jri

...or you could just get one of the various geocaching apps...

The Geocaching Maps website can do this, with the aid of the Geocaching Map Enhancements userscript. The script will also let you use other types of maps than OSM. To get moving maps, you obviously need a GPS-enabled device with browser software that knows how to access the GPS (i.e. probably not a laptop with a normal desktop browser). I've tested it on Firefox Mobile and Opera Mobile under Android, on an Asus TF101 tablet, but it might work on other browsers if they have support for userscripts. Full installation instructions are here: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/109145 Once you have installed GME, click on the cog icon to configure it, go to "Other settings", tick the box by "FollowMe location mode", then hit "OK". The map should now start following the GPS when you click the crosshair location widget. You can stop following by clicking the widget again. I should point out that doing this when you are driving is probably a really bad idea. Keep your eyes on the road and get your co-pilot to map read for you!!!

GME Version 0.5.4 is here! So what does it do now? Better support for tablets and other GPS-enabled devices: I've improved the "Find My Location" widget so that it will try for up to a minute to get a fix - long enough for the GPS to lock on in most tablets. Without GME it times-out after only 10s, often too quick to get a GPS fix from a cold start. Another problem with using GPS location was that the map used to automatically zoom in to match the location accuracy. If you had a very precise fix, you ended up with a map only a few metres wide, and couldn't see anything helpful. GME stops this happening. "FollowMe" mode can also be set using the cog icon. In this mode, when you click the location widget, the map automatically pans around when you move. Click on the widget again to stop following. GME works on tablets that either run Firefox Mobile or Opera Mobile (but not Opera Mini). New info tool: If you click on the "i" widget, you can then click anywhere on the map to see information about that location. At the moment you can see Geograph pictures (works in the British Isles and some of Germany), look it up on Wikimapia.org, get directions from your home coordinates (if you're logged in), or see the place on Google Streetview. NB Streetview doesn't work everywhere - generally it needs to be a location near a Street! If Google haven't got Streetview pictures for that point, you'll probably see a map of North America. Bugfixes: Fixed some bugs where the map could be zoomed in or out too far, and also some problems with adding custom maps or overlays and then setting them as the default view. I've also got some suggestions for new custom map layers you might want to try out. To use them, click on the cog icon to configure GME, choose "Add more maps", paste one of the codes below into the "Mapsource" box, then hit "Add mapsource". OSM Transport - like the standard OpenStreetMaps mapsource, but also shows public transport options like bus stops, railway stations, etc. {"alt":"OSM Transport", "tileUrl":"http://{s}.tile2.opencyclemap.org/transport/{z}/{x}/{y}.png","maxZoom":18,"attribution":"Maps from <a href=\"http://www.openstreetmap.org/\">OpenStreetMap</a> and contributors <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\">CC-BY-SA</a>"} Wikimapia.org - a free, community-built map. It doesn't look so great in my area, but in some places where there is strong community input (e.g. India), it is much more accurate than the mainstream mapsources. {"alt":"Wikimapia", "tileUrl":"http://i{s4}.wikimapia.org/?x={x}&y={y}&zoom={z}","maxZoom":21,"attribution":"Maps from <a href=\"http://wikimapia.org/\">Wikimapia.org</a> and contributors <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/\">CC-BY-NC-SA</a>"} New Popular Edition - out-of-copyright Ordnance Survey maps from around the 1950s. {"alt":"OS NPE (GB only)","tileUrl":"http://ooc.openstreetmap.org/npe/{z}/{x}/{y}.png", "minZoom":6, "maxZoom": 15, "attribution": "Ordnance Survey NPE maps from <a href=\"http://www.openstreetmap.org/\">OpenStreetMap</a> and contributors <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/\">CC-BY-NC</a>" } For full installation instructions, and to get the latest version, go to http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/109145

Actually, Wikimapia doesn't come from Google. It's from Wikimapia.org. It just so happens that on their website, Wikimapia uses the Google Maps API to display their information over Google basemaps (hence the Google logo). Wikimapia's own maps are free for non-commercial use and can be accessed without going anywhere near Google, if you use the Leaflet Maps API (or OSM, etc.) As a commercial website, Groundspeak would need a special agreement with Wikimapia to use the maps, but if you want to try them out, you can use my Geocaching Map Enhancements userscript. (If you've previously installed GME, you may need to update to v0.5.4). Installation instructions for Firefox, Chrome and Opera are at the link above (IE is not supported). To get Wikimapia working, click on the cog icon to configure the script, select "Add more maps", paste the code below into the mapsource box, then hit "Add mapsource". {"alt":"Wikimapia", "tileUrl":"http://i{s4}.wikimapia.org/?x={x}&y={y}&zoom={z}","maxZoom":21,"attribution":"Maps from <a href=\"http://wikimapia.org/\">Wikimapia.org</a> and contributors <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/\">CC-BY-NC-SA</a>"} Personally, I won't be using Wikimapia that often, because the coverage in my area is rubbish. That said, different maps are good in different areas, and as the OP pointed out, in some places, Wikimapia's community-built maps are the best thing going.

