Control description question

[awk]

I've got a control positioned on the middle of 3 north west pointing corners of a building, all in the control circle. So, can anyone help please? What pictorial description do i use? If I have middlemost in column C, building in column D and north west corner in column G, then I understand that means the middlemost building, north west corner, which is not what i've got.

[Scott]

I think your suggestion of

building.jpg (3.88 KiB) Viewed 6638 times

is absolutely fine. You're correct that on a strict interpretation of the spec this should mean the inside corner of the middle building (rather than the middle inside corner of the building).

But the examples at the back of the IOF booklet include the following, which is to my mind is analogous to your example: according a strict reading of the spec this should mean "bend in the southern stream", but from the context "southern bend in the stream" is obviously what's intended.

stream.jpg (21.07 KiB) Viewed 6601 times

As long as it's clear from the context of the map and nobody is going to get confused by looking for the "middle building" (and we can't be sure of this without seeing the map excerpt) then I would just go with what you suggest.

[LostAgain]

Should you not avoid confusion and locate the control on a less ambigous feature?

It should not be necessary to have a degree in pictorial descriptions to understand the control placing.

[King Penguin]

It there's only one building in the circle then I think the suggestion is clear enough, esp. after seeing Scott's stream analogy.
If there are multiple buildings in the circle then I agree its a bit ambiguous, esp. if the building in question is NOT the middle building, as this could cause runners to go to the wrong building rather than the wrong corner on the correct building.

Is it inside corner or outside ? If outside I suspect all 3 will be visible on approach so no problem.
If inside how big are the corners ? If small and close together the time lost going to the wrong one will also be small and acceptable.

[andypat]

Lost Again makes a good point about the siting of a control. Whether or not a control site can be adequately and unambiguously described should be a factor in choosing the site.

[EddieH]

Quite right Andypat, but it sounds as though in this case there is no ambiguity, particularly as the IOF example PROVES that is okay.

Would anyone seriously stop and scratch their heads. Regarding a degree in pictorial descriptions the only people who could possibly lose time here are pedants with such a degree.

[LostAgain]

In Scotts example, I would have read the IOF description as Southern Stream Bend.

However, if on the map there was only one stream, then it would be stream, southern bend.

3 building corners all of hte same direction in the control circle and the use of internal/external does look like a recipe for confusing. Can AWK upload the little section of map to emphasise without compromising his event?

[Kitch]

put the control somewhere else
like in a forest

[Gross]

put the control somewhere else
like in a forest

perfect solution

[Adventure Racer]

put the control somewhere else
like in a forest

What is the correct pictorial description for "in a forest"?

[Scott]

in_a_forest.jpg (3.75 KiB) Viewed 5893 times

[andypat]

In a forest under a picnic table?

[awk]

Thanks all - for all the comments!!
There's no ambiguity over the building - there's only one in the circle. It's part of a zigzagging wall, so it doesn't matter where on the wall it goes, there will be more than one similar feature in the circle, so repositioning doesn't help a lot. I've tried to position it to minimise ambiguity. My gut feeling was to use the description Scott outlined, but realised when went back to IOF that strictly speaking it didn't interpret as i wanted.

[andypat]

In that case AWK it looks like there is no ambiguity (as Eddie says). Without Scotts example I would have been dubious but you learn something new every day!

Just make sure you centre your circle on the right one!

[Knee Deep Mud!]

My gut feeling was to use the description Scott outlined

Only problem here is that the pictorial description shown by Scott does not match awk's original description.
If I saw that pictorial description I would be looking for a control in an inside corner on the southern edge of the building, and not on a corner on the northwest. Should it be one of the following depending on whether or not it is an inside or outside corner?

Untitled.All.jpg (6.06 KiB) Viewed 5333 times

As we keep raising this as an issue, perhaps it is time for someone at the IOF to review the pictorial descriptions and add in an extra decription so that you can say "middle building, middle northwest inside corner" in an unambiguous manner?