Benchmark Hunting-only website

[CoyoteTrust]

Disclaimer: I did a few keyword searches and didn't come up with much, then did a half-arsed scan of all the threads but got lazy. So I apologize if this has been covered before and ask that no one jumps on me -- 'cause I don't deal with hurt feelings too well.

 

Has anyone ever contacted Groundspeak in ref. to creating a website that is dedicated solely to survey mark hunting? Meaning: it would be like the GC website -- or like an off-shoot site (as is Waymarking). A few years ago I met Mr. Jeremy at the Garmin store in Chicago; I dropped a hint/casually mentioned the idea. However I truly believe we didn't get far in the convo because another cacher was too excited to meet "The Man" and thus interrupted us.

 

Now playing devil's advocate of sorts: is there really a need for an off-shoot site?

 

Thoughts? Comments?

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

I am not being smart but we have that here don't we.

We are GEOCAC at the NGS.

Maybe a quick search on that.

 

I would like to see one of the GEOCAC Benchmarks atop Bedrock Mountian.

 

Anyway welcome we won't bite to hard.

[Bill93]

I don't understand the distinction. This looks like an offshoot site to me.

[+PFF]

If you access this portion of the server using "www.geocaching.com/mark", it behaves exactly as it would if it were a stand-alone website. I don't see what would be gained by doing something like Waymarking.COM. And the fact that we have links here, and on Waymarking.com, to the "nearest" benchmark or geocache, demonstrates the interaction between different aspects of the hobby.

 

Meanwhile, there are many geocaches located at or near benchmarks. Often, this results in a geocacher's first contact with a benchmark. Many of our avid benchmark hunters were introduced to survey markers by just such an experience.

 

The only thing we're looking for, at present, is UPDATES! The data base here is ten years old. But as I understand it, that's not related to our sharing space on the server.

 

Also keep in mind that there are many, many more geocachers than there are benchmark hunters. We benefit by having the expenses spread among all users. It doesn't seem fair for the smallest group of users to request a special favor, especially in view of the "little or no" benefit which would result.

 

-Paul-

[kayakbird]

I would like to see a simple, build as we go, data base for published NONPID points. I have 88 MORC'S (Army reports) and 5 PLN's (Special Publication #18) that were fun to find using old hard copy information.

 

I just about have a Excel spread sheet for all 450 or so MORC points in Montana ready for publication if anyone would like a copy. MEL

[Difficult Run]

One of our regulars has done just that:

Benchmark Viewer

 

It's THE best!

~ Mitch ~

[foxtrot_xray]

I think the OP was referring to something 'similar' to Geocaching here, but with an updated database and more features towards the marks. (Are GPX files still not an option for stations in GC.com's database?)

 

The *ONLY* benefit I could see to a site like that is the ability to import stations from other agencies, like USGS, Corps Engineers, TVA, etc.

 

However, the downside - mainly the fact that many 'regular' B hunders here are also geocachers - wouldn't visit a different site.

 

IMHO, not worth it.

[foxtrot_xray]

One of our regulars has done just that:

Benchmark Viewer

 

It's THE best!

~ Mitch ~

 

..Naah. My GE plugin is the best.

 

(And that's tongue-in-cheek, as I use both just as frequently. )

[+Black Dog Trackers]

I see no advantage for any further separation of benchmarking from geocaching.

 

The programming of benchmark logging, searching for benchmarks, and listing of benchmarks is already sufficiently independent of the programming of the analogous geocaching functions and works is fine as is.

 

Any ideas like doing a better import of benchmark data (like including the box score), getting annual NGS updates pasted somehow onto the GC benchmarks database, or any other such improvements is therefore a different matter, independent of whether or not there is some kind of 'offshoot' separation from geocaching.

[+billwallace]

...

..Naah. My GE plugin is the best. .......

Gets my vote for general purpose and ease of use - it's the first thing I fire up.

[foxtrot_xray]

...

..Naah. My GE plugin is the best. .......

Gets my vote for general purpose and ease of use - it's the first thing I fire up.

His does one thing that GE can't do - and that's let the user download GPX/datasheets. This is handy when you're like me, and forget to bring along your HD with all of them available and you're in a new area.

 

The GE one is meant for more overview of an area, less ability to plan a trip or organize said marks on the map.

 

Back OT - IMHO, I'd love to see the USGS stations to be included - but I believe that they don't even have an internal database for them, so that ain't gonna happen soon. :/

[+billwallace]

Back OT -........

I agree with previous posts, There is already a seperate forum and logging section specific to benchmarking and Waymarking seems to be a perfect place to log anything not in GC.com and there are plenty of other fairly easy ways to get up to date datasheets. From the benchmark gallery it looks like there are an awful lot of cachers out there finding benchmarks using the gc.com site. So I guess I don't see the need to expend the resources. Sometimes less is more - GC benchmarking not having a thousand different features provides impetus for all those other cool tools that have been written that we get to use to tailor our searches and visualizations just the way we want them.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I benchmark because it is on gc.com. If it were somewhere else, I wouldn't bother. Especially a completely useless site like WhyBotherMarking. Okay. I logged one find there, and listed a Population Center benchmark there (only as a favor. It has had one find! Boring!)

Nope. I'm happy here. (Depending on how they fix the incredibly bad update...)

[+agentmancuso]

..a completely useless site like WhyBotherMarking. .

 

I liked that.

 

Of course in the UK benchmarking is completely separate from Groundspeak, and even further divided itself between trigonomy and levelling. But I'd agree that separation tends to lead to one activity predominating for most users.

[CoyoteTrust]

Thanks for all the input. That concludes my study.