Tag Archives: Course Setting

Did you know? Free licenses for OCAD training courses!

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We regularly receive requests from orienteering clubs who are planning a course setting or mapping course for their members and need OCAD licenses.

We are happy to provide a free OCAD training license for this purpose. The license can be installed and used by the members on their own devices for the duration of the training course.

Example:
– Training license for a 2 week course setting course with 5 participants.
– Training license for a 5 week map making course with 20 participants.

Advantages:
Unlike the OCAD Trial version, the training license does not contain any restrictions and can also be used by users who have already installed an OCAD Trial version.

How do I get a license?
Send an email to info@ocad.com with the following information:
– Club name
– Which edition you want (OCAD Course Setting, OCAD Starter, OCAD Orienteering)
– Course start date
– Course end date
– Number of expected participants

We look forward to hearing from you!

Check Control Sites with OCAD Sketch App and GeoViewer

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At most orienteering trainings and competitions it is customary to survey the control locations in the field before the event and occasionally update the map near the controls.

We’ll show you in this video how to make the best use of OCAD.

Avoid extra work: Use geoservices in advance

There is lot of geodata available, that helps you to get a nice first impression of the terrain, even if it is unknown to you as a course setter.

E.g. for spint courses in urban areas, the GeoViewer function in OCAD opens Google Street View (or another GeoViewer Service) at the indicated location. This makes it possible to estimate whether a control can be set or not.

Thanks to WMS/WMTS or Online Map Services, it is possible to load survey data or aerial photographs and check whether new buildings (urban) or clear-cuts (forest) are visible.

The use of all these geo-services is of course dependent on their up-to-dateness and a terrain inspection is nevertheless required. However, a quick check with this tool can save a lot of extra work.

Check control sites with OCAD Sketch App

Now when you go to check the control locations in the terrain, the OCAD Sketch App is highly recommended.

You can download the OCAD Sketch App for free on your mobile device (Android smartphone/tablet or iPhone/iPad) and load your courses on it.

This has two big advantages:

  • The GPS position gives you additional security in the terrain whether you are at the right control site or not.
  • You can capture map corrections and notes on your mobile device for yourself or send them directly to the controler, map maker or event adviser.

Watch the video Check Control Sites with OCAD and let you explain the steps above.

Make Graphic Modifications to Orienteering Courses

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Often it is necessary to make graphic modifications to orienteering courses, e.g. because a course object covers important map information.

We have updated our OCAD Wiki page Make Graphic Modifications. The page describes in detail how to make and undo modifications and includes examples.

Cut out control circles.
Moving control numbers.
Make other modifications by exporting course maps.

Map Issue Point: Correct Placement

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Often, an orienteering competition starts with a marked route to the start point. Nowadays, you also mark the Map Issue Point. It’s the place where you get the map and it is marked with a horizontal line.

There is a symbol 702.000 for the Map Issue Point. If your course setting project contains just one start, that’s all right. However, it get’s annoying if there are more than one start and Map Issue Points, as all of them will be show in Course Preview.

Course setting project with two courses. Each course has its own start.
Course Preview of one of the courses. Both Map Issue Points are displayed, as Symbol 702.000 was used.

It’s better to include the Map Issue Point into the marked route, that leads to the start point. For that, you need to insert a Corner Vertex into the marked route.

Insert a Corner Vertex into the marked route to mark the Map Issue Point…
…as now only one Map Issue Point will be displayed in Course Preview.

Now, the Map Issue Points will only be displayed if the corresponding course is previewed/ exported.

How it works.

Canvases – A Way to Export Courses in Different Scales

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Given the following example:

For a long distance orienteering race, the following courses and classes are offered.

– Long Course, Class WE, Scale 15’000
– Medium Course, Class W18, Scale 10’000
– Medium Course, Class M60, Scale 7’500
– Short Course, Class M80, Scale 7’500

Thanks to the Canvases function, all courses and/or classes can be automatically exported as PDF from a single course setting project in the specified scale and layout. Especially for larger events, this reduces the time required and potential sources of error.

In the OCAD Wiki, the Canvases function is described in detail and an example with demofiles is available.