A11. Mars Grid System (MGrid)

The Mars Grid System (abbreviated MGrid) is a hierarchical cartographic and operational framework for dividing the surface of Mars into nested spatial units. It is designed to support scientific mapping, settlement planning, and strategic analysis of Martian geography, in a manner analogous to the way the Marian Calendar provides a temporal framework.

Structure

The MGrid divides Mars into six nested spatial units: Quads, Zands (ZoneBands), Provinces, Sectors, Tiles, and Clicks (with optionality for Courts & Cells). Each level subdivides cleanly into the next, maintaining a consistent nesting hierarchy. Its six nested levels of division range from continental-scale regions down to local 1 km² planning units, enabling analysis and decision-making at multiple scales. 

Summary table (sub-polar sizing)

1. Quads

Definition: The largest spatial divisions, equivalent to “continental” regions of Mars.

Count: 26 total (24 equatorial/mid-latitude, plus 2 polar).

Span (mid-lat): 30 and 42° latitude × 60° longitude (= 5 & 7 Bands × 4 Zones).

Scale: Each Quad spans thousands of kilometres.

Usage: Cartography, heritage mapping, high-level planetary analysis.

2. ZoneBands (a.k.a. Zands)

Definition: Mid-scale regions formed by the intersection of 24 longitudinal zones (15° wide) and 24 latitudinal bands (6° tall), plus polar wedges. Effectively these are equalized sub-polar operational cells.

Count: 624 (576 sub-polar + 48 polar).

Span (sub-polar): 6° lat × 15° lon 

Nesting: 1 Band × 1 Zone.

Scale: ~360 km × 900 km in sub-polar regions.

Usage: Strategic planning, comparison of broad belts and zones, mapping of resource patterns at macro scale, mid-scale ops, corridor planning, time-zone alignment.

3. Provinces

Definition: Subdivisions of Zands into smaller regional units. Each Province spans 2° latitude by 5° longitude. Mid-scale planning units inside Zands.

Count: 5,616 global (5,184 sub-polar + 432 polar).

Span (sub-polar): 2° lat × 5° lon.

Nesting: 9 Provinces per Zand (3×3).

Scale: ~120 km × 300 km (~36,000 km² at the equator).

Usage: Operational strategy, equivalent to “territories” in board games such as Risk; useful for allocating broad settlement zones or industrial corridors. 

4. Sectors

Definition: Subdivisions of Provinces, defined as 1° latitude × 1° longitude. Regional “county” cells.

Count: 53,568 global (51,840 sub-polar + 1,728 polar).

Span (sub-polar): 1° lat × 1° lon.

Nesting: 10 Sectors per Province (2×5).

Scale: ~60 km × 60 km (~3,600 km² at the equator).

Usage: Regional planning, equivalent to provinces or counties; useful for analyzing terrain, hazards, and major infrastructure placement. Transport links, depots, regional resource blocks.

5. Tiles

Definition: Subdivisions of Sectors, defined as 6′ latitude × 6′ longitude (~6 km × 6 km at the equator). Local operational blocks.

Count: ≈ 5.19 million global (5,184,000 in sub-polar regions).

Nesting: 100 Tiles per Sector (10×10).

Span (sub-polar): 6′ × 6′ (≈ 0.1° × 0.1°).

Scale: ~36 km².  Area at equator ≈ 6 km × 6 km ≈ 36 km².

Usage: Local operational units; suitable for defining settlement footprints, mining areas, or solar farm deployments. Settlement zones, EVA/industrial clusters.

6. Clicks

Definition: The smallest base unit of the MGrid, defined as 1′ latitude × 1′ longitude (~1 km² at the equator).  Site-level “atoms” of the grid.

Count: ≈ 1.94×10⁸ global. 186,624,000 in sub-polar regions.

Span (sub-polar): 1′ × 1′ (≈ 1/60° × 1/60°).  Linear size at equator ≈ 0.99 km × 0.99 km ≈ 1 km².

Nesting: 36 Clicks per Tile (6×6) = 3,600 per Sector.

Scale: ~1 km² (east-west extent shrinks with latitude, proportional to cos φ).

Usage: Fine-grained site analysis; used for base siting, EVA planning, and granular resource mapping. Base footprints, yards, solar fields, pad layouts..

Design Principles: The MGrid was constructed to balance simplicity, scalability, and utility:

Nesting: Each level subdivides cleanly into the next (e.g. 1 Province = 10 Sectors = 1,000 Tiles = 36,000 Clicks).

Order of magnitude scaling: Each level is roughly 10× finer than the one above it.

Operational usability: Levels map to natural planning horizons — Quads for heritage, Zands for strategy, Provinces for operational corridors, Sectors for regional bases, Tiles for local operations, Clicks for site detail.

Game-like clarity: Inspired by systems such as chessboards, Risk territories, and Civilization hexes, the MGrid allows intuitive chaining, spread, and adjacency analysis.

Polar regions: Divided using wedge rules to maintain approximate equivalence, adding additional units to the global totals.  Logic not shared here

Applications

Scientific mapping: Provides a standardised reference grid for terrain, geology, climate, and resource datasets.

Settlement planning: Enables planners to evaluate candidate areas at multiple scales, from strategic provinces to operational tiles.

Chaining & linkage: Supports analysis of settlement spread and corridor design (e.g. linking bases, mines, depots).

Education & simulation: Provides a game-like framework (similar to Risk or Civilization) for illustrating Martian colonisation strategies.