Benchmark reports on Geocaching littered with inaccuracies by users

[cesariojpn]

I have no way to properly start this. I'm just shocked that Geocaching is rife with inaccurate benchmark reports and people keep on throwing out false reports when given the facts straight on.

 

Case in point: http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=TU3081

 

There are three notes (one is mine) that has listed the main mark of the station as destroyed. Even the datasheet notes the main mark is gone and only the RM's exist. I did attempt to locate RM1 cause most of the list only notes RM2 and calls it a day without "looking" for the other marks.

 

Yet, people still report inaccurate info when someone says otherwise. A few days ago one user lists the mark as found and only found one of the three BM's listed for the station. It doesn't quite help that the RM is used as part of a virtual geocache. And the user posted over my lengthy report!!

 

Another example:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=TU2875

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=TU2862

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=TU3486

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=TU3485

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=TU2881

 

It appears that one BM disc is being widely thrown about thru 5 different PID's. WTH?

 

And another: http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=TU2861

 

Apparently, people are mistaking an unknown Department of the Interior BM disc for the much older marker which seems to be almost hard to spot without looking for it thoroughly.

 

I'm abit saddened that a fun hobby is being marred by such false info and encourages reckless behavior. There has to be a way to fix the mess of people not reading the info correctly and prevent folks from listing the wrong marks/info. I mean, if i'm bound by the spirit of the disclaimers on the site to not put myself into legal or mortal danger while looking for geocaches and benchmarks, shouldn't that apply to making inaccurate reports as well?

Edited October 1, 2012 by cesariojpn

[AZcachemeister]

Welcome to the Benchmarking world!

 

Sadly, this is nothing new. People log whatever they like, correct or not. People post logs stating the triangulation station is in the wrong spot because their GPS says it should be over there. People find a disk, do a search, and log the nearest benchmark...even if that benchmark is 2 miles from where they found something.

 

Some of us would like to see these erroneous logs deleted, but there is (and likely never will be) a mechanism to do that. We have volunteers on standby ready to do the job, but Groundspeak apparently isn't interested.

 

EDITED for speeling.

Edited October 1, 2012 by AZcachemeister

[foxtrot_xray]

yeah, unfortunately, not new. If you search in the forum here, you'll find dozens of topics already covering this.

 

Edit: Honestly, however, I'd rather the erroneous reports go HERE, rather than NGS! ..you know, if I had a choice.

Edited October 1, 2012 by foxtrot_xray

[ArtMan]

As noted, this is an old problem that mainly afflicts benchmarks located in plain sight near a popular geocache. And as AZcachemeister notes, it's just something we'll have to live with.

 

-ArtMan-

[kayakbird]

Still the best one - "best" because no one else has 'BOGUS' logged it since it was properly recovered in 2010; and at least one bad log was deleted.

 

NOT NEAR HIGH VOLTAGE

HIGH VOLTAGE cache is somewhere near the left horizon - maybe just off photo - 2.4 miles away! kayakbird

[cesariojpn]

Well, at least I had a good vent. But still, wish some of these folks can just be bothered to READ the frelling info. If they can be bothered to follow the directions to a geocache, they sure as hell can be bothered to read the page in it's entirety.

 

Edit: Honestly, however, I'd rather the erroneous reports go HERE, rather than NGS! ..you know, if I had a choice.

 

Oddly enough, I've already found one that was reported to the NGS and put onto the datasheet wrong. Yes, I reported it.

 

The datasheet says nothing was found (by a GPS group?).

 

I looked about several hundred feet in a different direction and found it and one of the landmarks listed.

[AZcachemeister]

I have almost certainly posted 'Not Found' recovery notes to the NGS when indeed the mark is still there.

Someone with better intuition or even more determination could perhaps easily find them.

As well, some of my finds were previously not found by the NGS! (people actually being paid to find them)

 

Unfortunately, opening this activity up to mere mortals allows the possibility of honest mistakes, as well as 'what the heck were they thinking' moments.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Oh, I take a lot of pride in logging finds on benchmarks not found by NGS! Not so much on those not found by NJGS. (Yeah. Right!)

But, photographs are not required to log a benchmark. And there exists no way to purge obviously incorrect logs. Which is unfortunate. But that is the nature of the beast. Unfortunately. Yes, you found P 123 Reset. That is not P 123. That church was torn down in 1953. The steeple you see is not the benchmark. And it's one block north. Not to mention the more egregious errors. Tidal mark 1027-03 is not Kearny 2. Not even close. RM2 is not the same as the benchmark

But that's the way the system is set up. And we have to deal with it.

I wish photos were required, and that there were some review process. But there aren't. And we have to deal with that. Oh, well. I'm happy that benchmarks (prior to 2000) are available here for me to hunt!

[+Ernmark]

Here's one that I just ran across today: OG0992

 

DESCRIBED BY INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION 1941 (JGH) ON THE DECK OF THE RAINBOW ARCH BRIDGE ACROSS THE NIAGARA RIVER BETWEEN NIAGARA FALLS, NY, AND NIAGARA FALLS, ONT. THE STATION IS ON THE RAISED CURB SECTION THAT SEPARATES THE EAST - BOUND TRAFFIC FROM THE WEST - BOUND TRAFFIC, ABOUT 145 FEET WESTERLY FROM THE EASTERN OR UNITED STATES END OF THE ARCH SPAN. IT IS 4.25 FEET WESTERLY FROM THE CENTER LINE OF THE FOURTH MANHOLE FROM THE UNITED STATES END OF THE SPAN, AND 0.58 FOOT FROM THE NORTH EDGE OF THE CURB. THE LINE---RAINBOW-ARCH---IS PARALLEL WITH THE CENTER LINE OF THE BRIDGE. STATION MARK, AN IBC STANDARD BRONZE - DISK STATION MARK SET FLUSH WITH THE SURFACE IN A DRILL HOLE IN THE CONCRETE.

 

Then there's this one: JV5574

 

A little tougher - but a clear read of the references + the adjusted coordinates proves that the original mark is gone. Unfortunately one of our own submitted a 'good' report to NGS after finding the cross on the SW side about 150' away..