Benchmarks at REI stores

[+santacarver]

I noticed there is a benchmark marker in front of my local REI store. I could not find it in the benchmark database on geocaching.com. Are these legitimate markers and if so, how do we add them to the database?

[+Pork King]

I noticed there is a benchmark marker in front of my local REI store. I could not find it in the benchmark database on geocaching.com. Are these legitimate markers and if so, how do we add them to the database?

 

The database on geocaching.com is a 'snapshot' of the NGS database taken in 2000. There could be any number of reasons it isn't listed. It may not have been entered by NGS until after 2000, or it could be a survey mark placed by local surveyers for their own purposes...

[+LSUFan]

This explanation is taken from the FAQ section about benchmarking on gc.com and may expand a little bit more what Tim said above.

 

I found a benchmark, but it isn't in the database. Why?

 

To answer this question, you need to understand a bit about what "the database" is. The database used by Geocaching.com is a copy (from around 2000) of the database that NGS maintains. Although the NGS database has lots of marks in it, it does not have them all. In order for a mark to get into NGS's database, it has to go through a process known as "bluebooking" which ensures the disk meets the minimum requirements to be of geodetic quality (aka the highest quality possible). The NGS is not the only organization that creates and uses benchmarks and other types of control markers. In order for any mark to get "in the database" they must be "bluebooked", which can take a lot of time and effort and is often not done to save money. Remember, even though some marks might not be in the database, they are still highly important, both to businesses and to individual citizens such as your neighbors, so please treat them with respect, while enjoying the thrill of the hunt. We'll try to find other databases and add them to the site as well. If you have access to one of these databases and would like to submit it to Groundspeak, contact us.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/

[glorkar]

REI benchmarks

That is a link to an article talking about the woman that makes replica benchmark disks. She has contracted with REI to provide benchmarks for each store that opens.

Edited June 30, 2010 by glorkar

[+Kewaneh & Shark]

Every REI store I've been in has a benchmark just outside the front doors. It's just something they do. They are not listed in the NGS database.

[Wintertime]

I wasn't surprised to see a marker outside the Mountain View (California) REI store when it opened a few years ago, but I was surprised when I later discovered another one indoors! It's near the display case for GPS units, natch.

 

Patty

[+Klemmer]

Ditto for one REI store in SoCal (Arcadia). Outside only (that I have found!). Still looking for one at the Santa Ana store, where I go more often. Guess I'm going to have to talk to the manager about the deficiency...