Orienteering, as a sport, has permanently changed. The two drivers of this change are the widespread availability of GPS receivers in smart phones and smart watches, and social norms regarding personal interaction and contact. Several Orienteering clubs are attempting to maintain schedules with “no-touch” events, but these events have no mechanism to safely make money. One very important issue that must be addressed is that controls (or waypoints) need to change to reflect the way people interact with their environment. People don’t use compasses and maps anymore, they use smartphones. Newer and younger users are not able to interact with this recreational opportunity because they don’t own the older equipment; many don’t own a traditional compass, although they do own a smartphone. A search of orienteering apps on Google Play shows approximately 20 apps that are available for download. None of these apps include a revenue model that benefits clubs or organizations. Some apps are free and some cost as much as $4.99.
Orienteering originated in Sweden in the latter part of the 19th century. From its origins in Sweden its implementation has been largely unchanged in 150 years. Orienteering continues and is a popular recreation activity for several reasons. It is :
• A lovely stroll, with children and pets,
• A fitness hike,
• A way to learn how to read a map and use a compass
• Or a competitive race.
There are just three items allowed in most Orienteering meets:.
• The skill and athletic ability of the participant(s),
• A map,
• A compass
Specifically GPS is generally not allowed, although many participants use GPS enabled devices to help track performance.