Jump to content

Status of Map Server


Jeremy

Recommended Posts

We've been working hard to get a map server (finally) on the site. Here's a basic view of the work in progress:

 

newmaps.png

 

The Green suns are caches placed in the last 7 days, and the cache containers (icon is from Garmin units) are the rest of caches. You can see at the bottom right-hand corner that the more you zoom, the cache names start to show up on the map.

 

We can't afford turn-by-turn directions, but we will be setting up a way to do geocoding and reverse geocoding. Geocoding will take an address and return a coordinate, and reverse geocoding will take a coordinate and return an address. So even though Mapquest no longer supports turn by turn directions to a coordinate, you can get a local address through reverse geocoding to get you close.

 

Initially countries other than the US will suck like they do now (sorry!), but we hope to add more maps as we go. In the beginning the maps will be identical to the ones we use now but should be faster and more reliable.

 

This is just a note to let you know we're working on it.

 

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

Link to comment

Will there be any way to distinguish between caches you already found or traditional vs. virtual or even archived ones? I wonder if the text right on the map won't run into other text in an area where there may be more than one cache. How hard would it be to do a name popup on a mouseover? The maps are pretty nice.

Link to comment

Wow! That's worth waiting for.

 

Will the maps differentiate between caches found and unfound, like they do now? (Blue unfound caches and white found caches... that is, when you can get a map to load.)

 

I would sacrifice the found/unfound feature in a heartbeat in exchange for faster-loading maps that could be zoomed, etc. And having the cache names show up without another page reload will help But it would be nice to graphically display found & unfound. I use that view a lot to spot clusters of unfound caches that would make for a good day's hunting, or individual unfound caches that stick out like a sore thumb amongst a cluster of caches already found.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitos?

Link to comment

quote:

Initially countries other than the US will suck like they do now (sorry!), but we hope to add more maps as we go.


 

Just to give you some motivation: As soon this is implemented for European countries I will pay may 30$ to become a charter member (especially I'm waiting for Austria *wink*)

 

I'll be watching you workin' on it,

Gert

 

Short cuts make long delays.

Link to comment

1. I don't have a specific time for release. We have to get the machine ready in production, and expect that this will be a popular application so we need to plan for high utilization.

 

2. Yes, we're sorting out how to distinguish different caches. The icons need to be distinct enough to do this on a map, so may be difficult to do. One solution may be to number the caches as you get closer in and display their types below the map (with a link to each cache).

 

3. Yes, we will mark the caches you have already found. Because we will be using a predefined shapefile of caches, we will be unable to remove them altogether from the map.

 

4. The problem with comprehensive maps outside the US is that they are a) extremely expensive and ;) extremely extremely expensive. We'll try to implement them in steps. So far it looks like Canada and Mexico will be next, but even that may be months out. If someone has access to great localized shapefiles of different countries we will incorporate them into the map server.

 

We will also be attempting to purchase and implement DRGs (or better known as topographic maps).

 

quote:
Originally posted by chillas:

Wow! Looks sharp. Will I be able to get one of Ohio, or are they all of San Francisco? icon_wink.gif


 

First image is from Bellevue, Washington. The second one is in San Francisco, California. This one is in Columbus, Ohio.

 

newmaps3.png

 

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location™

Link to comment

This thread brought the maps to my attention... and buy they look really good!

 

I must say I can't wait to see them implemented in the UK, which kinda brings me to my point.

 

After the Christmas spend-fest is over, I was fully intending to finally get that Charter Membership that the site deserves I buy. icon_biggrin.gif The map would not have changed that, had a poster on the UK forum pointed out the following...

 

quote:
I can't help feeling that charter members outside the US are subsidising the best features for the US only. Apart from the maps we still haven't got benchmarks for the UK despite providing the information as required.