The result from console: I'm still not sure I really understand the problem you are seeing - all those errors are "normal" and have nothing to do with GME However, I have discovered a bug in GME that might have caused the script to fail if you added custom overlays and maps, then set one of the custom maps as the default. I've fixed this in v0.5.4 of the script. There is also a totally unrelated problem that was stopping some people see the popup cache information. See this forum thread. If neither of these solve your problem, you'll have to give me a more detailed description of what you are expecting to happen, that isn't.

If you are using Firefox, Chrome or Opera as your browser, then you can install my Geocaching Map Enhancements script to get access to this map source. Installation instructions are here and there's a forum thread talking about it in more detail here. OSM Transport maps aren't included in the script, but once GME is installed, you can add them by clicking on it's cog icon, choosing "Add more maps", pasting in the code string below, and hitting "Add mapsource". {"alt":"OSM Transport", "tileUrl":"http://{s}.tile2.opencyclemap.org/transport/{z}/{x}/{y}.png","maxZoom":18,"attribution":"Maps from <a href=\"http://www.openstreetmap.org/\">OpenStreetMap</a> and contributors <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\">CC-BY-SA</a>"} Hope that helps!

Hmm... it's still working fine for me. I've got a later version of Chrome, but that shouldn't make too much difference. If you're still having the problem, since I can't see it, could you give me a few more details: Which menu buttons do you mean? The ones added by GME, or part of the original web page? What did they used to do? Are you using any other scripts that might be interfering? If you disable them, does it make a difference? Do any errors show in the console? (to see this, press Ctrl-Shift-J in Chrome, then click on "Console").

Tested with Opera and all I get on the map screen is a blank page, so it doesn't I have other machines running Opera at home and I'll see if it's just this one or a general Opera issue. I've finally got round to installing a copy of Opera on my laptop (v11.61 on WinXP), and was pleased to find v0.5.3 of the script worked for me without any tweaks (I've no idea why the previous version didn't ). To install GME in Opera, you have to go into Opera's settings to set a User JavaScript folder, then save a copy of the script in that folder (right click on the Install button at http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/109145 then save, rather than trying to install directly). Even more surprising, it seems to work on Opera Mobile too, on my Android tablet. I've added the Opera installation instructions to the userscripts.org page. See here for more details of Opera's support for Greasemonkey scripts.

Another update to Geocaching Map Enhancements Since Groundspeak have added a scale bar onto the Geocaching Map, I've removed the scale bar in the script. But there's also a more interesting feature been added: custom maps and overlays. What this means is that as well as using the standard maps, and the extra ones that the script enables, you can add in extra sources to your heart's content. Click on the cog icon to configure, select "Add more maps", paste in a string of code, and hit "Add mapsource". It's as easy as that. By default the new mapsources are used as basemaps that get added to the normal pick-list; although you can have lots in the list, you can only use one at a time. e.g. use the code below to add in 1950s New Popular Edition Ordnance Survey maps (only works in Great Britain): {"alt":"OS NPE","tileUrl":"http://ooc.openstreetmap.org/npe/{z}/{x}/{y}.png", "minZoom":6, "maxZoom": 15, "attribution": "OpenStreetMap NPE" } But if you have a mapsource with transparent tiles, you can also add it as an overlay. Although it might slow things down, you can switch on several overlays at the same time, displaying different info. Here's an example that shows Northern Ireland's national nature reserves, overlaid over your normal map (only works in NI - try here!): {"alt":"National Nature Reserves (NI)","tileUrl":"http://webservices.spatialni.gov.uk/arcgis/services/NIEA/NationalNatureReserves/MapServer/InspireViewService/ENG", "layers":"NationalNatureReserves", "format":"image/png", "transparent":true, "attribution":"data.gov.uk", "overlay":true} So what other sources can you use? ...erm, well that's the tricky bit. There are instructions and a couple of examples in the script itself, but it would be great if there are some GIS ninjas out there that can suggest codes for interesting data sources. I can imagine it being useful for people in other countries that want to use local maps, or for accessing things like some of the MAGIC environmental datasets, to help find interesting features or avoid sensitive areas. Some sites that give pointers include the Neongeo wiki for basemaps or data.gov.uk and the Environment Agency for potential overlays. For the techies, the code string uses JSON encoding, with the same parameters as Leaflet map layers. It supports Bing-style quadkey URLs, Google and TMS (inverted-y) x/y/z URLs, and WMS servers. Use {q} in the tileUrl template for quadkeys, and set the overlay parameter to true for overlays. Enjoy!

