{ Beginnings | How to Find a Confluence | Copyrights/Permissions | How Many Confluences | Miscellaneous | Poles Problem }

Beginnings

The project was started February 1996 by Alex Jarrett because he thought it was cool. His hope was to encourage people to get outside, tromp around in places they normally would never go, and take pictures of it. It also gives one an organized sampling of the world, albeit skewed to the north and south poles. A fix to this problem is outlined below.

How to Find a Confluence (step-by-step)

1. Let Us Know: Drop a line to degree@confluence.org to let us know you're going out to a particular confluence. If two people express interest in the same location, we can then make sure they are in touch so as not to duplicate their efforts. If two people visit the same confluence, both visits will be posted, with the first visit listed first. If you're planning to visit a confluence with a latitude of 49 degrees or greater, make sure it meets the goals of the project. We can tell you this, or you can calculate it yourself. See the Poles Problem section of this page for more information.
2. Maps: The first step is finding a good map of the area. If you don't have a GPS device (global positioning system), the map must be extremely detailed, such as a 1:24,000 (sometimes 1:25,000) USGS topo map, or a map program such as Street Atlas USA, or a map from a good internet mapping site, such as www.topozone.com or www.mapblast.com. If you have a GPS, you'll still need a decent map to get you in the general vicinity, and then you can zero in on the confluence. We can help you find a detailed map and/or make up directions to the confluence. Because it takes us awhile to do this, make sure you are committed to a confluence attempt, with pictures for us to post, before asking for detailed directions.
3. Compass: A compass is recommended even if you have a GPS. Remember that true north and magnetic north are different by a matter of a few degrees. This amount changes depending on your longitude and the year. Most USGS topo maps will state the amount of the deviation for the year they were published. It is very helpful to know the length of your stride through varied terrain.
4. Accuracy: The accuracy of the confluence must be to within 100 meters. The accuracy of a standard civilian GPS is around 35 meters. In some cases, attempts within 200 meters will be accepted for posting if extraordinary circumstances prevent access to a closer point. This has happened at 33N/97W, near Lewisville, Texas, USA, where a Raytheon factory prevented closer access because of the risk of arrest. If you're using a GPS, check if it has an averaging mode, which, if you can afford to sit still for awhile, will cause the GPS to settle down to a point where it knows its position more accurately. The official datum of the project is the WGS84 datum. This is the standard for GPS devices. If you're using an older USGS map that uses a different datum, such as NAD27, you may need to convert between them. A web site with more information on this subject is http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/datum/datum.html.
5. Cameras: A camera is of course required. If you use a digital camera, the resolution must meet or exceed 600 by 400 pixels, with a 16-bit or greater color depth. Exceptions can be made for panoramic shots, or for stubborn people. Likewise, if you use a film camera, the scanned resolution must meet these requirements. Many film developers will scan the film onto disk when you get it developed for a few dollars more. We will scan already developed film, or you may send the undeveloped film to us and we will develop and scan it for you, but in either case we will keep the film for the archives.
6. Pictures of? We want five or six pictures total: 2 to 5 from the confluence spot or of the confluence spot with no people in the pictures, and, optionally, 1 to 4 with the confluence visitors, or of the journey to the confluence. You may take pictures of the four compass directions, or put together a panoramic shot, or just show the most interesting features of the area. Try to give in your pictures the same impression you got when you were there. It is optional to take a picture of the GPS reading the confluence location. Please read the Copyrights/Permissions section below.
7. Story: The narrative is up to you. The minimum would be a brief description of the area; the maximum can be a long narrative of your journey or even links to off-site web pages about the visit.
8. Information Needed: Use the submission form to submit the confluence. You'll need the latitute, longitude, nearest city or town for verification, names, e-mail addresses (if any) and web page addresses (if any) of all of the visitors to the confluence, the date of the visit, the narrative, captions for the pictures, and the pictures themselves.

Good luck, have fun, and be adventurous!

Copyrights and Permissions

Pictures and stories submitted to the project remain the property of the person who took them. The person who took the pictures and wrote the stories grants the project full rights to them (provided proper credit is given), as long as any benefit derived from the pictures goes toward the project. The managers of the project decide what will benefit the project. The project is non-profit, although not yet incorporated.

How Many Confluences Are There ?

There are 64,442 latitude and longitude degree intersections in the world (counting each pole as one intersection). Of these, 47,650 meet the goals of the project after removing many confluences near the poles. Of these, about 12,000 are actually on the land. As you may guess, we're not worried about running out of confluences.

Miscellaneous Confluence Issues

Confluences exactly on the northern and eastern borders of a state, province or country will be included in that state, province or country. Confluences on the southern and western borders will be included in the bordering state, province or country. An example of this is 49 degrees north, a large section of Canada/United States border.

Resolving the Poles Problem