The Science Of Navigation

In today’s world of online maps and travel directions delivered wirelessly to hand-held devices, getting from place to place requires little thought from most of us—which is a good thing, since accurate navigation can be tricky. Get your bearings with Mark Denny—an expert at explaining scientific concepts in non-technical language—in this all-encompassing look at the history and science of navigation. Denny’s tour kicks off with key facts about the earth and how its physical properties affect travel. He discusses cartography and early mapmakers, revealing fascinating tidbits such as how changes over time of the direction of true north, as well as of magnetic north, impacted navigation. Denny details the evolution of navigation from the days of coastal piloting to GPS and other modern-day technologies. He explains the scientific breakthroughs in accessible, amusing terms and provides an insightful look at their effects on societies, cultures, and human advancement. Throughout, Denny frames the long history of navigation with amazing tales of such people as Pytheas, an ancient Greek navigator, and Sir Francis Drake and of such discoveries as the magnetic compass and radio direction finding. Whether you have an interest in orienteering and geocaching or want to know more about the critical role navigation has played in human survival and progress since ancient people learned to use lodestones, The Science of Navigation is for you. With it you’ll finally understand the why of wayfinding.

The first biography of the remarkable Janet Taylor, a nineteenth-century navigator and mathematician who left an incredible mark on the male-dominated field of sea navigation

Explores the methods by which animals navigate throughout the world, examining such examples as the monarch butterfly's use of an internal clock and the honey bee's reliance on the sun and mental maps.

Looking at the long history of navigation at sea, Jim Bennett discusses the scientific and technological developments that have enabled the accurate measurement of position and setting of directions in the oceans.

Navigation Design and SEO for Content-Intensive Websites: A Guide for an Efficient Digital Communication presents the characteristics and principal guidelines for the analysis and design of efficient navigation and information access systems on content-intensive websites, such as magazines and other media publications. Furthermore, the book aims to present the tools of information processing, including information architecture (IA) and content categorization systems, so that such designs can ensure a good navigation experience based on the semantic relations between content items. The book also presents best practices in the design of information access systems with regard to their main structures, including search query forms and search result pages. Finally, the book describes the foundations of search engine optimization (SEO), emphasizing SEO oriented to publications focused on communication and the coverage of current affairs, including images and videos. Focuses on the newly emerging and significant sector of content characterized by its use of multimedia: text, image and video Presents comprehensive coverage of sites and their combined information architecture and SEO needs Explores an analysis of existing best practices to offer operational proposals for the development of digital news and current affairs publications Analyzes academic studies by scholars working in this field

Sailors have been navigating the seas for thousands of years, and navigational technology has progressed exponentially during that time. This concise yet comprehensive volume begins with the impressive developments in navigation made by early navigators and follows the art and science of navigation through the ages to their culmination in the huge advances made by our contemporaries. With a focus on the navigational tools invented by each age and civilization, Launer traces the evolution of humankind¿s navigational skills from the Kamal of the Arabs and the Lead-line first used by the Romans to the radio and satellite communication devices available to modern sailors. He pays homage to the Polynesians who, in the absence of a written language were able to pass down their navigational skills through generations, and to the adventurous Vikings, who managed to find their way from Scandinavia to England, Iceland, Greenland and beyond; but he also covers the practical applications of the complex technologies found on most boats today, such as GPS. Generous illustrations help readers envision the tools in use. Navigation Through the Ages will appeal to sailors and lay readers alike¿anyone with an interest in the history of science and the exploration of our world.