New map feature request

[+J-Way]

One issue I've always had with the Google map feature is that I rarely am able to open it up right where I need it. Usually, I open a cache nearby (usually one recently found near the top of my main account page), click "Geocaching.com Google Map", then scroll to where I want to be. If someone knows a shortcut please let me know. Yes, I do know I could use the usual search features to zero in on the cache of interest, but that would take even longer, and is not possible if I don't know the name of the cache, or the zip code, or lat/lon, etc.

 

Currently, I have to wait while I download all the caches near the original point... then scroll the map, and wait again... then scroll and wait... etc. If I have to scroll a long way, then I zoom out and the wait gets even longer.

 

I suggest adding the ability to temporarily turn off displaying all caches, just like turning off the KLM in Google Earth. That way you can zoom way out, scroll to where you want to be, then zoom back in, without downloading and displaying hundreds of caches.

[+dw]

I made this exact same suggestion a couple of weeks ago, but I'm glad someone else thought of it, too! This feature would help me enormously, as well as reduce the server load. Pretty please?

[+StarBrand]

Try the search by address feature off of the seek page and then click on the map icon - You should be right where you want to be.

[+J-Way]

Try the search by address feature off of the seek page and then click on the map icon - You should be right where you want to be.

I'll try that... but quite often I don't know the address. For example, say I'm visiting a transmission substation in rural Georgia... I have driving directions, but Google doesn't understand "take second dirt road to right and listen for Dueling Banjos". Google also doesn't understand Rural Route addresses (sequential numbers that are associated with the postal carrier's route and have no relation to an actual location on an actual road).

 

Or, I remember that there are a couple of caches a few miles east (or southeast? or north east?) of where I'm going to be traveling tomorrow, but I have no idea as to the actual location or cache names.

 

Or, I'm planning on several stops for a trip a few hundred miles apart. It would be nice to be able to rapidly pan to stop 1, check out a few caches and plan a PQ, then RAPIDLY pan to stop 2 and repeat without downloading hundreds of caches between the two spots that I have no interest in.

 

This isn't just a request to help me, this would help EVERYONE. Every time anyone downloads a few hundred caches every time they refresh the Google maps it increases server load which impacts everything.

[OpinioNate]

It's not necessary to wait for the map to load all the caches before panning/zooming the map again. You can pan all day without ever loading the caches. I guess I just don't see what the problem is here.

[+JonInNH1]

It's not necessary to wait for the map to load all the caches before panning/zooming the map again. You can pan all day without ever loading the caches. I guess I just don't see what the problem is here.

 

I agree with j-way. It takes forever to pan around. With caches or without. Only once in a while does it load semi quick.

[+dw]

Hi OpinioNate,

 

Here is the problem: If you are zoomed out so that there are maybe a couple of hundred caches on the screen (which in my area is not so very zoomed out!), when that little black box is on the screen that says "requesting geocaches", it won't scroll around. Something is overloaded, sometimes part of the screen will be gray for a while. If I keep trying to scroll, it finally will load the caches, do the scroll, then the black box will come back and it will continue trying to lead the caches for the new scroll area. I'm no computer expert, but it seems to me that the "requesting geocaches" process takes up a lot of processing power somewhere and prevents any other requests, like scrolling, from going through. That's why it seems like a good idea to not request the caches until the user has finished scrolling.

 

Thanks for listening!

[OpinioNate]

Ok, I see what you mean. The suggestion to enter an address or city name in the search box is a good one. Apart from that there isn't a lot we can do since development of the maps is halted for the time being. When we have resources freed up in the future we'll try to tackle this problem. Until then hopefully you can find a strategy that works for you with the tools available.

[+GeoScooter1]

Ok, I see what you mean. The suggestion to enter an address or city name in the search box is a good one. Apart from that there isn't a lot we can do since development of the maps is halted for the time being. When we have resources freed up in the future we'll try to tackle this problem. Until then hopefully you can find a strategy that works for you with the tools available.

