, a degree of # longitude is 69.2*0.819 = 56.7 miles; at latitude 40 degrees, # it is 69.2*0.766 = 53.0 miles. If you don't see why the measure # of longitude depends on your latitude, just think of a globe, with # all those N-S meridians of longitude converging on the poles. # You don't do this cosine multiplication for LATITUDE. # # Here is a short cosine table in case you don't have a trig calculator # handy. (But you can always write a short program in C. The cosine # function in bc(1) doesn't seem to work as documented.) # deg cos deg cos deg cos deg cos deg cos deg cos # 0 1.000 5 0.996 10 0.985 15 0.966 20 0.940 25 0.906 # 30 0.866 35 0.819 40 0.766 45 0.707 50 0.643 55 0.574 # 60 0.500 65 0.423 70 0.342 75 0.259 80 0.174 85 0.087 # # The Prime Meridian is through Greenwich, England, and longitudes run # from 180 degrees West of Greenwich to 180 East. Latitudes run from # 90 degrees North of the Equator to 90 degrees South. -- Ron Heiby, heiby@mcdchg.UUCP Moderator: comp.newprod & comp.unix Motorola Microcomputer Division (MCD), Schaumburg, IL "Small though it is, the human brain can be quite effective when used properly"
tim@dciem.UUCP (Tim Pointing) (05/12/87)
In article <1075@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> henry@garp.UUCP (Henry Mensch) writes: >Well, if you spent two or three lines describing the correct format it >just might get done. Not even a "RTFM" is appropriate if this is that >simple and that important. I'd describe the format myself (instead of >bitching about it) but I don't know what it is. > I quote from the README that came with the latest version of the UUCP maps (com.mail.maps): # #L latitude and longitude # # This should be in the following format: # # #L DD MM [SS] "N"|"S" / DDD MM [SS] "E"|"W" ["city"] # # Two fields, with optional third. # # First number is Latitude in degrees (NN), minutes (MM), and seconds (SS), # and a N or S to indicate North or South of the Equator. # # A Slash Separator. # # Second number is Longitude in degrees (DDD), minutes (MM), and seconds (SS), # and a E or W to indicate East or West of the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, # England. # # Seconds are optional, but it is worth noting that the more accurate you # are, the more accurate maps we can make of the network (including # blow-ups of various high density areas, like New Jersey, or the San # Francisco Bay Area). # # If you give the coordinates for your city (i.e. without fudging for # where you are relative to that), add the word `city' at the end of the # end of the specification, to indicate that. If you know where you are # relative to a given coordinate for which you have longitude and # latitude data, then the following fudge factors can be useful: # # 1 degree = 69.2 miles = 111 kilometers # 1 minute = 1.15 miles = 1.86 kilometers # 1 second = 102 feet = 30.9 meters # # For LONGITUDE, multiply the above numbers by the cosine of your # latitude. For instance, at latitude 35 degrees, a degree of # longitude is 69.2*0.819 = 56.7 miles; at latitude 40 degrees, # it is 69.2*0.766 = 53.0 miles. If you don't see why the measure # of longitude depends on your latitude, just think of a globe, with # all those N-S meridians of longitude converging on the poles. # You don't do this cosine multiplication for LATITUDE. -- Tim Pointing, DCIEM {decvax|ihnp4|watmath}!utzoo!dciem!tim or uw-beaver!utcsri!dciem!tim or seismo!mnetor!lsuc!dciem!tim
merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) (05/15/87)
Something that I found useful in the past. To try to find your exact lattitude or longitude, call the local airport. They have their exact location (it gets published in pilot's navigational guides). That, plus the fudge factors listed in the instructions and a local map, should enable you figure your exact location. I computed mine based on the figures quoted for National Airport in Washington DC. -- David S. Hayes, The Merlin of Avalon PhoneNet: (202) 694-6900 UUCP: *!seismo!sundc!hqda-ai!merlin ARPA: merlin%hqda-ai.uucp@brl.arpa
reid@decwrl.UUCP (05/16/87)
In article <366@hqda-ai.UUCP> merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes: >From: merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) >Subject: Re: sites with bad #L fields in map entry >Organization: Army AI Center, Pentagon > Something that I found useful in the past. To try to find >your exact lattitude or longitude, call the local airport. ... >... I computed mine based on the figures quoted for >National Airport in Washington DC. Wow! Imagine! the Pentagon calling the airport to find out where they are. I love it! Actually, David's idea is a good one. You can also call city planning bureaus and zoning agencies, TV stations (engineering staff), etc. Lots of local governmental agencies know right where they are and will be happy to tell you.
