Date   : Mon, 18 Mar 1985 11:14:00-EST
From   : ABN.ISCAMS@USC-ISID.ARPA
Subject: Compass Course Software

NetLandians,

(Probably for a small, elite segment, this offering!)

One of my military friends had to lay in a new compass course for military
training.  It involved a bunch of different stakes scattered over the
countryside (within swamps, on vertical cliffs, typical spots).

His outfit wanted to insure (1) All students running the course would go
approximately the same distance, (2) would be scattered as much as
possible (so as not to cheat by following each other), and (3) would be
provided azimuth and distance between points, (4) all starting from the
same point and (hopefully some day) returning to the same point.

I did a fast hack in Microsoft BASIC on a CP/M machine and got a nice little
program.  You enter the grid coordinates of all the points (plus the start/
end point) in a sequential text file.  The system takes it from there,
crudely using trial-and-error to reduce "collisions" at points, maximizing
dispersion, etc.  Produces listing of "legs" each student (up to 50 students)
must follow, including azimuth (in degrees) and distance (in meters) to
a couple of decimal points (just for laughs).

Works slow but effectively.  So... if any of you people have to go through the
map and protractor routine for this business .. yell and we'll figure how
to get it to you.

Regards,
David Kirschbaum
Toad Hall
(ABN.ISCAMS@USC-ISID)