Dead reckoning is a navigation method that determines current position by projecting forward from a known starting point using recorded course, speed, and elapsed time, without external reference points. Parameters: (1) known position — the last verified fix or starting point; (2) course — the direction of travel (heading); (3) speed — the rate of movement through the medium (water, air, or over land); (4) elapsed time — duration of travel since the last fix; (5) drift compensation — corrections for wind, current, or terrain that push the traveler off the planned track. Persistence mechanism: navigational practice, training, and instruments (log, chronometer, odometer) sustain the method. [formal: de mortuis nihil nisi bene | substrate: behavior | horizon: hours | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
dead-reckoning
Dead reckoning is a navigation method that determines current position by projecting forward from a known starting point using recorded course, speed, and elapsed time, without external reference points. Parameters: (1) known position — th…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A navigation technique where an operator calculates current position by projecting from a known starting point, using recorded speed, direction, and elapsed time. Human-made method persisted through maritime practice, aviation procedures, military doctrine, and modern GPS dead-reckoning algorithms.
Names and aliases
- dead-reckoningen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrc6da4l00isa9g4w16qp1irINSTANCE_OF →
Direction tested: dead-reckoning IS a specific kind of navigation — a method of determining position by projecting from a known starting point. A competent speaker calls dead-reckoning 'a form of navigation.' Law 9: specific→general.
- cmrc6da4l00isa9g4w16qp1irSERVES →
Dead reckoning IS built for the sake of navigation — it estimates current position from a previously known position without external references. Its designed purpose is to support navigation. Servant→master per Law 8d.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 21, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC
- Content hash
- 850234610adae1c614e2da5c89ae35aad8f6a229f3092bedb4e8b081c6e8daa7