scotty@l5comp.UUCP (05/19/87)
In article <366@hqda-ai.UUCP> merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes: > > Something that I found useful in the past. To try to find >your exact lattitude or longitude, call the local airport. They >have their exact location (it gets published in pilot's >navigational guides). That, plus the fudge factors listed in the >instructions and a local map, should enable you figure your exact Actually it's not all that hard to visit either of two locations: 1. Local county seat and pull the county's plots for your location. In most states I've ever heard of any land transactions have to have a plot filed and these plots reference latitude and longitude. This is what I did and I feel comfortable in saying 'send tac nuke there' and not having to worry about a slow death :-). 2. Visit nearest federal repository library for the U.S. Geological survey map on your site. Neither method is all that rough and sure beats fudging it and having those that print maps wonder what you're doing with your site in the middle of a lake? :) But seriously, I get the feeling from looking at the listings that most sites don't take #L seriously. If the U.S. is ever pverthrown or computers outlawed we wouldn't want people looking for us in the wrong place now would we??? Some poor innocent 'Apple //e a-float' might suffer a horrible demise because you listed your site incorrectly. :-) Scott Turner -- L5 Computing, the home of Merlin, Arthur, Excalibur and the CRAM. GEnie: JST | UUCP: stride!l5comp!scotty | 12311 Maplewood Ave; Edmonds WA 98020 If Motorola had wanted us to use BPTR's they'd have built in shifts on A regs [ BCPL? Just say *NO*! ] (I don't smoke, send flames to /dev/null)
jc@piaget.UUCP (05/19/87)
In article <9904@decwrl.DEC.COM> reid@decwrl.UUCP (Brian Reid) writes: >In article <366@hqda-ai.UUCP> merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes: > >>From: merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) >>Subject: Re: sites with bad #L fields in map entry >>Organization: Army AI Center, Pentagon >> Something that I found useful in the past. To try to find >>your exact lattitude or longitude, call the local airport. ... >> .... >Wow! Imagine! the Pentagon calling the airport to find out where they are. >I love it! > >Actually, David's idea is a good one. You can also call city planning >bureaus and zoning agencies, TV stations (engineering staff), etc. Lots >of local governmental agencies know right where they are and will be happy to >tell you. Lastly, you can always go to a local flight school or fixed base operation (a place that parks and fuels small aircraft) and buy a Sectional Chart for your area. It costs $2.50 and has latitude and longitude marked on the edges. Major freeways are generally indicated on the charts so you should be able to pin it down pretty closely. If you want to save the $2.50 look in the trash can for an expired one. Chances are that the latitude and longitude haven't changed (except in California of course). The Pentagon gets a win here, however, since they're virtually across the street from National Airport. Their latitude/longitude couldn't be off by more than a couple of minutes which is quite sufficient for the USNET map. -- John Cornelius (...!sdcsvax!piaget!jc)
merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (05/20/87)
In article <408@piaget.UUCP>, jc@piaget.UUCP (John Cornelius) writes: > The Pentagon gets a win here, however, since they're virtually > across the street from National Airport. Their latitude/longitude > couldn't be off by more than a couple of minutes which is quite > sufficient for the USNET map. I even compensated for that, via a ruler, map, and an HP-41CV calculator. Maybe degrees-minutes-seconds is more than is necessary for Usenet in general, but in the crowded area around Washington, who knows? It only took a few minutes to do, anyhow. -- David S. Hayes, The Merlin of Avalon PhoneNet: (202) 694-6900 UUCP: *!seismo!sundc!hqda-ai!merlin ARPA: merlin%hqda-ai@seismo.css.gov