View Others' Smileys In Google Maps

[+robbymcdobby]

I think it would be cool if you could somehow view other peoples' finds in Google Maps. We can all see which caches we have and have not found on Google Maps, but what if you could track others' progress on Google Maps also? Everyone's profile could include a link that opened up Google Maps, and you could see which ones they've found and not found.

 

This tool could be useful when planning cache hunts. Those who plan the hunts or choose the routes would be able to see if their fellow caching partners had already found any of the caches on that route, and therefore elect not to visit them (or maybe they would still visit them, who knows?). It seems like it would be a lot less cumbersome than having to do a search of "Caches Found By Username" on GC.com or by having to scroll through a user's find list.

 

It would add a handy, geographic view of different players' caching preferences. For cachers who have cached in multiple states or countries, you could view which regions of those states and countries they've cached in. I realize that you can simply look up different players' finds and see their locations that way, but I think this feature would give you a great view of the "big picture". Does anyone else think this feature could add a nice geographic element to the game?

[+DudleyGrunt]

I'd appreciate it. The information is already out there, but this would be more useful at times. I'd especially use it in regards to my son.

 

I'd also like to see the ability to search for caches found by cacher1 AND cacher2. I other words, a list of cache they have both found.

[+Von-Horst]

For people you have added as friends, yes.

 

For other cachers in general, no.

[+klossner]

This tool could be useful when planning cache hunts. Those who plan the hunts or choose the routes would be able to see if their fellow caching partners had already found any of the caches on that route, and therefore elect not to visit them

Here's how I achieve that. First, I harass my two caching buddies about keeping their premium memberships paid up. Next, I ask them to go to the pocket queries page, punch the My Finds "Add to queue" button, and send me the resulting email. Call those two files frienda.gpx and friendb.gpx. I form my own pocket query for the area we're going to visit, specifying that caches I've already found not be included. Call that file myunfound.gpx.

 

Now I open a command window and type

 

gpsbabel -i gpx -f myunfound.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f friendb.gpx -f friendb.gpx -x duplicate,shortname,all -o gpx -F todo.gpx

 

The resulting file todo.gpx has the caches from my query with any caches that either friend has found filtered out.

 

You can get gpsbabel from http://www.gpsbabel.org/. It runs on pretty much any desktop computer.

[knowschad]

This tool could be useful when planning cache hunts. Those who plan the hunts or choose the routes would be able to see if their fellow caching partners had already found any of the caches on that route, and therefore elect not to visit them

Here's how I achieve that. First, I harass my two caching buddies about keeping their premium memberships paid up. Next, I ask them to go to the pocket queries page, punch the My Finds "Add to queue" button, and send me the resulting email. Call those two files frienda.gpx and friendb.gpx. I form my own pocket query for the area we're going to visit, specifying that caches I've already found not be included. Call that file myunfound.gpx.

 

Now I open a command window and type

 

gpsbabel -i gpx -f myunfound.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f friendb.gpx -f friendb.gpx -x duplicate,shortname,all -o gpx -F todo.gpx

 

The resulting file todo.gpx has the caches from my query with any caches that either friend has found filtered out.

 

You can get gpsbabel from http://www.gpsbabel.org/. It runs on pretty much any desktop computer.

 

Whew!!! I prefer what the OP suggested!! Dude... that's a solution for sure, but an ugly solution!

 

Funny that I was just thinking of this very problem today. I'm planning on going caching this week with someone for the first time, and I'm not sure which ones he's found. Trying to find an area where we can both find some new caches can be quite a challenge.

[Keystone]

This tool could be useful when planning cache hunts. Those who plan the hunts or choose the routes would be able to see if their fellow caching partners had already found any of the caches on that route, and therefore elect not to visit them

Here's how I achieve that. First, I harass my two caching buddies about keeping their premium memberships paid up. Next, I ask them to go to the pocket queries page, punch the My Finds "Add to queue" button, and send me the resulting email. Call those two files frienda.gpx and friendb.gpx. I form my own pocket query for the area we're going to visit, specifying that caches I've already found not be included. Call that file myunfound.gpx.

 

Now I open a command window and type

 

gpsbabel -i gpx -f myunfound.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f friendb.gpx -f friendb.gpx -x duplicate,shortname,all -o gpx -F todo.gpx

 

The resulting file todo.gpx has the caches from my query with any caches that either friend has found filtered out.

