IOF description column: feature

The column naming what the control is on.

Also known as: Feature column, Control feature column

Maps & navigationSport & gamesStandard profile

Meanings

The IOF control description column giving the terrain feature at which the control is placed.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
Gives the terrain feature at which the control is placed.
Contexts: Maps
Officially standardisedVerified fact
Is the only column that is never empty, because a control must be at something, which makes it the anchor a competitor reads first.
Contexts: Maps

The fourth square box of a description row, holding a small figure such as a triangle for a boulder or a mound for a knoll.

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

IOF Control Descriptions
International Orienteering Federation · retrieved 2026-08-25
The IOF specification defining the pictorial control description symbols, the columns of the description sheet and the meaning of each symbol within its column. Cited for a symbol's identity and defined meaning. Records describe the notation and are not competition rules.

Last reviewed 2026-08-25

Meanings

The IOF control description column giving the terrain feature at which the control is placed.

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Gives the terrain feature at which the control is placed.

Contexts: Maps

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Is the only column that is never empty, because a control must be at something, which makes it the anchor a competitor reads first.

Contexts: Maps

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

IOF Control Descriptions
International Orienteering Federation · retrieved 2026-08-25
The IOF specification defining the pictorial control description symbols, the columns of the description sheet and the meaning of each symbol within its column. Cited for a symbol's identity and defined meaning. Records describe the notation and are not competition rules.

Last reviewed 2026-08-25