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Anyone Know the Geographic Centre of Ontario


Tequila

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Not the economic centre but the true geographic centre? Thx.

 

That will depend on how you calculate it. You could just do an average of the Max/Min Latitude, and an average of the Max/Min Longitude, and that would give you a number, which you could call the center.

 

Alternatively you could calculate a 'center of mass' kind of thing (I can think of a number of ways of doing this... none of them particularly easy).

 

Dale

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Using Lat and Long extremes seems simple enough.

 

Not sure how to calculate the centre of mass of an irregular object. I remember a similar project at school where we determined such a point by balancing a cardboard cutout on a pin.

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I was hoping someone would just give me a lat/long.

 

Using the most simple method I could think of, I opened Google Earth, and typed in Ontario, Canada.

 

Google Earth set a center point at N45°15.862 W84°44.859 :o

 

(edit) This appears to be about 6.01 Km NNE of Hornepayne.

 

(edit again) Geocaching.com maps do the same thing when typing in strictly Ontario, Canada. It centers on Hornepayne.

Edited by Team Magic
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Using Lat and Long extremes seems simple enough.

 

Not sure how to calculate the centre of mass of an irregular object. I remember a similar project at school where we determined such a point by balancing a cardboard cutout on a pin.

 

For furthest north I get 56.89565N, Southern Border I get 41.717102. Eastbound W74.38165 Westbound W95.16043. This would put the centre at 49.306376N, 84.771055W (note I've stated these to *way* more precision than is justified. This would put the centre about 90km NW of White River near Wicksteed Lake.

 

However a 'center of mass' type aproach would probably put the 'center' much further north than this (eyeballing it, I'd say somewhere around N50.94725 W82.01609 which isn't close to anything in particular).

 

I imagine you could estimate the center using a weighted average of the nodes comprising the Ontario border. (weighted based on segment length).

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I was hoping someone would just give me a lat/long.

 

Using the most simple method I could think of, I opened Google Earth, and typed in Ontario, Canada.

 

Google Earth set a center point at N45°15.862 W84°44.859 :o

 

(edit) This appears to be about 6.01 Km NNE of Hornepayne.

 

(edit again) Geocaching.com maps do the same thing when typing in strictly Ontario, Canada. It centers on Hornepayne.

 

thank you. after doing a Ground Zero puzzle, I should have thought of that.

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I was hoping someone would just give me a lat/long.

 

Using the most simple method I could think of, I opened Google Earth, and typed in Ontario, Canada.

 

Google Earth set a center point at N45°15.862 W84°44.859 :o

 

(edit) This appears to be about 6.01 Km NNE of Hornepayne.

 

(edit again) Geocaching.com maps do the same thing when typing in strictly Ontario, Canada. It centers on Hornepayne.

 

N45°15.862 W84°44.859 is in Northern Michigan. I don't think we own it yet.

 

I think you meant N 49.

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I calculated it once for another forum topic.. will have to look it up - It is about 5h north of Sault Ste Marie (ish)

 

It is about 30km North east of Hornepayne if I remember right, in what looks to be a commercial tree farming area

Edited by Juicepig
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Found my post, here is my calculation (all be it probably less-correct then however Team Magic got it)

 

ONTARIO

======

 

Farthest North - N56 50 36.17 =56.84338055555555555555555555555556

Farthest South - N 41 40 33.34 = 41.675927777777777777777777777778

AVG=49.25965416666666666666666666666= N49 15.579

 

Farthest West W95 10 6.04 =95.16834444444444444444444444444444

Farthest East - W74 20 37.95 = 74.343875

AVG=84.75610972222222222222222222222= W84 45.367

 

GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF ONTARIO: N49 15.579 W84 45.367

 

Now what about the other provinces? Anyone got a cache there?

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Found my post, here is my calculation (all be it probably less-correct then however Team Magic got it)

 

ONTARIO

======

 

Farthest North - N56 50 36.17 =56.84338055555555555555555555555556

Farthest South - N 41 40 33.34 = 41.675927777777777777777777777778

AVG=49.25965416666666666666666666666= N49 15.579

 

Farthest West W95 10 6.04 =95.16834444444444444444444444444444

Farthest East - W74 20 37.95 = 74.343875

AVG=84.75610972222222222222222222222= W84 45.367

 

GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF ONTARIO: N49 15.579 W84 45.367

 

Now what about the other provinces? Anyone got a cache there?

 

Pretty close to my number, which I got by eyeballing limits in Mapsource. It looks like your limits are based on 'in the water' limits, rather than mine which are 'on land'.

 

There is a cache at the center of Alberta called 'Journey to the Centre of Alberta' by outforthehunt. It was the first cache I ever heard about. Didn't realize until several years later that it had actually been a cache I was reading about in the paper.

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Pretty close to my number, which I got by eyeballing limits in Mapsource. It looks like your limits are based on 'in the water' limits, rather than mine which are 'on land'.

