Locating system comprising a hand-held locating device, and locating method

A locating system having at least two selectable modes of operation including a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation, the locating system comprising:

• a hand-held locating apparatus configured to capture locating data in relation to objects concealed under an examination surface;
• a position sensor configured to capture position data of the locating apparatus in relation to the examination surface;
• a display;
• and
• an evaluation apparatus configured to:
• determine locating information items based on the locating data, the determined locating information items being:
• while in the first mode of operation, at least one of direction-resolved and spatially-resolved with respect to the locating apparatus and determined based on the locating data without repositioning the locating apparatus in relation to the examination surface;
• and
• while in the second mode of operation, at least three-dimensional, position-resolved with respect to the examination surface, and determined based on the locating data and the position data by assigning the locating data to the position data;
• determine a two-dimensional map information item based on the locating information items;
• and
• operate the display to depict the two-dimensional map information items, at least one of (i) a scaling of the two-dimensional map information item and (ii) a displayed portion of the two-dimensional map information item being varied depending on whether the locating system is operating in the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation.