Release Notes (Website: New Search Map) - April 25, 2019

[+Geocaching HQ]

Release Notes (Website: New Search Map) - April 25, 2019

With today’s release, we are retiring the old Search map. All search traffic will direct to the new Search map.

Here’s a quick summary of what to look forward to with the new Search Map:

• Map filters and sorting accessible right from the map.
• We switched from raster tiles to vector tiles. (These are the tiles that power our map.) A benefit to implementing vector tiles is that they provide future flexibility with respect to styles, features, and attributes.
• Filter by cache type, difficulty and terrain ratings, size, cache status, has corrected coordinates, geocache name keyword search, not found by, hidden by, and minimum Favorite points all from the new side panel on the map.
• When hovering over a cache in the side list panel, the location of the cache is highlighted on the map.
• Filter by geocaches included in a GeoTour.
• Default sort is by distance (near to far). You can also choose to sort by Favorite points, difficulty, terrain, size, found date, and placed date.
• Collapse the side panel for full-screen map viewing.
• As you pan the map, a new “Search this area” button will appear to fire off a new search.
• View the event date in the cache preview list for Event Caches.
• Right click on any cache pin to quickly log the cache, add to a List, download GPX, or open the cache details in a new tab.
• Select only specific caches from the side list panel and add them to a List* all at once.
• Search the world – This removes all location constraints from your search. For example, “Show me all of the Webcam Caches worldwide.”

We offer two mapping experiences, each can be bookmarked in your web browser for quick and easy access:

• Search Map: search-driven experience
  https://www.geocaching.com/play/map
   
• Browse Map: browse experience
  https://www.geocaching.com/map/  
   

Here are the details:

New toggle added to the New Search Map

We realize that there are times when you just want to browse, pan and zoom around the map for inspiration for your caching outing. In these situations, you can browse for caches by clicking the “Browse geocaches” button on the Search Map. Clicking this button takes you to the Browse Map.

 

 

New toggle added to the Browse Map

Likewise, while browsing, you may wish to search for an explicit location. Click the “Search geocaches” button on the Browse Map to head back to the new Search Map.

 

 

Mapping from the Cache Details page:

• With today’s update, when you select “View Larger Map” from the Cache Details page, the new Search map will open and the cache will display as a highlighted pin. 
• The Cache Details preview pane will also open.

 

 

In summary, with today’s release, the experience for all users will be:

• You will be directed to the new Search map from the following places:
  • The logged-in home page, perform a Search and map your results.
  • The logged-in home page, click “Geocaching Map”.
  • The website header menu, select “Play” > “View Map”.
  • Cache Details pages, click the “View Larger Map”.
• From Cache Details pages, when selecting “View Larger Map,” the cache will display with a highlighted pin and the Cache Details Preview pane will open on the new Search map. 
• You will be able to access the Browse map from the new Search map (via the “Browse geocaches” button). You will also be able to access the new Search map from the Browse map with this same type of toggle.

 

Brendan W. (brendanjw), Senior Product Manager, is watching this thread to answer questions whenever possible.

 

Any posts in this thread should relate to features in this upcoming release. Comments unrelated to the release may be removed. Please direct unrelated comments to other appropriate threads. Thanks!

[+dprovan]

What can we say? 100% of the comments on the warning announcement thread begged you to not change all the links to the browse map, and you did anyway. Why did you bother if you weren't going to pay attention to feedback? Anyway, I checked all the links, and they're all going to the map that doesn't do what I want, just in case you somehow thought we'd feel differently once we actually experienced it.

[+arisoft]

7 minutes ago, dprovan said:

What can we say? 100% of the comments on the warning announcement thread begged you to not change all the links to the browse map, and you did anyway. Why did you bother if you weren't going to pay attention to feedback? Anyway, I checked all the links, and they're all going to the map that doesn't do what I want, just in case you somehow thought we'd feel differently once we actually experienced it.

 

My bookmarked link to the Browse Map at my home coordinates is still working as usually. It is my main tool for browsing so I am not affected by the change at all. Is it possible that you could try the same solution? A link like this one https://www.geocaching.com/map/#?ll=32.314584,-64.808145&z=12

[+Viajero Perdido]

On the Browse Map there are two pieces of text:

• Search for Geocaches
• Search geocaches

that do different things.  It might be confusing.

 

"More search options"?

"Full Search Map"?

[+The A-Team]

58 minutes ago, arisoft said:

My bookmarked link to the Browse Map at my home coordinates is still working as usually. It is my main tool for browsing so I am not affected by the change at all. Is it possible that you could try the same solution? A link like this one https://www.geocaching.com/map/#?ll=32.314584,-64.808145&z=12

Users shouldn't need to rely on bookmarks. The feedback in the other discussion was pretty clear: people wanted a link directly to the browse map, and that feedback was ignored. It's now a two-step process to get to the map we use the most often, or we're forced to use workarounds like bookmarks.

 

I have a lot more to say about this change and the process that led to it (very little of it good), but I'll post that in another discussion to keep this one on-topic.

[+_Galactic]

It would be nice if the 'browse' option could be chosen (maybe in profile settings?) to be on by default, as nearly all of the replies to the pre-release post said they preferred that. I'll probably keep using that as it's features are more useful to me, but without a direct link it's just another step before we all can grab some caches.  The search map still has it's good uses, I just use browse well over 9 out of 10 times.

Edited April 25, 2019 by _Galactic

[+thebruce0]

I'll add my point again: If there's no search context, the default should be the Browse map. If there is search context (eg, implying a type, distance from center, owner) then the Search map makes more sense. Defaulting all map links to the Search method is not optimal.

 

I can sort of get the thumbnail View on Map link going to the Search map - if the point is to show the cache details in the sidebar. But, we have all the cache details on the page we just linked from.  Every time I've used the map view link from a cache listing, it's been browse the vicinity without need of additional filter options.

 

I would once again suggest giving those vague contexts some manner of choosing the map - ie, the different between Browse map from here and Search nearby caches from here, or something of the sort.  Make use of the those two words to make it clear the distinction between the two map functions!

 

 

If the general "Play > Map" link must go to the Search Map, then I very much agree with the suggestion to make the default map (when having no search parameter context) a profile option.

[+Lynx Humble]

I am wondering why this section of the forum exist if Groundspeak doesn't even care to listen to the flaws we present them and don't respond to the topic after the original message.

 

The only reason I am premium is because of the restriction of the free app. Not because Groundspeak is doing a good job.

[+two bison]

.

Edited April 26, 2019 by two bison

[+thebruce0]

Just now, two bison said:

Just had an opportunity to use the new maps. Tedious for what I was trying to do. The maps are no longer useful for seaching an area. Move the map and you have to "search this area" ... repeatedly. Clearly you folks don't care about the quality of the experience of caching otherwise you'd've listened to the folks asking for the Browse Maps. 

 

The browse map is still available - blowing the situation out of proportion won't help. We still have the browse map, our issue is that it's been relegated 2nd to the search map. The search map has it benefits and strengths, just as the browse map. For now, I recommend just using the button in the upper right to go to the Browse map, or bookmark it to go there directly.

We all love the Browse map here, but let's not make the mistake - it is still in fullly capable functionality.

[+TheLimeCat]

It seems to me that Groundspeak believes that I enjoy clicking additional buttons, so they've begun adding them whenever possible. Now I have to click an additional button every time I want to use the map and another one when I want to change the map type. Ditto to the above responses, however, I do typically access my map tool from my google home page, so no problems there. That said, I do really like the fullscreen feature and the search tools would be an excellent addition if they weren't the default. My one gripe would be that the total number of caches displayed at a single time is relatively small, but I assume there is some good reason for this limitation. I also enjoy being able to hover over caches from a distance and be shown the cache type and found status, though I'm not sure how important that is. 

Edited April 26, 2019 by TheLimeCat

[+arisoft]

There is no tehnical or visual reasons to bring caches to the posted coordinates on the Search Map when I select this filter.

[+Optimist on the run]

Please give us the option to have the browse map by default. The quick ability to map a PQ is invaluable, and what I use the most.

 

[+Optimist on the run]

For comparison, here's a couple of screen shots of the area show my series of caches. One is far more detailed than the other. Do GS really expect us to believe that the new one is better?

 

[+dprovan]

28 minutes ago, Optimist on the run said:

Please give us the option to have the browse map by default. The quick ability to map a PQ is invaluable, and what I use the most.

Normally I'd support an option as a compromise, but so far no one has asked for the search map to be the default, so I see no justification for providing the option.

 

10 hours ago, arisoft said:

My bookmarked link to the Browse Map at my home coordinates is still working as usually.

My private link to the general map still works, of course. What's broken now is the "view larger map" link (or the special US only link attached to the "In" text) that now jump to the search page when I always want to browse with the current cache at the center. Yeah, sure, I can ignore all the other links scattered around the website that now take me to the wrong map, but I see no reason to accept that "solution" when no one wants it the way it is now.

[+bajjab]

I think, I found a bug:

If I klick on the crosshair-symbol, the browser ask me to allow giving my location. If i deny, the map jumps top a random location (instead of staying where it is). It didn't stop searching for the location.

[+netnap]

"View Map" should open the browse map directly to switch off own and founds and to choose queries immediately. For all other applications the search routine is sufficient.

[+lodgebarn]

Click, click, click, click is what happens every time I use a map to remove my hides and finds. Sure it is good to see them sometimes but I am convinced the defaults should be OFF. Surely anybody who wants to find caches does this, especially around their common caching area? Why is this sot of usability issue not picked up in the dev/test phase?

 

Secondly I suggest this manifestly incorrect default options actually increases server loads.

Edited April 26, 2019 by lodgebarn

[+Bean & Sprout]

Blurgh. I opted out of the trial as the new map is useless for me. Now, despite numerous calls not to change the default map, you’ve done it anyway! Great customer service, not!

[+Go catch]

2 hours ago, bajjab said:

I think, I found a bug:

If I klick on the crosshair-symbol, the browser ask me to allow giving my location. If i deny, the map jumps top a random location (instead of staying where it is). It didn't stop searching for the location.

 

I just tried this and the cross-hair button appears to jump to the location where the network server is, rather than my actual location.

[+Optimist on the run]

Just now, Go catch said:

 

I just tried this and the cross-hair button appears to jump to the location where the network server is, rather than my actual location.

Yes, GS is making the assumption that people only use the website on phones and tablets, not us dinosaurs who use laptops or (shock horror) even a desktop PC.

[+thomfre]

2 hours ago, lodgebarn said:

Click, click, click, click is what happens every time I use a map to remove my hides and finds. Sure it is good to see them sometimes but I am convinced the defaults should be OFF. Surely anybody who wants to find caches does this, especially around their common caching area? Why is this sot of usability issue not picked up in the dev/test phase?

I want to see all caches, including my hides and finds, 90% of the times I open the map. The few times I want to hide something, it's cache types - not hides/finds.

The best would have been if the map remembered your last filter, and just used that. That way both you and I would have gotten the starting point we wanted.

[+and1969]

As I observed in the pre-release thread, if someone has disabled webgl for security reasons, they get a blank page for the search map, and when that happens the toggle to switch to the browse map is unavailable. I only use the browse map so am not going to re-enable a little-known feature of Firefox with questionable security, for one page that I won't be using anyway.

 

Fortunately I made a bookmark of the browse map the other day. It is not acceptable that I should have to rely on a bookmark for that, when displaying caches on a map is one of the core functions of the website. Please could the Play drop-down menu have two map options, one for the search map, and one for the browse map.

[+Salaneuvos]

AARRGGHH, stupid reform. I would have liked a lighter map. This new map is too slow and heavy to exercise smoothly when trying to work with slow connections 

[+Hynz]

49 minutes ago, thomfre said:

The best would have been if the map remembered your last filter, and just used that.

Yes that would be great. Especially when you switch between search and browse map the search parameters on the search map should be remembered which currently are not.

As mentioned in the other thread the need for a second click to reach the browse map is for me acceptable *as long* as the browse map is here to stay.

I guess I might start using the switching back and forth (which works quite OK IMHO) to browse and then to filter but the filter parameters definitely need to be remembered between the switches.

[+thebruce0]

5 hours ago, Optimist on the run said:

Please give us the option to have the browse map by default. The quick ability to map a PQ is invaluable, and what I use the most.

 

The map preview links on the PQ page still go to the Browse map with the results plotted from what I can see.

If I go directly to the browse map and use the PQ tab to preview from there, it also still works. What isn't working in your workflow?

 

 

2 hours ago, thomfre said:

The best would have been if the map remembered your last filter, and just used that. That way both you and I would have gotten the starting point we wanted. 

 

Yep that'd be a great compromise. Link directly to the map with a flag telling the interface to first load default search parameters, then also ensure the current cache is centered and highlighted. That'd be a good compromise.

 

I still think two links there would be good - something like Browse map from here (the way it used to be), and Search nearby caches (using latest settings).

 

 

2 hours ago, Optimist on the run said:

2 hours ago, Go catch said:

 

I just tried this and the cross-hair button appears to jump to the location where the network server is, rather than my actual location.

Yes, GS is making the assumption that people only use the website on phones and tablets, not us dinosaurs who use laptops or (shock horror) even a desktop PC.

 

Absolutely, and this confusion and concern about apparent insignificance of desktop usage has been expressed repeatedly for quite some time.... =/

 

SIde note: I know HQ isn't completely ignoring desktop users; there have been plenty of edits and content and adjustments for the desktop use case, but that's not the issue. Desktop use seems to be one that almost always is a fix-once-deployed (maybe) issue with website development.  Whitespace was a HUGE complaint when pages started going mobile-focused, and often that's still one of the first complaints on new web pages. There are just so many desktop user-friendliness cases that get raised with feature rollouts, and typically relatively simple design decisions, we think, which make us wonder how many people test these things coming first from a desktop direction (ie, not a mobile user asked to test on desktop, but someone who primarily uses desktop and relies on that more than mobile; someone who isn't afraid to critique the desktop experience, as much as the mobile experience gets critical attention).

[+clappy]

I can just repeat what previous posts said: The Browse map is one of the most used features, a search map just doesn't make sense as default.

 

I'd like to add, that the layer options are also disappointing. Google and the "Geocaching" layer are not very detailed and hence useless, when I usually use a generic OSM (like OSM Default or German style)m which have almost every tiny trail mapped. Just look at this earlier post.

 

Or see if you spot any differences here...

Default OSM layer.

 

Geocaching layer.

 

 

I will switch over to Project GC and use their Live map until you fix this. The layers are missing in the mobile app too, but I'm not using it anyway except for messages...

Edited April 26, 2019 by clappy

[+edscott]

New Maps???  How about No maps?  I try to get to the map of the area showing that cache and other nearby ones by clicking on the map on the cache page and get nothing.

 

[+on4bam]

22 minutes ago, edscott said:

New Maps???  How about No maps?  I try to get to the map of the area showing that cache and other nearby ones by clicking on the map on the cache page and get nothing.

 

 

Are you using security plugins like Noscript/ghostery...

If so you would need to allow klokantech.com otherwise the page remains blank.

 

[+and1969]

3 minutes ago, edscott said:

New Maps???  How about No maps?  I try to get to the map of the area showing that cache and other nearby ones by clicking on the map on the cache page and get nothing.

 

It looks like this is also putting people onto the 'new' map page which requires a webgl-capable browser (where webgl hasn't been disabled), and a computer with a compatible graphics card.

 

If you remove the "/play" from the URL then you can still see the cache on the original 'browse' map. There is the added bonus of more layers than the three on the new map.

[+igator210]

I am moderately happy with this. I still use the browse map a lot more than the search map, but one thing that I do like...

When I put in a search criteria and get the caches on the search map, after I zoom it on a target cache, I can right click the "Browse Geocache" and open the map in a new tab. I now have a target cache on search map, and all the caches on a browse map. Personally I'll find this handy to have both views at the same time.

One thing I don't like... when clicking on the "Search Geocaches" and going back to the search map, I lose my search parameters.

[+on4bam]

20 minutes ago, and1969 said:

If you remove the "/play" from the URL then you can still see the cache on the original 'browse' map. There is the added bonus of more layers than the three on the new map.

 

I only use the "old" browse map every once in a while and see 20 layers to chose from (including Google maps). That's the added value of add-ons like the GClh Tampermonkey scripts, things like that make the GC site "usable"

 

 

[+edscott]

On April 26, 2019 at 1:23 PM, and1969 said:

 

....If you remove the "/play" from the URL then you can still see the cache on the original 'browse' map. There is the added bonus of more layers than the three on the new map.

Yes that works.. Thank you.  Still a lot of extra messing about to get to a decent aerial photo, but that's how I plan my caching days.  Unfortunately it defaults to my home coordinates rather than the area I am interested in exploring so I'll need another work around to get the data I need.  You'd think they would be working to improve their product instead of destroying it.

 

Edited April 29, 2019 by edscott
additional data

[+thebruce0]

www.geocaching.com/map - Browse Map

www.geocaching.com/play/map - Search Map

 

Bookmark'em.

Edited April 26, 2019 by thebruce0

[+bdp]

With this new "SEARCH" --- you've broken the nice "LIST" format of caches. I want to see a LIST of caches. Not Mapped. Just the LIST.

With Sortable columns ... just like the LIST we see if we search from our HOME location.

 

One used to be able to LOOK at LISTS of BOOKMARKS -- (IE. YESTERDAY) and be able to copy these caches to my own lists.

Now -- since TODAY -- this is no longer possible.

This URL used to work beautifully -- and now it is BROKEN.

https://www.geocaching.com/play/search?ot=4&bm=BM4C477&f=2&sort=GeocacheName&asc=True

 

This was HOW we MERGED bookmarks -- (since you arbitrarily limit us to only have 100!) -- and now this has broken.

 

I want the option to LOOK at lists -- nice WIDE lists -- not side lists formatted for Mobile display.

 

Not a happy camper with this change and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.

[+Theniyaal]

Dear everyone who designs updates: If you don't need to move a button, don't @!%#ing move them! I can't conceive of any reason why the new 'Search Geocaches' button should have taken the place of the existing 'Map Type', 'Zoom In/Out' and 'Fullscreen' buttons. Have you folks never heard of muscle memory? I appreciate the efforts to improve the site and its features, but this is one of those inconsequential things that drives me absolutely bonkers.

[+JimmyM]

This is so different, it will take some time to relearn. 

So far, I am not convinced it is an improvement.

[+trex1]

On my iPad 4 the map doesn't even show up. All I get is a blank page. Anyone have a fix for this? Thanks for the wonderful update. Now you're forcing me to use me desktop solely. 

[+arisoft]

8 hours ago, bdp said:

With this new "SEARCH" --- you've broken the nice "LIST" format of caches. I want to see a LIST of caches. Not Mapped. Just the LIST.

With Sortable columns ... just like the LIST we see if we search from our HOME location.

 

https://www.geocaching.com/play/search/@62.930089,26.74707?origin=62.93008880080978,26.7470703125

 

LIst format is still available but I don't know how to open the list from the website. My example link above opens a list with sortable columns as you requested.

[+WaFiKriDi]

With the new map, also the feature to filter for caches that "Has Personal Geocache Note" seem to have disappeared.

 

Is there another way to get this option back as a filter ?   I'm a big fan of mysteries/puzzles and use it to store temporary solutions and find mysteries I'm working on. With the combination 'not found'+'no corrected coordinates'+'has personal geocache note', it is very easy to find them back. 

