Reducing the Risk. A lack of answers is part of what makes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) so frightening. SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants 1 month to 1 year old, and claims the lives of about 2,500 each year in the United States. It remains unpredictable despite years of research. Even so, the risk of SIDS can be greatly reduced.
Using the Latitude Longitude Coordinate System. The latitude longitude coordinate system uses angular measurements to describe a position on the surface of the earth. The system has been in use, with little change, since the astronomer Ptolemy used them in his first world atlas in A.D. 150. Mariners and aviators have been the primary users of latitude/longitude in the past. The system is used on a world wide basis and many different types of maps have lat/lon markings.
The equator is zero degrees, the North Pole is 90 degrees north, and the South Pole is 90 degrees south, and in between is in between. Parallels, otherwise known as latitude lines, are lines that run across the Earth from east to west at a constant latitude. Everywhere on a parallel must have the same latitude. Your latitude can be calculated by measuring the angle of the sun. At the middle of the day on the equinox (when day and night are the same length) the angle of the sun below an upright line (a line straight up above your head) tells you your latitude.