Downloading all California Geocache waypoints

[naird]

Hello all,

 

Is there any way to download all the California geocache locations in one download?

 

Thanks,

 

Naird

[+T F T C]

Pocket Queries only do 500 at a time. So no, you can't do it at once. But in groups of 500, yes you can. You have to be a premium member to do that, though.

[+briansnat]

Pocket Queries only do 500 at a time. So no, you can't do it at once. But in groups of 500, yes you can. You have to be a premium member to do that, though.

 

Being that there are 58,691 caches in Califorina and you are limited to 5 PQs a day and also accounting for overlap in your PQ, you'd probably have to run your limit of PQs every day a for a few weeks.

Edited March 13, 2007 by briansnat

[+wesleykey]

You can query (PQ) up to 2500 unique waypoints per day. At this rate you would need several weeks to get them all. I can't imagine the need for so much data, though. Downloading a few hundred at a time along the routes I travel is usually plenty for me.

[+sbell111]

You could also purchase additional memberships so you could get more than 5 PQs daily. Although I wondre why anyone would need so much data that will assuredly be stale before you could use it.

[+Driver Carries Cache]

Just downloading half the state (northern) involved 40 individual pocket queries. The problem is (like folks mentioned above) trying to keep all that data current is nearly impossible. You quickly find yourself searching for stuff that's archived and you didn't know it. The second problem is that the average GPS will only hold 1000 waypoints as well. So even if you download them, you can't store them.

 

Driver Carries Cache

(madmike)

[+sbell111]

Just downloading half the state (northern) involved 40 individual pocket queries. The problem is (like folks mentioned above) trying to keep all that data current is nearly impossible. You quickly find yourself searching for stuff that's archived and you didn't know it. The second problem is that the average GPS will only hold 1000 waypoints as well. So even if you download them, you can't store them.

 

Driver Carries Cache

(madmike)

Garmin's CX units will hold as many caches as you stuff onto the micro SD card (I had 2800 on my Venture CX for a recent trip), but I agree with the rest of your post. Edited March 13, 2007 by sbell111

[+T F T C]

I guess if you're doing a trip across California and won't have computer access at all, you might need to do this. Or if you were giving your GPS to a computer illiterate person to use for geocaching. But those are about the only reasons I can think of.

[masetodd]

Are there any websites hosting free Pocket Query information?

Does geocaching.com have an issue with people sharing data?

[+FamilyDNA]

Are there any websites hosting free Pocket Query information?

Does geocaching.com have an issue with people sharing data?

 

From the Waypoint Licence Agreement:

 

Uses Not Permitted:

• Licensee shall not sell, rent, lease, sublicense, lend, assign, time-share, or transfer, in whole or in part, or provide access to the Data, Related Materials, any updates, or Licensee's rights under this Agreement to any third party whatsoever.

[+Ed & Julie]

Are there any websites hosting free Pocket Query information?

Does geocaching.com have an issue with people sharing data?

 

No and yes

[+admo1972]

Uses Not Permitted:

• Licensee shall not sell, rent, lease, sublicense, lend, assign, time-share, or transfer, in whole or in part, or provide access to the Data, Related Materials, any updates, or Licensee's rights under this Agreement to any third party whatsoever.

 

This brings up an important discussion. That there is legalese to protect Groundspeak. However, you can also take into account the intent of why they want to protect their data. For example, I have a buddy who is just about to start geocaching. If I download a .gpx file (a premium member only thing) and send him a list of, say 10 or 20 geocaches in his area to get him started, I would clearly be violating the permitted use that I agreed to (not that I or anyone actually reads all that, but that is another topic entirely).

 

Now, the intent of why the legalese is there. Obviously, Groundspeak doesn't want me to be downloading hundreds of waypoints every day and posting them in newsgroups, emailing mass amounts to friends and groups who are not members, premium or otherwise, to Groundspeak. Clearly, that would be a loss of revenue to Groundspeak. I don't think that legalese is there to prohibit me sending a non-member a few waypoints to get him started (even though it does prohibit it).

 

IMO:

Downloading hundreds of of waypoints and disseminating it for profit or not: illegal and unethical.

Downloading a few and sharing with 1 or 2 people: illegal but ethical. Opinions on this? No flames, please.

[+briansnat]

f I download a .gpx file (a premium member only thing) and send him a list of, say 10 or 20 geocaches in his area to get him started, I would clearly be violating the permitted use that I agreed to (not that I or anyone actually reads all that, but that is another topic entirely).

