Geocahing with Bing

[+Arrow42]

Today I decided that it was time to get familiar with Bing. I've had a few people ask my opinion about the "decision engine" and I figured it was time to check it out. It didn't take long to notice that Bing has a "Bing Maps" feature similar to that of Google maps. I decided to give it a spin.

 

Apparently Bing maps has support for uploading GPX files. That sure made me excited. I quickly dug into my e-mail, grabbed my most recent area PQ and loaded it up and learned a few things:

 

1. File size is limited to 2mb.

 

Doh. Ok, so lets find a smaller PQ... ok, so I loaded one from a recent trip. Only 300 caches and less then 2mb. Then I found out...

 

2. Bing will only import 200 waypoints per "collection".

 

Damnit. Ok, so I have 200 of my 300 waypoints loaded. Fair enough. Lets see how much information it shows.

 

3. Bing only shows GC ID, Name, Type and d/t.

4. Bing doesn't link to GC.com in any way.

 

Ok, so it looks like Bing is fairly useless for geocaching... oh well, the map does look nice.

 

Here's some screen shots:

 

Edited June 28, 2009 by Arrow42

[+Arrow42]

I'm sorry, this should not have been in this forum. I could have sworn I was in "geocaching topics". Can a friendly moderator move it when you get a chance?

[+Sukachoook]

I was checking out the maps on Bing today also. We were invited to a pool party, but the invitation didn't have the physical street address. I was able to find the location on the bing map, but how do I find the GPS coordinates so I can put them into my Garmin to get me to the location (so I can go paperless)?

[+Arrow42]

I was checking out the maps on Bing today also. We were invited to a pool party, but the invitation didn't have the physical street address. I was able to find the location on the bing map, but how do I find the GPS coordinates so I can put them into my Garmin to get me to the location (so I can go paperless)?

 

I'm looking around and I just don't see any way to get coords from Bing.

[knowschad]

I was checking out the maps on Bing today also. We were invited to a pool party, but the invitation didn't have the physical street address. I was able to find the location on the bing map, but how do I find the GPS coordinates so I can put them into my Garmin to get me to the location (so I can go paperless)?

 

I'm looking around and I just don't see any way to get coords from Bing.

 

Of course, the "birds-eye" views (same as the old "Life" maps) are an awesome geocaching tool, where they exist.

[+nekom]

I find that the birds eye view has pretty good coverage here, even in outlying areas. Also even their satellite images appear far more recent and crisper than Google's, at least in my area. Very useful seeing the lay of the land before setting out. I'll stick with Google Earth and it's geocaching KML (greatest thing since sliced bread) for my cache planning though.

[+Jeep4two]

I was checking out the maps on Bing today also. We were invited to a pool party, but the invitation didn't have the physical street address. I was able to find the location on the bing map, but how do I find the GPS coordinates so I can put them into my Garmin to get me to the location (so I can go paperless)?

 

Google Earth

[+Stunod]

I was checking out the maps on Bing today also. We were invited to a pool party, but the invitation didn't have the physical street address. I was able to find the location on the bing map, but how do I find the GPS coordinates so I can put them into my Garmin to get me to the location (so I can go paperless)?

 

Right-click the location on the map and select "center map here".

Then click the SHARE link above the map.

 

You will find the coordinates (in decimal degree format) in the URL supplied.

[+Castle Mischief]

I find that the birds eye view has pretty good coverage here, even in outlying areas. Also even their satellite images appear far more recent and crisper than Google's, at least in my area. Very useful seeing the lay of the land before setting out. I'll stick with Google Earth and it's geocaching KML (greatest thing since sliced bread) for my cache planning though.

 

I thought they discontinued support for the .KML?

[knowschad]

Slightly off-topic, but does anybody know if they named the site after the cherry or the crooner?

[+gof1]

I find that the birds eye view has pretty good coverage here, even in outlying areas. Also even their satellite images appear far more recent and crisper than Google's, at least in my area. Very useful seeing the lay of the land before setting out. I'll stick with Google Earth and it's geocaching KML (greatest thing since sliced bread) for my cache planning though.

 

I thought they discontinued support for the .KML?

 

You don't need the KML to look at an area in GE. You just won't see the caches. That is unless you drop a pq in there yourself. Still not as useful as the kml feature was.

[+9Key]

www.boulter.com/gps will give you the coordinates of any clicked point on a map in several different formats. Used Google though, not Bing.

[+Jeepster++]

Slightly off-topic, but does anybody know if they named the site after the cherry or the crooner?