 

Is this the case? Is money paid for by subscribers outside the US paying for the furterance of Geocaching in the US? icon_confused.gif

 

I understand that these things can only be done one step at a time - and that it will take time for these spanking new maps to reach the UK, but it does seem a little unfair to those who have spent their money on membership (and bear in mind I cannot speak on their behalf, as I have not done so myself... yet).

 

That said, the maps do look fantastic, and I can't wait for them, but at the moment, it does seem like caching outside the US is sidelined a little.

 

------

An it harm none, do what ye will

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Kouros:

quote:
I can't help feeling that charter members outside the US are subsidising the best features for the US only. Apart from the maps we still haven't got benchmarks for the UK despite providing the information as required.

 

Is this the case? Is money paid for by subscribers outside the US paying for the furterance of Geocaching in the US? icon_confused.gif


 

I guess I don't understand. Right now, the benefits to a charter membership are: pocket queries, MyPop features, and a customizable title. All of these features should be beneficial to anyone...no matter where they live.

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by AllenLacy:

Plus some of the charter membership money is used to help pay for the computers and bandwidth required to run a site like geocaching.com. This of course benefits charter members and regular members everywhere.


 

Indeed, which is why I will sign up come next pay cheque anyway. But the point was, will the money that I will spend go towards a service that I cannot use?

 

I know the benefits of being a Charter Member will not change, but it seems odd that people outside the US should subsidise a service that they cannot use, and other people will get to use for free.

 

Of course, I may be well off target, and if I am, I apologise.

 

------

An it harm none, do what ye will

Link to comment

I was the poster mentioned.

 

My point was that all charter membership money goes into the big pot which finances the geocaching.com site. The development of any features for the site must eat into this pot of cash.

 

At the moment it seems to me that there is a higher priority in introducing new features which are US-only than there is on expanding existing features to cover countries outside the US.

 

Sure we can get pocket queries, change our titles in the forums and create MO caches - all the benefits of charter membership, but we cannot get basic features such as searching by postcodes for caches, benchmark hunting, maps.

 

As I understood it charter membership donation is not only about gaining the CM privileges, it is about supporting the site. If supporting the site means there are lots of new hoopy features produced which only work for the US then I start to question why I am donating.

 

Just my opinion. Happy to be proved wrong.

 

Rich

mobilis in mobili

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by chillas:

Wow. I was joking, but thanks. And that pic is just about one screen south of The Happiest Place on Earth - Columbus Crew Stadium. icon_biggrin.gif


 

You spelled "Emptiest" wrong. icon_razz.gif

 

I must be in that area at the wrong times, because I've been past that stadium a few dozen times on the freeway and I've never seen people in it. It is a nice looking facility though, don't get me wrong. icon_smile.gif

 

geobanana.gif

The NEW Toe Pages
Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by el10t:

I was the poster mentioned.

 

 

Sure we can get pocket queries, change our titles in the forums and create MO caches - all the benefits of charter membership, but we cannot get basic features such as searching by postcodes for caches, benchmark hunting, maps.

 

Just my opinion. Happy to be proved wrong.

 

Rich

_mobilis in mobili_


 

I don't want to really burst your bubble but Jeremy and TPTB cannot help you with benchmark hunting. Benchmarks are only found in the US of A. This from the benchmark page:

What is a benchmark?

NGS Benchmarks, also called Survey control markers or disks, are disks (and other various items) that are permanenty affixed at locations all over the United States to help land surveying. These benchmarks are part of the geodetic control network maintained by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). The NGS maintains a database of these locations, though much of the data is outdated.

Cache you later,

Planet

 

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Planet:

I don't want to really burst your bubble but Jeremy and TPTB cannot help you with benchmark hunting. Benchmarks are only found in the US of A.


Thanks Planet.

 

No bubble burst. We have trigpoints in the UK which are very similar, a list of which has already been supplied to Jeremy (at least twice) for incorporation into the site.

I was only referring to them as "benchmarks" so as not to confuse things too much.