This now seems to be working for me, using the Android browser and Firefox on an Asus TF101. Thanks to Groundspeak for getting the fix out. However... it does seem to be rather slow. The map and cache icons load up fine, but it can be a while (minutes) before tapping on an icon works for popping up the details. I think that the problem is due to the number of caches in view. My default view of the map shows approx 70 caches (I live in a city with lots of active cachers). Even when I pan and zoom to a view where there are only a couple of caches, it still takes ages to get the details - probably because the site is still loading the backlog from the original 70. My workaround is to get to the view I want, then use the URL from the "link to this map" box to reload the map with that initial view. The details then load relatively quickly (although still somewhat slower than on the full sized laptop).

You can't do this from your profile at the moment, but you might be able to install a Greasemonkey script that helps. The Geocaching Maps Enhancements script lets you choose which maps you want to see in the list, add new types of maps, and set the default. It has installation instructions for Firefox, Chrome and Opera, but unfortunately won't work with Internet Explorer.

You don't need a phone signal for GPS to work, however this is a slight confusion in here, in that your phone will use a phone signal to get a first approximation of it's location, and it will use a phone signal to download the current satellite locations, knowing your rough location and current status of the satellites helps massively speed up the time it takes to get a 'first fix' on your position. You can get it without these, it'll just take a little longer. There is also the consideration that the iPhone app requires a phone connection to download cache descriptions, maps, etc, but you don't need the signal to be maintained all the way to the cache site. In my experience with caching with an iPhone 4 it's perfectly fine for the purpose of both finding and setting; however a new dedicated unit will likely always beat a new smartphone, I personally don't think it's necessary to have both; others will disagree. There is another factor that means that not all smartphones are equal for caching: your network provider. Data coverage varies between cellular networks, so when you're out in the sticks, you may get a signal when your mate on a different phone network can't. Personally I've never used a conventional GPS. I used to use a standalone bluetooth GPSr with a PDA, but now I find my Android phone much more convenient, with no obvious difference in accuracy. You just need to find some software to help you out when you're off the network.

This happens with old versions of my script, before I figured out how Chrome treats version numbers (it treats anything it doesn't like the formatting of as v1.0). That's right. In Chrome, click on the spanner icon then choose Tools then Extensions from the menus. Geocaching Map Extensions should show up in the list, with a remove button next to it. After you've removed the old script, you should be able to install the new one straight away.

Sorry to keep clogging up the forums with updates, but there's another new version of the GME script. Thanks to popular demand, in v0.5.2 I've added in a ruler-style scale, and figured out how to make it configurable to work in imperial measures (isn't that actually a downgrade? ) The default map is also now configurable. I did throw in terrain maps, but there's no option for hybrid maps - these are actually an overlay, rather than a map type in themselves, so would take rather more thought to implement. That said, if I figure out how to do it, it would bring the possibility of being able to display other overlay information, like traffic or weather data. I've also updated the Firefox Mobile version to work with the beta release for Firefox mobile 11. The Firefox add-on seems to run fine both on my Asus Eee Transformer (Android 3.2, see screenshot below), and my HTC Desire (Android 2.2). That said, using it on the phone involves a lot of scrolling and rotating the screen to get the Geocaching Maps website to fit - bigger screens are definitely recommended! Unfortunately, last night's Groundspeak update didn't bring the promised fix to the bug that stops cache details popping up on mobile platforms. When that gets sorted, the mobile add-on will be even more useful, but for now it gives you the workaround of being able to pop up the text-based listing of caches for the area you are looking at on the map. Next on my to-do list is to see if I can make the script work on Opera. That won't happen for a few weeks yet, as I'm off on holiday. That and my wife says I should spend less time in front of the computer...

I used to have this issue too. It's one of the things that my Geocaching Map Enhancements Greasemonkey script works around. It gives you a refresh button that re-loads the map page, but keeps it focussed at the same location and zoom level as before. This means you get the smilies back without losing your place on the map. Full details in this thread. Edited URL.

yes. If you're at all worried, the latest version of the script has a configuration button, so you can turn Google Maps off again!

I've uploaded v0.5.1 of my Geocaching Map Enhancements script to Userscripts.org The aim of this little script is to add a little enjoyment to your Geocaching website experience Adds lots of map types (Google, Bing, Ordnance Survey, Amapy, even street maps of London) Adds a home button to get back to your own coordinates Lets you refresh your browser session when all your finds stop showing up Lets you see an old-fashioned list of caches around the area in the map Adds a scale indicator that shows the width displayed on the map The main advantage of this version over last week's is that it's now user-configurable (look for the cog icon). You can select which of the maps you want to show up in the pick-list, and change a few other settings. The script also integrates a lot better into the website's user interface. This script should work with both Firefox and Chrome - probably Opera too although I've not tested it. There are installation instructions at the link above. Any suggestions for more map types or other improvements welcome!