It does not need to be directly on the interface of the new search map, just in the play-search-filter is fine, as long as the option is somewhere ...

 

Thanks in advance for providing the "Personal Geocache Note" filter option again.    

 

 

[+2Abendsegler]

13 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

www.geocaching.com/map - Browse Map

www.geocaching.com/play/map - Search Map

...

 

For your bookmark lists, you can do the same with the links to the map ... manually. The links in your list of bookmark lists are something like that,
...ttps://www.geocaching.com/play/search?bm=...&asq=...==
it goes to the Search Map (new), like @thebruce0 still explain.
With the change to
...ttps://www.geocaching.com/map/?bm=...&asq=...==
it goes to the Browse Map (old).

 

The team of "GC little helper" have a lot of issues to improve the new map but we need some time to implement the things.

GC little helper II - Some little things to make life easy (on www.geocaching.com)

[+noncentric]

On 4/25/2019 at 1:56 PM, Geocaching HQ said:

• View the event date in the cache preview list for Event Caches.

 

Except that doesn't work if clicking between Event icons on the map.  "Placed by" / "on" doesn't change when clicking from one Event icon to another.  Users have to click on a non-Event icon in between Event icons to see the correct event host and event date information.  I created a topic describing the issue HERE, would be great to know that it will be fixed.

On 4/17/2019 at 10:35 PM, noncentric said:

If I click on an Event, then a non-Event, then another Event - then the correct CO/Date is displayed for each cache.  But clicking from one Event to another shows incorrect info.

 

 

On 4/25/2019 at 1:56 PM, Geocaching HQ said:

 

Will the "Download GPX" option in the left sidebar be changed to be the same level of grey as the "Add to a list" and "Send to Garmin" options?  It looks like "Download GPX" is greyed out.  Most people interpret greyed out icons as unavailable.  It looks like "Download GPX" is not available.  Please make it the same font color as the icons on either side of it.

[+Catina&Friend]

The standard map is a disaster. Are there plans for the future to reintegrate the OSM Map. Why are things getting worse?

@klatschig -- Thanks for the tip -- switch to Project GC too

Edited April 27, 2019 by Catina&Friend

[+edscott]

 

For those of us that can no longer access the maps, could we have the option of using the previous system?

 

[+Din Jävel]

I don't EVER, NEVER, EVER use the search map. I always only use the browse map and I don't ever, never, ever want the search map. Never. This is just broken.

[+bajjab]

If I klick on "View Larger Map" in an archived cache listing it opens the new map-page with an eror message (Sorry, we couldn’t find "GC...."). Why doesn't it open the map at the coordinates of the archived cache as it was before with the old map?

[+bajjab]

On 4/26/2019 at 12:15 PM, Go catch said:

I just tried this and the cross-hair button appears to jump to the location where the network server is, rather than my actual location.

But that makes no sense for me on my PC (yes, I'm an oldfashioned ). I would never search caches round my internet providers adress.

[+lodgebarn]

On 4/26/2019 at 11:45 AM, thomfre said:

I want to see all caches, including my hides and finds, 90% of the times I open the map. The few times I want to hide something, it's cache types - not hides/finds.

The best would have been if the map remembered your last filter, and just used that. That way both you and I would have gotten the starting point we wanted.

That would be fine for me and the best solution, meanwhile it is still loads of clicks. No idea how this could pass design reviews. While we are on the topic of defaults, how about remembering which type of map I prefer for browse maps. Leave it at my last selected please. Come on folks one size does not fit all.

Edited April 27, 2019 by lodgebarn

[+lodgebarn]

2 hours ago, Din Jävel said:

I don't EVER, NEVER, EVER use the search map. I always only use the browse map and I don't ever, never, ever want the search map. Never. This is just broken.

It would be so easy to have two menu options or default based on user preferences.

[+KaTi aus DD]

 

With the new card, the caching filtering feature, which has "Personal Geocache Note", also seems to have disappeared. How do I find these caches now?