According to Wikipedia,

"The word "bing" is an onomatopoeia, a word that imitates the sound it represents. Through focus groups Microsoft decided that the name Bing was memorable, short, easy to spell, and that it would function well as a URL around the world. The word would remind people of the sound made during the moment of discovery and decision making."

[knowschad]

Slightly off-topic, but does anybody know if they named the site after the cherry or the crooner?

According to Wikipedia,

"The word "bing" is an onomatopoeia, a word that imitates the sound it represents. Through focus groups Microsoft decided that the name Bing was memorable, short, easy to spell, and that it would function well as a URL around the world. The word would remind people of the sound made during the moment of discovery and decision making."

 

In other words, Microsoft was looking for a word like "Google", right? BingO!

[mtneergeocacher]

I've tried using Bing for stuff like this - I checked it out and it's really (obviously) the same map format as Windows Live Maps. While I did find it prettier and crisper than Google Maps, it lacks the same functionality and ease of use.

 

I was just about to say that I would have thought that 'Bing' comes from the sound. haha. It does seem like they were trying to mimic Google a bit doesn't it?

[+C@H]

I find that the birds eye view has pretty good coverage here, even in outlying areas. Also even their satellite images appear far more recent and crisper than Google's, at least in my area. Very useful seeing the lay of the land before setting out. I'll stick with Google Earth and it's geocaching KML (greatest thing since sliced bread) for my cache planning though.

 

I thought they discontinued support for the .KML?

 

You don't need the KML to look at an area in GE. You just won't see the caches. That is unless you drop a pq in there yourself. Still not as useful as the kml feature was.

 

also the kml network link

[+nekom]

The google earth KML seems to be working for me still. In addition to that, they also have a USGS topo map KML.

 

Live maps (or Bing now I guess they're calling it) is no replacement for google earth in any way shape or form, BUT it is a very useful tool in its own right.

[+famleigh]

i love the aerial photos love to circle around a cache to see what i am in for. It may not alow for more than 200 WP's but seeing the site from 100 feet off the ground is priceless.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I was checking out the maps on Bing today also. We were invited to a pool party, but the invitation didn't have the physical street address. I was able to find the location on the bing map, but how do I find the GPS coordinates so I can put them into my Garmin to get me to the location (so I can go paperless)?

 

I'm looking around and I just don't see any way to get coords from Bing.

 

Of course, the "birds-eye" views (same as the old "Life" maps) are an awesome geocaching tool, where they exist.

 

With an emphasis on "where they exist". I have found lots of areas, typically areas outside cities and towns that provide more interesting cache locations, that a zoom level for geocaching is not sufficient. Start looking outside the U.S. and there are huge areas when the maximum zoom level won't even allow you to identify a building.

 

Edited to add that I read a blog post yesterday that indicated that Apple might replace their Google search/maps with Bing. I'd rather see the Google navigation app that's available on the Droid ported to the iPhone but I don't think that's going to happen. I'd also like to see a geocaches Layar for the Layar augmented reality browser done, but that would require access to the Groundspeak API.

Edited January 22, 2010 by NYPaddleCacher

[+Ambrosia]

Slightly off-topic, but does anybody know if they named the site after the cherry or the crooner?

 

It's probably a sound. You know, like the machine that goes, "PING"! Or in this case, "BING"!

[knowschad]

Slightly off-topic, but does anybody know if they named the site after the cherry or the crooner?

 

It's probably a sound. You know, like the machine that goes, "PING"! Or in this case, "BING"!

I was hoping you'd say they named it after the cherry. Then I was gonna make some terrible pun about it being the pits. Oh well...

[+Ambrosia]

Slightly off-topic, but does anybody know if they named the site after the cherry or the crooner?

 

It's probably a sound. You know, like the machine that goes, "PING"! Or in this case, "BING"!

I was hoping you'd say they named it after the cherry. Then I was gonna make some terrible pun about it being the pits. Oh well...

 

I know, the cherry sounded nice, but I couldn't pass up a chance to say, "BING"! (and you have to say it, out loud, in the proper voice ).

 

OTOH, I come from the area that produces the most sweet cherries in the world. So I guess I need to stick with cherries in the end. But I'm rather partial to Vans or Rainiers, not Bings.

[+bittsen]

I know, the cherry sounded nice, but I couldn't pass up a chance to say, "BING"! (and you have to say it, out loud, in the proper voice ).

 

OTOH, I come from the area that produces the most sweet cherries in the world. So I guess I need to stick with cherries in the end. But I'm rather partial to Vans or Rainiers, not Bings.