 

Now, the intent of why the legalese is there. Obviously, Groundspeak doesn't want me to be downloading hundreds of waypoints every day and posting them in newsgroups, emailing mass amounts to friends and groups who are not members, premium or otherwise, to Groundspeak. Clearly, that would be a loss of revenue to Groundspeak. I don't think that legalese is there to prohibit me sending a non-member a few waypoints to get him started (even though it does prohibit it).

 

IMO:

Downloading hundreds of of waypoints and disseminating it for profit or not: illegal and unethical.

Downloading a few and sharing with 1 or 2 people: illegal but ethical. Opinions on this? No flames, please.

 

I think both are unethical. You are still taking potential revenue away from Groundspeak.

 

Now sending a few LOC files that are already available to non premium members I might consider ethical, but I'm not sure about the legality of that.

[+admo1972]

I think both are unethical. You are still taking potential revenue away from Groundspeak.

 

Hmm. I could argue that I am cultivating potential future revenue to Groundspeak. Not giving the guy anything, and he may just never go caching. Giving him this to get him started may entice him to become a member, and perhaps even a premium member. But, I agree that this is for Groundspeak to determine, not me. And the Licence agreement clearly say that we can't share the info "whatsoever".

 

But this would clearly prohibit a case where a member is out geocaching with a non-member, and the member lets the non-member put cache coordinates into his GPS. Obviously I think while to the letter of the agreement we shouldn't do this, we can all agree that there is nothing wron gwith this situation.

 

It is all a matter of degrees.

[+Markwell]

I would think if you have a question about sharing GPX files vs sharing LOC files, you could call the Groundspeak office and ask to talk to Rothsafari.

 

After all he did make this post that seemed to answer the question very nicely:

Based on the fact that there seems to be some confusion regarding the scope and limitations of the Waypoint License Agreement, in the interest of further clarifying Groundspeak's position, the relevant text has been changed to read as follows:

 

"*Licensee shall not sell, rent, lease, sublicense, lend, assign, time-share, or transfer, in whole or in part, or provide access to the Data, Related Materials, any updates, or Licensee's rights under this Agreement to any third party whatsoever."

 

"*Licensee shall not remarket, resell, and/or redistribute the Data or any derived portion(s) of the Data in its digital form to any third party whatsoever."

Edited May 3, 2007 by Markwell

[+G1K]

So what about sharing data from one licensee to another i.e. one premium members pq being shared with another premium member?

 

Is the 2nd licensee considered a 3rd party?

 

R

[+StarBrand]

So what about sharing data from one licensee to another i.e. one premium members pq being shared with another premium member?

 

Is the 2nd licensee considered a 3rd party?

 

R

Its not you the licensee nor the provider/"owner" of the data - so yes that would be a 3rd party.

[+Driver Carries Cache]

Just downloading half the state (northern) involved 40 individual pocket queries. The problem is (like folks mentioned above) trying to keep all that data current is nearly impossible. You quickly find yourself searching for stuff that's archived and you didn't know it. The second problem is that the average GPS will only hold 1000 waypoints as well. So even if you download them, you can't store them.

 

Driver Carries Cache

(madmike)

Garmin's CX units will hold as many caches as you stuff onto the micro SD card (I had 2800 on my Venture CX for a recent trip), but I agree with the rest of your post.

 

I know this months old post has just been dredged up, but how did you store the caches on the SD card? I know you can add POI's (through a roundabout way) but thought your limit on Waypoints was 1000? BTW I'm using the 60CSx

 

DCC

[+StarBrand]

....

I know this months old post has just been dredged up, but how did you store the caches on the SD card? I know you can add POI's (through a roundabout way) but thought your limit on Waypoints was 1000? BTW I'm using the 60CSx

 

DCC

You can use Garmin's free software "POI Loader" but they can't be used with the Geocaching mode of the unit so it isn't really the same but yes you can store a near unlimited number of cache coordinates as POI.

[+Grenadyr]

I know this months old post has just been dredged up, but how did you store the caches on the SD card? I know you can add POI's (through a roundabout way) but thought your limit on Waypoints was 1000? BTW I'm using the 60CSx

DCC

 

Quick explanation.... Load your multiple Pocket Queries into GSAK to combine them into one big list. Output the list as a GPX file (which also allows you more information than waypoints). Use Garmin's POI Loader to load the list into the GPSr.

 

Using this method I've combined the results of 7 different PQ's to cover my potential caching area into a single POI list of about 2500 points with enough details for each cache to successfully find them without a computer handy. (FWIW, I also have business related POI's loaded at the same time and have another 2000 or so points loaded as well.)