 

You can get gpsbabel from http://www.gpsbabel.org/. It runs on pretty much any desktop computer.

I am posting to note that you are violating the terms of the pocket query Waypoint License Agreement , which says:

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.

[knowschad]

This tool could be useful when planning cache hunts. Those who plan the hunts or choose the routes would be able to see if their fellow caching partners had already found any of the caches on that route, and therefore elect not to visit them

Here's how I achieve that. First, I harass my two caching buddies about keeping their premium memberships paid up. Next, I ask them to go to the pocket queries page, punch the My Finds "Add to queue" button, and send me the resulting email. Call those two files frienda.gpx and friendb.gpx. I form my own pocket query for the area we're going to visit, specifying that caches I've already found not be included. Call that file myunfound.gpx.

 

Now I open a command window and type

 

gpsbabel -i gpx -f myunfound.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f frienda.gpx -f friendb.gpx -f friendb.gpx -x duplicate,shortname,all -o gpx -F todo.gpx

 

The resulting file todo.gpx has the caches from my query with any caches that either friend has found filtered out.

 

You can get gpsbabel from http://www.gpsbabel.org/. It runs on pretty much any desktop computer.

I am posting to note that you are violating the terms of the pocket query Waypoint License Agreement , which says:

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.

 

??? Could you please highlight the portion that is in violation? I don't see any part of that message that seems to violate that agreement. Sure you're not referring to "First, I harass my two caching buddies about keeping their premium memberships paid up."

 

Seriously... I'm confused by your reply.

[Keystone]

Translated into plain English: DO NOT SHARE POCKET QUERIES.

[knowschad]

Translated into plain English: DO NOT SHARE POCKET QUERIES.

 

You're kidding me!! I NEVER would have guessed from that verbiage that it wasn't OK to share pocket queries with other members! I never have... never had the occasion to, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Does that mean that if I'm going out caching with a buddy, and I print out my PQ and he prints out his PQ, that we have to hide our printouts from each other?

 

What if he has his PQ loaded into his GPS and I didn't have time to. Is it a violation for me to ask him to share the coordinates with me? NOT THAT I OR ANY OF US HAVE EVER DONE THAT, MIND YOU!

[+Too Tall John]

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.

Never really thought about this phrasing in this way. I can see not being allowed to share with all your non-PM buddies, but what about a family caching trip? Am I violating the part that disallows me to "provide access to the Data" by letting my wife, who is a basic member, use the GPSr I've loaded using PQ data? Technically, yes, if you interpret it the way Keystone is.

 

Back on topic:

 

I really hope this is one of the cool features being promised for the "Friends" feature. The whole being able to see your friends' finds, that is.

Edited December 22, 2007 by Too Tall John

[+trainlove]

There are other ways to plan a caching trip with others that does not violate the http://www.geocaching.com/waypoints/agreement.aspx which must be new, I had thought those words were in http://www.geocaching.com/about/termsofuse.aspx but that must have changed. P.S. There should be a link to the wypoint agreement somewhere in the tou or other places on geocaching.com.

 

A quick search of the forums will show you that you can search for finds by cacherx, download those pages of LOC files. Use that list to exclude caches from your own PQ's of unfound caches. Do so for all members of your party and you are left with caches none of you have found. This is a tedious method, but is totally legal as you are doing all the work and are not sharing anything.

 

Edited to correct one typo and to add another link that's good to know.

http://www.geocaching.com/about/logousage.aspx

Edited December 22, 2007 by trainlove

[Keystone]

The waypoint license agreement was clarified in January 2007 to make it even more apparent than before -- DON'T SHARE POCKET QUERIES. Please see this post from Rothstafari, Groundspeak's legal guru. The intent of the waypoint license agreement has not changed.

 

The waypoint license agreement must be agreed to before you can use the pocket query feature. It is linked from the top of the pocket query page so that it's easy to find it again later if you need to refer to it. That's how I found the page when I did the link and quote in my prior post.

[+trainlove]

The waypoint license agreement was clarified in January 2007 to make it even more apparent than before -- DON'T SHARE POCKET QUERIES. Please see this post from Rothstafari, Groundspeak's legal guru. The intent of the waypoint license agreement has not changed.

