Function Repository Resource:

CompassPoint

Source Notebook

Returns a string with the closest (inter)cardinal direction

Contributed by: Sander Huisman

ResourceFunction["CompassPoint"][b]

returns a string for the bearing b from an 8-wind compass rose.

ResourceFunction["CompassPoint"][b,n]

returns a string for the bearing b from an n-wind compass rose, where n= 4, 8, 16 or 32.

Details

Bearings go from 0° being North and goes clockwise such that 90° corresponds to East, 180° to South and 270° to West.

b can be specified in the form Quantity[b,"Degrees"].

Examples

Basic Examples (1)

Create a string representation of an 51° bearing on an 8 point wind rose:

In[1]:=

Out[1]=

Scope (3)

Use a 32-point wind rose:

In[2]:=

Out[2]=

Use a degree Quantity instead:

In[3]:=

Out[3]=

Negative angles are allowed and equivalent to their positive angle by adding 360°:

In[4]:=

Out[4]=

Possible Issues (1)

Each sector has two borders, the border in the clockwise direction belong to the sector, the other border to the previous section:

In[5]:=

Out[5]=

Neat Examples (1)

Make a compass:

In[6]:=

$Graphics[{ Text[ResourceFunction["CompassPoint"][90 - #, 32], AngleVector[N[#] Degree], {0, 0}, If[#[[1]] < 0, -#, #] &[AngleVector[N[#] Degree]]] & /@ Most@Range[0, 360, 360/32], Text[ToString[#] <> "\[Degree]", 1.12 AngleVector[Pi/2 - N[#] Degree], {0, 0}, If[#[[1]] < 0, -#, #] &[AngleVector[Pi/2 - N[#] Degree]]] & /@ Most@Range[0, 360, 5], Thickness[0.01], Arrowheads[0.1], Arrow[{{0, 0}, AngleVector[{0.9, Degree #}]}] & /@ Range[0, 270, 90], Thickness[0.01 2/3], Arrowheads[0.1 2/3], Arrow[{{0, 0}, AngleVector[{0.75, Degree #}]}] & /@ Range[45, 315, 90], Thickness[0.01 1/3], Arrowheads[0.1 1/3], Arrow[{{0, 0}, AngleVector[{0.6, Degree #}]}] & /@ Range[22.5, 360, 45], Thickness[0.01 1/6], Arrowheads[0.1 1/6], Arrow[{{0, 0}, AngleVector[{0.45, Degree #}]}] & /@ Range[11.25, 360, 22.5] }, PlotRange -> 1.25, ImageSize -> 600 ]$