orienteering
Enable an AI agent to recognise an orienteering activity, assess its navigational progress and validity, and identify appropriate next actions within its rules and safety constraints.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise an orienteering activity, assess its navigational progress and validity, and identify appropriate next actions within its rules and safety constraints.
Orienteering is a timed navigation sport in which a competitor independently locates a set of flagged control points in unfamiliar terrain, choosing their own routes with a purpose-drawn topographic map and usually a compass, under rules that prescribe order (or a score objective), equipment, and fair play.
It can be Check whether a proposed activity has a coherent map-and-control navigation task.; Determine eligible next controls from the course format and accepted visit history.; Compare route options against terrain, movement restrictions and permitted assistance.; Reconcile control visit evidence with completion and scoring requirements.; Flag uncertain position, impending deadlines or overdue return for an appropriate response.; Explain a provisional result and identify evidence needed to resolve disputes..
Distinguishing features
The task requires interpreting a map to locate designated controls; following a continuously marked route alone does not satisfy it.
Progress is judged against control requirements, rather than only distance travelled or arrival at a destination.
Participants make navigation decisions within course constraints; the activity is not simply a guided walk between locations.
A recreational or untimed activity can qualify when it retains the map-and-control navigation task; racing is not the sole defining test.
Movement mode and scoring method must be recorded explicitly rather than assuming every instance is a timed foot race with controls visited in a fixed order.
Scope
+ Activity format, navigation task and applicable rules
+ Map-to-terrain correspondence and control identification
+ Control selection, route choice and navigational progress
+ Participant movement mode, navigation aids and assistance constraints
+ Visit evidence, completion assessment and activity-specific safety status
- General map production, surveying and geospatial data maintenance
- Long-term athlete training, fitness and medical care
- Equipment manufacture and maintenance
- Event business operations, staffing and accommodation
- Land ownership and environmental management beyond constraints on the activity
Characteristics
- Movement discipline
- Foot, mountain bike, ski, or another explicitly identified discipline Determines feasible routes, equipment needs and applicable movement restrictions.
- Control requirement format
- Prescribed sequence, selectable controls, or another explicitly specified format Determines which control choices constitute valid progress.
- Map scale
- Representative fraction, such as 1:n Supports interpretation of mapped distances and navigational detail.
- Course distance
- Metres or kilometres, with measurement method stated Distinguishes a nominal course measure from the distance a participant actually travels.
- Elapsed activity time
- Seconds, with start, finish and any neutralisation basis recorded Supports timing, deadlines and outcome assessment where time matters.
- Control visit status
- Unvisited, visit claimed, visit evidenced, accepted, disputed, or rejected Separates physical progress from evidence and adjudication.
- Navigation aid permission
- Aid or assistance linked to an allowed, restricted, prohibited, or unresolved rule Determines whether an agent may provide location, route or other navigation assistance.
- Position confidence
- Confident, approximate, uncertain, or lost, with observation time and basis Helps distinguish purposeful route execution from a need to relocate or seek assistance.
- Participation status
- Not started, active, finished, retired, overdue, or unaccounted for Keeps course completion separate from whether a participant has returned safely.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 31 questions.
Navigation contract The specific navigation challenge and the conditions under which participants undertake it.
An agent cannot judge progress or offer permissible help without knowing what navigation decisions belong to the participant.
Discipline and task
Identifies how participants move and what constitutes the control-finding task.
Declared orienteering format
Record the declared discipline and format alongside their operational meaning for this activity.
- Which movement discipline and navigation format does this activity use? definition
- What must participants determine from the map rather than from route markings or a guide? boundary
Aids and assistance
Establishes which tools and outside information may influence navigation.
Permitted navigation support
Record permissions for maps, compasses, positioning devices, communications and human or AI assistance.
- Which instructions govern navigation aids and outside assistance for this participant? provenance
- May an agent reveal current position, suggest a route or identify a control during the activity? action
Map, terrain and controls Connects the map representation to navigable terrain and identifiable control locations.
A navigation error, an ambiguous control and an outdated map require different responses.
Map fitness
Captures the map edition, interpretation conventions and known discrepancies relevant to this course.