 

Google comes from a scientific term used to describe a numbe of 1 with 100 zeroes after it. And then there is the google complex that is a bit larger as it's 1 with 100 zeroes set to the power of 1 with 100 zeroes.

 

To give you an idea, google is 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 

And google complex is 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000¹ºººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººº

 

BING is just a sound similar to a DING but "ding.com" was taken already, hence "bing.com" was used for the "decision engine" which isn't any better than google or yahoo.

 

BUT, Queen Anne cherries are the best.

[+Ambrosia]

Interesting!

 

But, we'll just have to agree to disagree about the cherries.

Edited January 23, 2010 by Ambrosia

[+Team Cotati]

Slightly off-topic, but does anybody know if they named the site after the cherry or the crooner?

 

Bada

[+DragonsWest]

I know, the cherry sounded nice, but I couldn't pass up a chance to say, "BING"! (and you have to say it, out loud, in the proper voice ).

 

OTOH, I come from the area that produces the most sweet cherries in the world. So I guess I need to stick with cherries in the end. But I'm rather partial to Vans or Rainiers, not Bings.

 

Google comes from a scientific term used to describe a numbe of 1 with 100 zeroes after it. And then there is the google complex that is a bit larger as it's 1 with 100 zeroes set to the power of 1 with 100 zeroes.

 

To give you an idea, google is 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 

And google complex is 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000¹ºººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººº

 

BING is just a sound similar to a DING but "ding.com" was taken already, hence "bing.com" was used for the "decision engine" which isn't any better than google or yahoo.

 

BUT, Queen Anne cherries are the best.

 

If you had but Googled you would find the word you were looking for is Googol. I thinke the Google founders were playing on the phonetic similarity, though, to highlight a very large amount of pages/information could be searched by their search engine - so they had a Googleplex rather than a Googolplex. Google has by now become a verb, that is, to search for something is to google it.

 

Microsoft, yet again, has something with a few very pretty features, yet misses the boat by a very long pier. I wish they would focus on bulletproof operating systems rather than trying to barge into everyone else's markets where they just don't get it.

 

The name Bing is a weird choice, too. As Bing Crosby isn't dead long enough for everyone to forget him and as a sound effect, usually those are capitalized , as in BING, not Bing.

 

They'll get a bunch of the features you are looking for right about the time Google have done something else insanely innovative (like buy up Groundspeak

[robertlipe]

Page and Brin actually meant to register the number, but the guy they trusted to register the domain misspelled/mistyped it.

 

http://hubpages.com/hub/Google---The-160-billion-typo-error

[+Lonewolf_Geocaching]

Here is some trivia on Bing mapping that i have noticed.

 

Bing is used on the iPhone Geocaching App. You can save the map for offline viewing. There is an option to change to Google maps but you can't save them in the app. So most people run with Bing maps when saving the cache to favourites.

 

So although Google is better. Bing still has some important functions.

[+Lonewolf_Geocaching]

Here is some trivia on Bing mapping that i have noticed.

 

Bing is used on the iPhone Geocaching App. You can save the map for offline viewing. There is an option to change to Google maps but you can't save them in the app. So most people run with Bing maps when saving the cache to favourites.

 

So although Google is better. Bing still has some important functions.

 

Oh! Bing is also the only source of free OS mapping at 1:25000

[mtbikernate]

Here is bing for my university. This is as good as it gets.

sfa_bing by mtbikernate, on Flickr

 

And here is a similar zoom level for Google. You can zoom a couple more levels and still have functional imagery with this.

sfa_google by mtbikernate, on Flickr

 

Which one do you think I use?

Edited April 15, 2011 by mtbikernate

[mresoteric]

Nevermind - deleted

Edited April 15, 2011 by mresoteric

[+Lonewolf_Geocaching]

 

Which one do you think I use?

 

The answer is simple in America it is google maps all the way. When I am there google mapping helps a lot. I live just on the shore of Lake Houston,TX. Here the area is still slowly developing. Google updates more frequently and that is a lot better when you looking at new construction. Which is just as well because proper American TOPO maps are terrible to look at and never in date.

 

However back in the UK. Bing has it hands down!

 

There is different map layers shown here. It will give you a look at os mapping at 1:25000. These are worth just under $5000 but are show here completely free of charge.

Edited April 17, 2011 by Lonewolf_Geocaching

[mtbikernate]

 

Which one do you think I use?

Which is just as well because proper American TOPO maps are terrible to look at and never in date.

 

Have you looked at the new digital USTopo maps? Availability for them is a little spotty because they are still being developed. However, that said, the ones that are made (and Texas has been completed already) are VERY good.