Positioning system and method

A method of taking a bearing of a visually observed target point relative to a vehicle heading, the method comprising:

• Using a positioning system with:
• a reference unit comprising a first gyroscope being positioned on a vehicle and fixedly aligned to said vehicle, and
• a portable optical device, in communication with the reference unit, comprising sensing means a second gyroscope to measure bearings to observed target points relative to the vehicle heading to determine a position of the vehicle,
• wherein the first and second gyroscopes are synchronized to each other to avoid drift issues when the optical device is connected to the reference unit,
• lining up the target point with the portable optical device;
• taking the bearing through a human-machine interface;
• automatically processing and displaying the bearing on an electronic navigation chart;
• and
• determining the position of the vehicle, preferably by using a ‘cocked-hat’ method.