From: cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net   
      
   In article ,   
   bill   wrote:   
   >On 4/22/2025 10:54 AM, Dan Cross wrote:   
   >> I learned land navigation using metric units in the US Marines,   
   >> using the NATO grid system (not lat/long).   
   >   
   >It's called Universal Transverse Mercator and NATO had nothing   
   >to do with it.   
      
   Actually, I was referring to MGRS, the Military Grid Reference   
   System, which is the NATO standard.  MGRS is based on UTM, but   
   is more succinct, with some changes around the poles derived   
   from UPS (Universal Polar Stereographic).   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Grid_Reference_System   
      
   >Just a few blurbs:   
   >   
   >The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system was developed by the US   
   >Army Corps of Engineers starting in the early 1940s.   
   >   
   >Provided by AI overview.   
   >   
   >The Universal Transverse Mercator projection and grid system was adopted   
   >by the U.S. Army in 1947 for designating rectangular coordinates on   
   >large scale military maps. UTM is currently used by the United States   
   >and NATO armed forces.   
      
   This is incorrect; or at least, misleading.  MGRS is the NATO   
   standard.   
      
   >MapTools.   
   >   
   >Note the dates, long before NATO even existed.   
      
   I didn't say that NATO invented it; I said it's the NATO grid   
   system, that is, the one used by NATO.   
      
   >Developed by the US Army Map Service in the late 1940s — probably 1947 —   
   >and shortly thereafter adopted by US Army   
   >as well as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, the   
   >Universal Transverse Coordinate (UTM) projection and grid system   
   >remained a classified secret for many years.   
   >   
   >   
   >The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) geographic coordinate system   
   >   
   >By   
   >Michael A. Neiger   
   >Marquette, Michigan   
   >© Copyright 2010 - 2022   
   >   
   >It was originally developed not by NATO but by the US Army.   
   >   
   >By the way, just for the sake of curiosity the reason I am rather   
   >well versed in this is because my first job after high school and   
   >leading up to my first enlistment  in the U.S. Army was with  the   
   >above mentioned Army Map Service where I was both a Cartographic   
   >Technician and a Geodetic Aide.  When I went into the Army I was   
   >hell on the Land Navigation Course.  :-)   
      
   Land Nav kicks everybody's ass.   
      
           - Dan C.   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)