 

The waypoint license agreement must be agreed to before you can use the pocket query feature. It is linked from the top of the pocket query page so that it's easy to find it again later if you need to refer to it. That's how I found the page when I did the link and quote in my prior post.

 

Thanks, that's why I coudn't see it, I'm not a Premium Member anymore.

 

And thanks for that link, while editinig my last post I was trying to find that one, I thought that I had suggested sharing PQ's in that link post but it must have been another one.

Gee searching for something a couple months ago is just impossible.

 

Edited to insert the following which took forever to re-find. I knew I had said something like this a while ago.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...=175859&hl=

Edited December 22, 2007 by trainlove

[+Beaverbeliever]

www.keenpeople.com has a tool where you can put in the GPX of unfound caches by multiple people, then it will tell you what caches all the peoples GPX files have NOT found.

[Keystone]

Posting again to note that the keenpeople.com site is NOT licensed to allow the uploading of pocket queries. The "It's Not About the Numbers" is a *licensed* site, where you and your friends can upload "All Finds" queries and compare which cache finds you have in common, all without violating the Waypoint License Agreement.

[+benh57]

Keystone, i seem to recall that this was specifically stated to be 'ok' by TPTB, last year in these here forums. Intent of the law vs letter of the law.

 

The intent of the sharing prohibition is not to prevent people from finding a set of caches to find together, which is all these people are doing. (and whch they have no easy way to do via the site - ITNATN is not a good solution, since it requires GSAK: http://www.itsnotaboutthenumbers.com/compare_gsak.php

[+benh57]

Note that if we are doing strict readings of the text here, then it's also illegal to tell your caching buddy the coordinates of a cache while you are out caching, if he say forgot to download the coords.

 

Anyway, the "caches not found by xxcacher" PQ feature is requested so often, i'm sure it will get added eventually... though it may take quite a while in Groundspeak Time.

[+trainlove]

Keystone, i seem to recall that this was specifically stated to be 'ok' by TPTB, last year in these here forums. Intent of the law vs letter of the law.

 

The intent of the sharing prohibition is not to prevent people from finding a set of caches to find together, which is all these people are doing. (and whch they have no easy way to do via the site - ITNATN is not a good solution, since it requires GSAK: http://www.itsnotaboutthenumbers.com/compare_gsak.php

 

If you are sure that it was stated as such sometime last year then please provide a link to that particular post. Otherwise it's heresay and possibly FALSE information.

 

Other links to useful rules to know which I should have added to the above answers are http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?act=boardrules

http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx

but these have less to do with the matter at hand than either of those 3 other links. And exist in Keystones signature but oh so tiny.

 

Edited to add,

Every time this particular desire is mentioned I ALWAYS see TPTB state the rules and regs. And those rules and regs have been updated since this belief of yours is so prevalent. This issue should be put to bed once and for all time. I.E. The rules and regs should state in particular, no sharing of PQ downloaded files is allowed by any user except those with express permission such as the only one stated as itsallaboutthenumbers.com. Even if the desired prupose of the sharing is to allow 2 or 2000 people to combine found cache lists to create a master list of mutually unfound caches it's still not allowed and as far as I know will never be allowed.

Edited December 27, 2007 by trainlove

[+tozainamboku]

Even if the desired prupose of the sharing is to allow 2 or 2000 people to combine found cache lists to create a master list of mutually unfound caches it's still not allowed and as far as I know will never be allowed.

That's pretty much hearsay and likely FALSE information as well. I know it has been discussed that as part of the friends capability there may be tools to help find caches in a area that have not been found by two or more friends.

 

I don't think TPTB ever explained what their intent in having a no sharing of PQs rule was. However several people, including myself, have speculated that original agreement for PQs seemed to have a loophole that was likely meant to allow sharing by friends to find caches that neither had found. Some have also speculated that the loophole was closed, not because of people sharing pocket queries for this purpose but instead due to people abusing the loophole to get around the limit in the number of caches that could be downloaded using PQs. (For example two premium members sharing pocket queries could get 5000 cache per day instead of 2500 caches each. A third party site wishing to replicate part of the Geocaching.com data base could decide it worth spending $300/mo. to get 25000 caches per day). With the change in the wording of the PQ agreement, I agree that is a moot point and that PQs should not be shared without express permission from Groundspeak. The fact that permission was expressly giving to INATN shows sharing will allowed by Groundspeak when they agree that their interests are protected.

