Coordinates on pole labels (from wiki)

In some areas, utility pole name plates may provide valuable coordinate information: a poor man’s GPS.

A practice in some areas is to place poles on coordinates upon a grid. The pole at right is located in a rural area of the state of Maryland in the United States. The lower two tags are the “X” and “Y” coordinates along said grid. Just as in a coordinate plane used in geometry, X increases as one travels east and Y increases as one travels north. The upper two tags are specific to the subtransmission section of the pole; the first refers to the route number, the second to the specific pole along the route.

In other especially rural areas, even their simple sequential numbering still excels the local house numbering system in providing a means of communicating location information: “Turn left at Williams Main Line #43. My house is at pole #43-Left-7.”

Of course, not all power lines follow the road. In the British region of East Anglia, EDF Energy Networks often add the Ordnance Survey Grid Reference coordinates of the pole or substation to the name sign.