Are There Benchmarks In Canada?

[+Micra Man]

I live in Abbotsford, BC and have done a search on GC.com for benchmarks in my area and the only listings that come up are in the US (Washington).

 

Aren't there any benchmarks in BC or other provinces?

[+Kewaneh & Shark]

Check out this thread from January 2005: Canadian Benchmark Hunting, Benchmark hunting in Canada

 

Hope this helps!

 

- Kewaneh

[+Black Dog Trackers]

Micra Man -

 

The place for finding and logging Canadian benchmarks is here in the Canadian Benchmarks waymark category. Click on "more detail" and you will find links to Candadian benchmark databases.

 

Have fun!

[+FunkyNassau]

Micra Man -

 

The place for finding and logging Canadian benchmarks is here in the Canadian Benchmarks waymark category. Click on "more detail" and you will find links to Candadian benchmark databases.

 

Have fun!

 

Still would like to know why Canadians are forced to use the "Waymarking" site (of which you'll notice is NOT a popular category) for benchmarks when the US enjoys it as part of gc.com

 

Especially when the entire canadian benchmark database is public... I've not seen a straight answer yet as to the exact detail of what was stalling the integration into gc.com

[stvanme]

Still would like to know why Canadians are forced to use the "Waymarking" site (of which you'll notice is NOT a popular category) for benchmarks when the US enjoys it as part of gc.com

 

I think you answered your own question, not enough interest.

[+FunkyNassau]

As all the other past replys noted, in SEVERAL threads, there IS intrest... thing is no one wants to use Waymarking for it...

[Z15]

Does Canada provide that info on a CD? That's how geocaching got the US database. They (NOAA-NGS) used to sell the CD's (for years) with the software to view it but have since discontinued that practice (cost savings) and the web access to db.

 

If it was not fot that, you would not have it here at all.

Edited June 8, 2006 by Z15

[+Black Dog Trackers]

FunkyNassau -

 

I am curious about your position. Are you objecting to:

 

1: The Waymarking site itself

 

or

 

2: The fact that the Canadian databases aren't pre-loaded into either the Waymarking Canadian banchmark site or the gc.com site

 

?

[Wintertime]

Also, the only reason that even the U.S. benchmarks are still on the Gc.com site is because they've been grandfathered in here. If we geocachers were just starting to do benchmark hunting now, I'm 99% sure that Jeremy would put the database on the Wm.com site, because he's trying to get this site back to more pure geocaching. That may yet happen at some time in the future, although I think all of us in this forum are thankful that the benchmark info is still on Gc.com and hope that it stays here.

 

Patty

[+Klemmer]

A: Two issues, really:

1) Is the Canadian Database available in some "transferable" media format?

2) Who will take the time / effort / expense / continuing maintenance, to set up an on-line logging system integrated with the data (i.e. like the BM section of GC.com)? Doubtful Jeremy at GC will. Ask him.

 

B: I'm not in Canada (or at least not very often), but:

1) As I understand it, there are Canadian Goverment databases accessible to the public on the internet.

2) You CAN use Waymarking as a media to log Canadian Benchmark finds.

 

The situation in B is less than ideal, but is seems workable. In the US, if we didn't have the GC.com BM site, and the NGS site didn't accept public log inputs, I think I would still find BM's from the NGS site, and log them in Waymarking.

 

Actually, in my wanderings, I sort of DO that. When I come across BM's that are not in the NGS/GC database, I take the pics, make the audio notes, and maybe eventually, when I run out of local NGS/GC BM's, and have time, I'll drop them all into Waymarking.

 

Just my opinions, take 'em or leave 'em.

 

BTW: Love the BC area. Have spend some enjoyable times in the SW BC area (N of Vancouver City, Vancouver Island, Whistler, Lake Louise, Banff, etc.). Done Geocaching, I'd like to try some Benchmarking, also.

[+FunkyNassau]

FunkyNassau -

 

I am curious about your position. Are you objecting to:

 

1: The Waymarking site itself

 

or

 

2: The fact that the Canadian databases aren't pre-loaded into either the Waymarking Canadian banchmark site or the gc.com site

 

?

