[quote=@Ascendant]
I have to say this whole 3d map thing is an enormous pain in the ass, particularly when trying to figure out who you're closest to without going through the entire list of coordinates.
[/quote]

Then just don't deal with it. The way timing works IC means that you can basically just shoot interest at other factions/posters and expect to trade initial contact pings by the next post and meet up by the second, even with the speed limit.