 

The search by city, state works really well to get you to the area you want in your search for caches. Then you can zoom in/out and pan pretty easily. I have found that using Firefox for my browser does seem to work better with the maps, though. I have had to use the "refresh map" a few times, but not that often.

[+dw]

Sigh. Oh, well. I can get along with what's there, it just isn't ideal.

 

But, I have to say, I appreciate the fact that someone at gc.com responded, even if nothing can be done right now. It's much better to have an acknowledgment that the problem exists, even if no solution is in sight, than to be ignored. Thanks!

[+GO West]

Dug around for a long time before finding this thread... this is exactly the issue I was considering posting, but I knew someone else must have thought of it first. So...

 

I think I'll kick it back to the top from time to time. Thanks J-Way.

[+dw]

I can't remember which forum thread I read it on, but one solution I've found is to not pan by dragging the mouse, but to use the arrows provided by google maps, on the upper left corner of the map. When you pan around with the arrows, the caches don't refresh. When I want the caches refreshed, I just drag the mouse a tiny bit.

 

Hope this helps!

[+ncfinn]

I can't remember which forum thread I read it on, but one solution I've found is to not pan by dragging the mouse, but to use the arrows provided by google maps, on the upper left corner of the map. When you pan around with the arrows, the caches don't refresh. When I want the caches refreshed, I just drag the mouse a tiny bit.

 

Hope this helps!

 

You have just improved the quality of my life immensely! My biggest gripe with the site was that i was not able to quickly scroll from one location to another without waiting for all the caches along the way to load. Using the arrows to move is the way. Thank You!

[+Team Cotati]

It's not necessary to wait for the map to load all the caches before panning/zooming the map again. You can pan all day without ever loading the caches. I guess I just don't see what the problem is here.

 

Actually that is not the way it seems to work for everyone. Once you zoom, it goes into the 'retrieving caches' mode and until it finishes, which can be up to a few minutes, you cannot move the map at all. It would be nice to be able to temporarily disable the retrieving function until you have completed the panning or zooming and then allow the user to request that caches be retrieved.

 

The entering of the address to jump to, while an effective means to get from here to there, it is certainly a bandaid and does not eliminate the issue when to get to the location and need to move around even to a minor degree.

 

And when you do use the 'zoom to address' feature, the very first thing that it does when it gets there is 'request geocaches' which for lots of us, seems to be a significant part of the issue.

Edited December 6, 2007 by Team Cotati

[OpinioNate]

It's not necessary to wait for the map to load all the caches before panning/zooming the map again. You can pan all day without ever loading the caches. I guess I just don't see what the problem is here.

 

Actually that is not the way it seems to work for everyone. Once you zoom, it goes into the 'retrieving caches' mode and until it finishes, which can be up to a few minutes, you cannot move the map at all. It would be nice to be able to temporarily disable the retrieving function until you have completed the panning or zooming and then allow the user to request that caches be retrieved.

 

The entering of the address to jump to, while an effective means to get from here to there, it is certainly a bandaid and does not eliminate the issue when to get to the location and need to move around even to a minor degree.

 

And when you do use the 'zoom to address' feature, the very first thing that it does when it gets there is 'request geocaches' which for lots of us, seems to be a significant part of the issue.

 

You can also just use the arrows at the top left of the map to pan around without loading caches. It's a little slower than using the hand, maybe, but at least it won't force you to refresh the map after every move.

[+JABs]

As a premiun member you can check or uncheck the types of cache you wish to search for.

Uncheck all but say earthcaches and this limits what is showen therefore loads quicker.

The other way is if you know a cache near by load that page then instead of going to google.maps

FIND..........all nearby caches, that I haven't found.(click that I haven't found) and this list shows

from KM out all caches and gives you the mapping icon as well.

[+czarbucks]

Thanks very much, DW, for the arrows hint. This has saved a tremendous amount of time. I work primarily from the map rather than an address, since we're always going somewhere new to cache... this is a lifesaver, time-wise.