Orienteering Map Skills Test – Dennis Toms

Rating: ***

Do you like Orienteering? Do you want to improve your map skills in order to get better and faster? Well, the “Orienteering Map Skills Test” designed by Dennis Toms can help you a lot! You can test your knowledge about map symbols or if you are new you can just look up the solution in order to learn all the different symbols.

Based on the International Specification for Orienteering Maps Dennis Toms designed this test where you have to match answers with symbols. All in all there are four pages with 11 to 12 symbols each. On the first page you have to match the running speed with the terrain, whether it is undergrowth, forest, or rough open land with scattered trees. On the second page as well as on the third page, you have to say whether the symbols shown are crossable or not. You have to match colors and symbols on the last page. If you are stuck there is always the possibility to look it up. You just have to click the “Lookup-button” and then the symbol you want to know more about. A new small window will open with the exact definition. When you matched all your answers you can check your answers.

Even though it seems to be a very old and simple game/test, I think it is a good way to improve your map skills. Being able to know in which terrain you can run fast and in which you cannot, this can make a big difference in orienteering. Also knowing which symbols are crossable in reality is a great advantage! I like this game because of the precise descriptions of each symbol and because of the fact that you can learn a lot about maps in a new and different way. I think it will help a lot when going orienteering next time.

I recommend this test to anyone who wants to challenge his map-symbol-knowledge and to everyone who is interested in orienteering or navigation.

Source:

Fortnet.org. Dennis Toms. "Orienteering Map Skills Test".  Web. <http://www.fortnet.org/icd/mst/index.html> 25 May 2012.