 

heh... both actually.... I understand WHY Waymarking was created, and for those that like it... they like it a lot... I am not one of those.... and seeing the US system online in the way it is (which is good) and knowing the Canadian system is free and open makes me wonder why it was never implemented...

 

This has been gone over for some time... Waymarking for Canadian benchmarks is is not a viable solution to the US Benchmarking system which is currently implemented on gc.com (which is what I wish we had in Canada)

[+Black Dog Trackers]

This has been gone over for some time...

I didn't see this gone over. I don't understand what the problem is with the Waymarking site. Does it have bad programming, or popup ads, or viruses, or what? It's run by the same people (Groundspeak) as the geocaching site, so there shouldn't be any territorial issues. What's the problem with it?

 

I certainly see the disappointment issue with the Canadian benchmarks not being 'pre-loaded' - it makes logging more difficult. Apparently Groundspeak did the parsing of the US benchmarks database but don't want to do that kind of excercise again for whatever reason. I don't live near Canada, but I do wish those databases could be incorporated by Groundspeak.

[+Klemmer]

FunkyNassau:

Understandable. See my A1&2 above. All you need is someone with the time and/or money. We got lucky had GC.com (Jeremy) at just the right time. It was sort of "self defence" for him, because we were creating virtual geocaches for every Benchmark we could find down here. It worked out OK for us down here, not so (yet) for you folks up there.

 

BTW: Love your profile. You remind me a of a guy down here in SoCal named HaZzMaTt

[+shroomAzoom]

Just wanted to voice my interest in being able to benchmark hunt in Canada.

[+Black Dog Trackers]

shroomAzoom -

 

You can hunt (and log) benchmarks in Canada! Here is the place to log your finds, and the place to find links to the Canadian benchmark databases.

[+Mystery Ink]

I think the problem most of them have with the WM site is that it isn't intergrated to the profile with all the other types of geocaching finds.

It personally doesn't bother me because I submit waymarks so others can see some of the different BM that I come across. I have a bunch more I need to submit to the WM site just have to find time to do it.

[+FunkyNassau]

This has been gone over for some time...

I didn't see this gone over. I don't understand what the problem is with the Waymarking site. Does it have bad programming, or popup ads, or viruses, or what? It's run by the same people (Groundspeak) as the geocaching site, so there shouldn't be any territorial issues. What's the problem with it?

 

I certainly see the disappointment issue with the Canadian benchmarks not being 'pre-loaded' - it makes logging more difficult. Apparently Groundspeak did the parsing of the US benchmarks database but don't want to do that kind of excercise again for whatever reason. I don't live near Canada, but I do wish those databases could be incorporated by Groundspeak.

 

Canadian Benchmarking issue has been gone over... many times... much moreso then now.. however .... if suddenly the gc.com benchmark site "broke" and was unrecoverable, would you accept them simply throwing it (us benchmarks) onto Waymarking? Completely blank, in EXACTLY the format the Canadian ones are displayed? I think not.

 

I've been very vocal in my little corner of the world about Waymarking... and I need not get into at this point my issues with that particuar site.. other then it's a lesser site in terms of content... it's not gc.com.. I understood the ban on virtuals and locationless as it was getting"out of hand" and Waymarking was born out of this to apease those individuals. I've seen parts of the Canadian DB.. it can be parsed as well.. point in fact was there was some "issues" with it (groundsspeek and the gov of Canada or the geodec branch or something) which was never really brought to light exactly WHAT the issue was... something which would explain why the Canadian benchmarks (which are just as old as the american ones in many cases) were not added to the site.

[+FunkyNassau]

FunkyNassau:

Understandable. See my A1&2 above. All you need is someone with the time and/or money. We got lucky had GC.com (Jeremy) at just the right time. It was sort of "self defence" for him, because we were creating virtual geocaches for every Benchmark we could find down here. It worked out OK for us down here, not so (yet) for you folks up there.

 

BTW: Love your profile. You remind me a of a guy down here in SoCal named HaZzMaTt

 

Exactly... but I do remember that plans were originally made to do something here... but we were left in the dark as to the reasons behind it, or how we could help to try and bring things to fruition...

 

And Thanks for the compliment... I try hard to keep things light ;-)