 

Nope, my lowest land point is "middle island" - which is land, south of peelee island (the traditional answer for ontario's southermost point)

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Pretty close to my number, which I got by eyeballing limits in Mapsource. It looks like your limits are based on 'in the water' limits, rather than mine which are 'on land'.

 

Nope, my lowest land point is "middle island" - which is land, south of peelee island (the traditional answer for ontario's southermost point)

 

My southern tip of middle island is at N41.68138 (missed Middle island on my first pass..guess I wasn't zoomed in far enough). Which is about 600m north of where you placed it. (not that it makes much difference on the scale of Ontario)

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Pretty close to my number, which I got by eyeballing limits in Mapsource. It looks like your limits are based on 'in the water' limits, rather than mine which are 'on land'.

 

Nope, my lowest land point is "middle island" - which is land, south of peelee island (the traditional answer for ontario's southermost point)

 

My southern tip of middle island is at N41.68138 (missed Middle island on my first pass..guess I wasn't zoomed in far enough). Which is about 600m north of where you placed it. (not that it makes much difference on the scale of Ontario)

 

Suppose so!

 

So tequila, gonna make the drive and stick one up there? It's only 11 hours drive away!! I figure I put atleast 22 hours into your last one..

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For furthest north I get 56.89565N, Southern Border I get 41.717102. Eastbound W74.38165 Westbound W95.16043. This would put the centre at 49.306376N, 84.771055W (note I've stated these to *way* more precision than is justified. This would put the centre about 90km NW of White River near Wicksteed Lake.

 

HA HA HA -- I caught you. What are you -- in fifth grade? Ever heard of something called the curvature of the earth? Lines of latitude are closer at the poles so you cannot just take the mean of your north and south extremes.

 

I don't know how it's calculated but my EasyGPS program does. Plug in your North/West and South/East values as two waypoints and the equidistant point is N 49.7690, W 83.1485, give or take about 10 meters.

 

You're welcome.

Edited by Bryan00009
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Pretty close to my number, which I got by eyeballing limits in Mapsource. It looks like your limits are based on 'in the water' limits, rather than mine which are 'on land'.

 

Nope, my lowest land point is "middle island" - which is land, south of peelee island (the traditional answer for ontario's southermost point)

 

My southern tip of middle island is at N41.68138 (missed Middle island on my first pass..guess I wasn't zoomed in far enough). Which is about 600m north of where you placed it. (not that it makes much difference on the scale of Ontario)

 

Suppose so!

 

So tequila, gonna make the drive and stick one up there? It's only 11 hours drive away!! I figure I put atleast 22 hours into your last one..

 

Nope. But I may make you drive there and a lot further to log a find on Tequila: Ontario Rose

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For furthest north I get 56.89565N, Southern Border I get 41.717102. Eastbound W74.38165 Westbound W95.16043. This would put the centre at 49.306376N, 84.771055W (note I've stated these to *way* more precision than is justified. This would put the centre about 90km NW of White River near Wicksteed Lake.

 

HA HA HA -- I caught you. What are you -- in fifth grade? Ever heard of something called the curvature of the earth? Lines of latitude are closer at the poles so you cannot just take the mean of your north and south extremes.

 

I don't know how it's calculated but my EasyGPS program does. Plug in your North/West and South/East values as two waypoints and the equidistant point is N 49.7690, W 83.1485, give or take about 10 meters.

 

You're welcome.

 

Not a significant effect over Ontario. Distance between one degree of Latitude at the northern border of Ontario: 111km. At the southern border: 111km (check it out yourself in Mapsource). Actually the effect is opposite what you think it is anyways,between 75N and 76N the distance is 112km. The effect is caused by the fact that the earth isn't a perfect sphere, but it *is* pretty darned close to a sphere.

 

(lines of *longitude* get closer together near the poles, but that is irrelevant to the problem)

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Not a significant effect over Ontario. Distance between one degree of Latitude at the northern border of Ontario: 111km. At the southern border: 111km (check it out yourself in Mapsource). Actually the effect is opposite what you think it is anyways,between 75N and 76N the distance is 112km. The effect is caused by the fact that the earth isn't a perfect sphere, but it *is* pretty darned close to a sphere.

 

(lines of *longitude* get closer together near the poles, but that is irrelevant to the problem)

 

I think he "meant" to say lines of longitude..... This affects the centroid calculation quite a bit. Doing a "proper" centroid calculation on the ellipsoid is a complicated math problem.

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The difference between your naive, incorrect calculation and the correct center calculation is 128 kilometers. But, of course, that's not "significant."

As a point of order, please show respect to fellow community members. Posts of this nature can yield you a trip to the corner facing the wall while everyone else continues to play and have fun. The choice is yours. So far, you are making very poor choices.

 

Here is some reading for you:

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?act=boardrules

 

The topic is closed at the request of the OP. Glad you got what you needed.

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