In 2005, during my USAR team's response to Hurricane Katrina, we were repeatedly tasked - along with thousands of other responders - to blanket the submerged city to help those in need.
Historically, most folks had always relied on street signs, good maps, and recognizable travel aids. However, all of those were underwater or not helpful during this response.
To make this problem even worse, a responder on another team suffered a serious head injury and his teammates radio-ed for help. The geo-location where the team said they were (a highway overpass) was misinterpreted by the helicopter crew who ended up looking for them in the middle of Lake Pontchartrain instead.
The discombobulated use of multiple navigational languages was a huge problem.
Since then, the requirement to use a simple and universal geo-referencing system became a thing.
Enter the United States National Grid, or USNG.
Even though it's been the national standard for ground-based responders for years now, there is still - not surprisingly - a lot of folks that find the available material to learn USNG a bit daunting.
Enter my new online course: United States National Grid (USNG) Mapping
Simple, quick, and for a limited time, free (discount given in the checkout, after adding to your cart).
Enroll your group or yourself and build or refresh your USNG fundamentals today.