Edited December 28, 2007 by tozainamboku

[Keystone]

There was confusion about the language in the prior version of the Waypoint License Agreement, which caused some readers (especially non-lawyers) to reach the erroneous conclusion that licensed Premium Member A could swap pocket query files with licensed Premium Member B.

[+trainlove]

and as far as I know will never be allowed.

That's pretty much hearsay and likely FALSE information as well. I know it has been discussed that as part of the friends capability there may be tools to help find caches in a area that have not been found by two or more friends.

 

I highlighted the reason that my statement is not heresay. It's a personal belief as to the reasons that TPTB constantly re-affirm that 'sharing' is a violation each and every time that this issue comes up. Firstly it used to be a violation of the TOU but because a lot of people, like you, constantly want to second guess them, the new wpt rules.

 

I hope that they never allow any other use of Pq's besides ITNATN.

 

I fervently hope that they never allow one to select an alternate email address for the "My Finds PQ" which would oh so instantly make such violations much more prevalent, commonplace and bothersome.

[+tozainamboku]

I hope that they never allow any other use of Pq's besides ITNATN.

 

I fervently hope that they never allow one to select an alternate email address for the "My Finds PQ" which would oh so instantly make such violations much more prevalent, commonplace and bothersome.

I hope that they let other sites that provide useful services to geocachers have agreements that allow uploads of PQs. I also hope that Groundspeak adds functionality on their own sites to address issues like the OPs. Perhaps as part of the friends functionality they could provide a PQ which returns caches that I and my friends have not found, or just allow me to see my friends' finds on the Geocaching.com Google map.

 

I hope that they will allow me to send the My Finds PQ to an alternative address like I do all my other PQs. I can't see how allowing alternative email for My Finds would result in PQ sharing violation any more than an alternative email on any other PQ. Maybe I'm missing something

 

As one who gladly pays my premium membership dues, I want to thank trainlove for watching out for all the cheaters who are ripping off Groundspeak so that Grounspeak will be able to keep the cost of premium memberships low

[+trainlove]

I hope that they never allow any other use of Pq's besides ITNATN.

 

I fervently hope that they never allow one to select an alternate email address for the "My Finds PQ" which would oh so instantly make such violations much more prevalent, commonplace and bothersome.

I hope that they let other sites that provide useful services to geocachers have agreements that allow uploads of PQs. I also hope that Groundspeak adds functionality on their own sites to address issues like the OPs. Perhaps as part of the friends functionality they could provide a PQ which returns caches that I and my friends have not found, or just allow me to see my friends' finds on the Geocaching.com Google map.

 

I hope that they will allow me to send the My Finds PQ to an alternative address like I do all my other PQs. I can't see how allowing alternative email for My Finds would result in PQ sharing violation any more than an alternative email on any other PQ. Maybe I'm missing something

 

As one who gladly pays my premium membership dues, I want to thank trainlove for watching out for all the cheaters who are ripping off Groundspeak so that Grounspeak will be able to keep the cost of premium memberships low

 

Well, if TPTB did implement something like this on the geocaching.com site then there would be no, or almost no, need for then to constantly have to chide people for wanting to violate the rules that almost nobody has actually read.

 

Will it be somehow implemented into the My Friends un-feature? I hope not, I wouldn't want to have to send out friends requests each time I want to plan a caching trip. I wouldn't want My Friends list to be cluttered up with the hundreds of friends I hang out with, some much more than others. If one were able to see how many friends someone has then perhaps that feature will only encourage more numbers grubbing and not be used for its intended feature whatever that is or was.

 

As for sending the My Finds PQ to an alternate, well that's one thing, but I can't think of a reason for someone to want to send a regular PQ to someone else. Actually, well the only reason i can think here is a total violation of the reason for having Premium Memberships in the first place. If one acted as a clearing house for lots of 'friends' then how would anything ever get done for all us who use geocaching.com.

 

No reason to send such=no need to violate the rules,

 

every reason to want to send MFPQ=the very reason people are violating the existing rules.