Usable map reference
Record the map supplied for the activity, its scale and legend, and any corrections affecting navigation.
- Which map edition, scale, orientation information and symbol conventions are participants expected to use? provenance
- Which known map-to-terrain discrepancies affect control finding or safe passage? boundary
Control grounding
Distinguishes a control's intended location from its identifier, description and physical or virtual implementation.
Identifiable control site
Record how each required control is located and distinguished from nearby features or other controls.
- Which mapped feature, control description and identifier establish the intended control? definition
- What evidence supports that the control is present and correctly located, or indicates a discrepancy? provenance
Course and route choice Represents control obligations and the participant's navigational choices between them.
Orienteering progress depends on both satisfying course requirements and selecting feasible paths through terrain.
Control obligations
Defines required visits, ordering, optional choices and course transitions.
Eligible next controls
Record the requirements that determine which controls may or must be visited next.
- Which controls are compulsory, optional or order-dependent, and are there alternative course branches or map changes? definition
- Given the participant's accepted visit history, which next control choices satisfy the course requirements? action
Leg navigation
Captures route alternatives, execution and relocation between control locations.
Route feasibility and position
Record route options in relation to passability, prohibited areas, movement mode and confidence in current position.
- Which route options remain feasible given terrain, permitted crossings and the participant's movement mode? boundary
- What observed features support the current position estimate, and how uncertain is it? measurement
- If position is uncertain, what relocation or assistance action is permitted? action
Visit evidence and outcome Connects recorded control encounters to completion, timing, scoring and adjudication.
A recorded encounter does not by itself establish a valid visit or a valid overall result.
Visit verification
Tracks evidence of control visits and exceptions affecting its interpretation.
Control visit evidence
Record the evidence method, participant association and acceptance status of each claimed visit.
- What punch, electronic record, observation or other permitted evidence supports this control visit? provenance
- How are missing records, incorrect control identifiers or recording-device failures assessed under the applicable rules? action
Result determination
Applies the activity's completion and scoring conditions without assuming a single ranking method.
Completion and result basis
Record whether course obligations were met and how time, points, penalties or rulings affect the outcome.
- What constitutes a valid completion, and which timing or scoring rules apply? definition
- What result follows from accepted visits, elapsed time and applicable adjustments? measurement
- Who may resolve disputed evidence or change a provisional result? action
Safe participation and return Captures course-specific exposure, withdrawal procedures and participant accountability.
Leaving a course, reaching the finish and being confirmed safely returned are distinct states.
Terrain exposure
Relates navigational choices to current hazards and activity-specific limits.
Navigation safety constraints
Record hazards and instructions that constrain route choice or require stopping.
- Which terrain hazards, weather conditions or access restrictions currently constrain the course? boundary
- Under what observed conditions should this participant stop, withdraw or seek assistance? action
Return accountability
Tracks check-in obligations and escalation when a participant has not returned.
Finish, retirement and overdue status
Record return confirmation independently of competitive completion, with deadlines and escalation responsibility.
- Where and by when must participants report after finishing or retiring? definition
- What evidence confirms this participant has returned, and when was it recorded? provenance
- Who initiates the prescribed response if the participant becomes overdue or unaccounted for? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Foot orienteering (classic forest cross-country)
- Sprint orienteering (urban and park, high speed)
- Ski orienteering
- Mountain-bike orienteering
- Trail orienteering (precision formats including PreO and TempO)
- Night orienteering
- Score orienteering
- Relay orienteering
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Wikidata - Q29358 - Item for the sport of orienteering.