A while back I wrote a Greasemonkey userscript that lets you switch from the Geocaching Maps page to the old-fashioned list of geocaches near to the point at the middle of the map. I've updated that script to work with the new Geocaching Maps page, and it now makes a simple workaround for the problem of the cache details not showing up. Use the new maps to find the general area you want, then switch to the list to see the cache details. The basic userscript should run in any desktop browser that supports Greasemonkey scripts. Userscript support is pretty patchy for mobile devices, so I've also compiled the userscript into a Firefox Mobile addon. This works fine for me in Firefox 10, on both my Asus Transformer tablet (Android 3.2) and my HTC Desire phone (Android 2.2) (although you have to tell Firefox to always allow popups from geocaching.com). I guess this isn't too helpful for the iOS users, but hopefully it'll help out some of the Android folk!

I don't think Greasemonkey will run on IE. However you might get a result by trying 'Trixie' or 'IE7Pro'. See Link Edited to say No Personal Experience - all usual caveats apply! Thanks for the pointer. I tried Trixie, as IE7Pro seems to relate to an ancient version of IE (I'm using 9). It installed fine and could be enabled but seems to do nothing. On the Geocaching script page http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/109145 there seems to be a couple of big "Download" buttons which are frauds, but I used the "Install" and it caused an error. I was hoping that Trixie would pick the script up somehow. I know I could use Firefox but I only use that occasionally and I want to see if I can use an IE equivalent. I'm afraid I don't normally use Internet Explorer unless I can help it (like at work, where we have IE6!), but I installed Trixie on IE8 and had a go. The script didn't work for me either, and after a bit of poking around I couldn't see any obvious reason why, or any easy way of debugging it. If someone who's more familiar with Trixie can get it working then please let me know how. I'm happy to tweak the script if there are just some odd changes needed to make it work, but otherwise I'll continue to focus on Firefox and Chrome - I don't plan to put in lots of effort to support IE. PS watch out for the banner adverts on userscripts.org that look like download buttons. The real Install button is on the top-right of the page!

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I've finished fixing the Geocaching Map Enhancements script, and updated its homepage on Userscripts.org: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/109145 Visit that page to see the full feature list and download the latest version. I've added in a scale indicator since the last update, to make it easier to tell how large an area of map you're viewing. I've also added installation instructions for geocachers who aren't too familiar with userscripts. Finally, that page has a link to a version of the GME script for Firefox Mobile. This is a bit experimental, but it mostly works for me with Firefox Mobile (Fennec) v10 on Android 2.2 and 3.2. I still need to tweak it to work well on devices with small screens (all the icons disappear...) and there are problems at the GC.com end that stop the cache information popping up. That said, it looks good on an Android tablet, the OS maps work, and you can use the script's list view function to get the cache details. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

I've updated the script at the link above, and now all of those features should be working. Still a little bit more to do before it goes onto Userscripts.org...

OK, I've made some progress. I've bodged the Geocaching Map Enhancements script to work with the new maps. If you're feeling adventurous, you can try it here: gme.user.js What works for me: OS maps on Maps page (via Leaflet API) OS maps on cache pages (via Google API) Grid ref search on Hide'n'Seek page What won't work (yet): Session refresh Map-to-list link Grid ref search on Maps page I won't update the version on Userscripts.org until I've had a chance to test it properly and see whether the missing features can be put back. In the meantime, feedback would be welcome on whether or not it works on different browsers, especially if you get any error messages.

Not quite! OS Maps still seem to work on the cache pages - but sadly not on Beta Maps. Partly, it must be said, because "Beta Maps" has become just plain "Maps", and partly because we're into the brave new world of using the Leaflet API rather than Google Maps. This is presumably because Google are going to start charging high-volume websites for using their API. I've already figured out a way of making OS maps work with the basic Leaflet API. Unfortunately it may take me a few weeks to figure out how to integrate this with the new Geocaching Maps website. I'll see what I can do...

RaffeR has moved this topic across to the "Discussions with Groundspeak" forum - see here.

I've not used the official app, but I have got an Asus Eee Pad Transformer. It's got a pretty good GPS built in, and the battery lasts ages. It's also got loads of memory to store offline maps. It doesn't have a 3G connection built in, but I can get that via an Android phone. That said, because it's got a 10" screen, it is a little bit too big for waving about while rummaging in bushes, so to actually find caches I tend to use an app on my phone instead. Where the tablet comes into its own is showing maps on the big display, so you can plan a caching expedition. Actually, the Geocaching.com website would function as a pretty good geocaching app on its own, if I could get it to work. Most of the site is OK, but the Beta Maps page loads the cache details so slowly on the tablet that it's unusable. Is anyone else having problems with Beta Maps on a tablet? This thread explains what I'm on about.