State Wide Pqs

[+Cyclops]

I know a lot of cachers setup PQs so that they get all caches within the state.

 

My idea is to have set PQs that would return all caches for any state. Pack each zip with 500 caches. They would be run once or twice each week and sent. This would result in less total PQs run by the system. I feel that a standard PQ could be setup that would full fill most user's needs.

[+ScoutingWV]

As long as there is a limit to the number of results in a PQ, it'll take multiple ones to get the job done. Not sure if an exception could be made for this type of a query, but I think it would still pound the database pretty hard when so many folks try to run it. And a lot of people would want to run this. A 500 result throttle seems pretty reasonable for just about every type of search.

 

I got my state data to verify our DeLorme Challenge participants by setting up a series of PQs based on the state and sequential time frames. I went to my account, clicked the link for the newest caches in the state, then went to the end of the list to see how many there were. Then I had to do a bit of trial and error with PQs to find out how many I would need to run to get all of them.

 

Once I had the files I uploaded them all into a single GSAK database. Now I can do a weekly PQ and add that data to the GSAK file. It took a bit of time to get the initial dataset, but now it's a breeze to maintain.

[+New England n00b]

The other issue (from their perspective) is swiping all the geocaching.com data and making your site site.

 

Now, where that is in their priority of reasons for this, I imagine not as high as keeping teh hamsters powering the database servers from having heart attacks.

[+Cyclops]

As long as there is a limit to the number of results in a PQ, it'll take multiple ones to get the job done.

 

I got my state data to verify our DeLorme Challenge participants by setting up a series of PQs based on the state and sequential time frames.

 

Yes multiple PQs would be needed depending on the number caches in your state.

 

Users would subscribe to this PQ and it would be run let's say Monday at 6:00AM and Friday at 6:00AM. Then the results would be bulked mailed to the subscribers. So if 100 users subscribed to this the server would have run each set once per scheduled time. Not 100 times, for each user.

 

That's what I do currently. I have 9 or 10 PQs setup on sequential time frames.

[+Cyclops]

The other issue (from their perspective) is swiping all the geocaching.com data and making your site site.

 

Now, where that is in their priority of reasons for this, I imagine not as high as keeping teh hamsters powering the database servers from having heart attacks.

 

A a user of GC.com you agree not to gather their data for your own web site. Unless you want to tangle with their lawers. They could restrict these PQs to your home state only.\

 

This would reduce the total number of PQs run.

 

It would be interseting to know how PQs are setup. Would other standard PQs make sense? Let's say some for each large metro area or popular vacation places.

[+Marky]

Although this might be somewhat viable for some States, for California it is not. By this weekend, there will be around 28000 caches hidding in California. That would take up 56 PQs to get them all.

 

--Marky

[+planetrobert]

They could restrict these PQs to your home state only.

How about us border dwellers...

[+TheAprilFools]

They could restrict these PQs to your home state only.

How about us border dwellers...

Assuming such as system were implemented (I am not going to hold my breath), run it for your home state, change your home coordinates to across the boarder, then run it again.

[+TheAprilFools]

What I would rather see is rather than the whole state, how about everything within 100 miles of your home coordinates. With possibly the following restrictions.

 

1) You run only such query per week.

2) It must be centered on your home coordinators.

3) Your home coordinates must not have been modified in the last 7 days.

 

Right now I set up 14 PQ's to get all the caches within 60 miles of my home.

[Jeremy]

I feel that a standard PQ could be setup that would full fill most user's needs.

 

With exception of caches along a route it does fill most user's needs.

 

wap.geocaching.com works fairly well with a wap enabled phone if you want to cache on the fly. Google Earth and bookmark lists work really well when you're planning a trip or just surfing for a group of caches. And we're working on a Google Map integration for those who can't support the Google Earth application if their machine can't support it.

 

Lastly our plan is to provide a mobile phone application that will accomplish what you need too. Grabbing a gazillion caches just to find a few is shooting a fly with a cannon.