- IOF discipline names - Foot-O | Sprint | Ski-O | MTB-O | Trail-O - Names used in IOF rules and event listings; not a numeric code.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- International Orienteering Federation (IOF) Competition Rules for Foot Orienteering (and parallel rule books for Ski-O, MTB-O, Trail-O)
- IOF ISOM - International Specification for Orienteering Maps
- IOF ISSprOM - International Specification for Sprint Orienteering Maps
- IOF International Specification for Control Descriptions
- World Anti-Doping Code (WADA), applied by IOF at international events
- National federation rules (e.g. British Orienteering Rules of Orienteering; Orienteering USA rules)
- Land-access law that actually permits the event (e.g. Swedish allemansrätten; England and Wales Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 where it applies)
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Club and national league races from colour-coded novice courses to elite selection races
- World Orienteering Championships and World Cup (foot, sprint, ski, MTB, trail)
- Permanent park courses used for recreation and schools
- Military and emergency-service land-navigation training that borrows the map-and-control format
- Outdoor education and physical-education lessons
- Navigation legs inside adventure races and multi-sport events
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Course length (straight-line as printed) - 2.5-16 - km
- Intended winning time (elite, by format) - 12-15 sprint; 30-35 middle; 70-100 long - min
- Map scale - 1:4 000 (sprint) to 1:15 000 (long/forest) - ratio
- Contour interval - 2-5 - m
- Controls on a single course - 8-35 - count
- Course climb - 0-600 - m
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Mis-punch or missed control, which under IOF rules is disqualification
- Navigational error (parallel error, wrong path, loss of map contact) leading to large time loss or overtime retirement
- Ankle sprain, collision, and other running injuries on uneven ground
- Hypothermia, heat illness, and getting lost in remote or night terrain, occasionally requiring search
- Tick-borne disease in endemic forest districts
- Electronic punching failure or lost SI/Emit card treated as a result problem
- Land-access conflict or course that damages sensitive ground
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Finland) is the historical core: mass participation, school sport, and the Swedish/Norwegian name orientering
- German-speaking countries use Orientierungslauf (OL); French uses course d'orientation
- United Kingdom uses colour-coded technical grades (white through brown/black) under British Orienteering
- United States practice is thinner and club-centred (Orienteering USA), with less school embedding than in Nordic countries
- Australia and New Zealand run forest and bush events and are the origin of rogaining, which is organised separately
- Sprint and urban orienteering are especially prominent in dense European and East Asian cities
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Rogaining - Rogaining is a long-distance team score event (typically 6-24 h) under the International Rogaining Federation; orienteering is usually individual, control-order or short score, and timed in tens of minutes to a few hours under IOF rules.
- Cross-country running - The course is marked or known in advance; orienteering requires independent map navigation to unseen controls.
- Geocaching - Geocaching is a GPS-led recreational hunt for hidden containers; orienteering forbids using a GPS for navigation in competition and races on a map to temporary flagged controls.
- Military land navigation - Same map-and-compass skill family, but military courses use service maps, different control marking, and operational rather than IOF sporting rules.
- Amateur radio direction finding (ARDF / radio orienteering) - Controls are found by radio bearing, not by reading a pre-printed course on an orienteering map; governed by IARU practice rather than IOF Foot-O rules.
- Trail running - Runners follow trails or a marked route; orienteers choose off-trail routes between controls and are scored by punching, not by a finish line alone.
- Adventure racing - A multi-discipline expedition (often teams, hours to days) that may include a navigation leg; orienteering is the single navigation discipline with its own map specification and punching.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of orienteering this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Competition Rules for IOF Foot Orienteering Events - International Orienteering Federation - Official disciplines, course formats, winning-time bands, control procedure, disqualification for mis-punch, and anti-doping application at IOF events.
- ISOM 2017-2 International Specification for Orienteering Maps - International Orienteering Federation - Map scales, contour intervals, and the cartographic specification that defines an orienteering map as distinct from a general topographic sheet.
- ISSprOM International Specification for Sprint Orienteering Maps - International Orienteering Federation - Sprint as a distinct mapped discipline (typically 1:4 000) and urban/park cartography used in sprint orienteering.
- Orienteering - Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation - History in Scandinavia, IOF as governing body, the four IOF disciplines, and common neighbouring activities.
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend this entry to include trail orienteering and other formats centred on control identification rather than travelling to every control, and how should their task structures be represented?
- Which governing-body rules or local activity instructions should supply authoritative definitions for the disciplines and formats covered?
- What evidence and adjudication policies apply to virtual controls, device failures and disputed control placement in the intended deployments?
- How should team, relay and individual participation share this model while preserving responsibility for navigation, visits and return reporting?
- Which navigation assistance permissions and emergency exceptions apply to AI support during competition, training and recreation?