 

Rich

mobilis in mobili

Link to comment

I am a little confused (as always) as to where the maps will be. Are they going to replace the Map Quest maps on the individual cache sites, or is it replacing the state maps that show all of the caches within a state or is this something new and listed separately? I have to agree with everyone else as the new maps will definitely be slick (where ever they end up).

 

Shoebox

Pittsburgh

Link to comment

Hi Jeremy,

 

the maps look great!! However as I am not living in the US, I wouldn't be able to use this feature in the near future.

I would be very happy about a map (in the style currently used in the cache description) showing the different caches. Is there a way to implement something like this for the places where no detailed map is available??

Link to comment

The US government, thanks to the America taxpayer, launched the satellites that make Geocaching possible. If anyone is subsidizing our hobby, it’s those US taxpayers who don’t even own a GPSr.

 

Sophisticated mapping software is available at a reasonable cost in North America because the US government gathered the raw data and put it in the public domain. In countries were the raw data is not available for free, it is very expensive to produce detailed computerized maps. Once the software becomes available, there must be a large number of people willing and able to buy it to keep down the cost. If only a few people purchase the software, the development expense must be recovered from a small group.

Link to comment

quote:
Is there a way to implement something like this for the places where no detailed map is available??

I am working to make my CacheMaps internatially available. CacheMaps lists caches in Excel, showing them on a small map and giving the opportunity to open detail public maps from the internet for the specific location.

At the moment only Dutch maps are implemented.

I depend on public mapservers to show the detailed map, but also will create the possibility to use UI-View maps. These are maps created by packet radio users all over the world. In this way I think CacheMaps can be of use for any of us in the whole world.

I will post a separate topic in this forum as soon as available.

In the mean time you can download the Dutch version from my personal homepage

 

-- there is no spoon --

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Kouros:

Indeed, which is why I will sign up come next pay cheque anyway. But the point was, will the money that I will spend go towards a service that I cannot use?

 

I know the benefits of being a Charter Member will not change, but it seems odd that people outside the US should subsidise a service that they cannot use, and other people will get to use for free.

 

Of course, I may be well off target, and if I am, I apologise.


 

Kouros,

Ask yourself "Have I got $30 worth of fun out of the geocaching.com web site?"

I asked myself that and when I responded with an enthusiastic "yes", then I sent in my membership money.

Enough said. I'm not using any of the membership benefits. I'm supporting something that I'm enjoying using. It's how I pay my way.

 

Mickey

Max Entropy

More than just a name, a lifestyle.

Link to comment

With Max Entropy. While I'm not really getting anything for my $30, I was so impressed with this website and the work that has been put into it I didn't mind spending the $2.50 a month to support it. Geocaching is one of the few hobbies I enjoy that doesn't require much money. My other interest is high power rocketry and the national dues just to be able to participate is ~$100 a year, plus club dues @ ~$25 a year, plus daily launch fees of ~$5-10 a day. Not counting the rocket motors that can run anywhere from $10 - $100 and up each...........but I digress.

Link to comment

This is the BY FAR best web site I've ever played in.

...and this comes from a web junkie...

...if fact it is so good that it gets me off my butt and out in the woods to do caches... this is SOOOO kool...

 

and now it will be better..... GOOD JOB!!!!!!

 

shaking my head with knowledge that there are still very confident, hard working, intelligent people out there, ... it feels good, does it not????

 

THANK YOU!!!!

 

now to get my $30 sent in ... with pride...

..should have long ago..

 

..gota figure out how now..

 

** The worst suggestion of a life time may be the catalyst to the best idea of the century, don't fail to listen to suggestions.

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by onestep off:

Well as of late yesterday when I go to the state map and I am logged in it shows the cache sites but does not change the symbols for the ones I have found? Any ideas as to why?


 

Are the upgrades anything to do with the white boxes with a blue 'tick' having suddenly dissapeared from the maps please?

 

Is there any way of getting them back again?

 

Oh, I should clarify that I'm in the UK, so I'm looking at the old style map. In case that has any bearing on it?

 

Thanks.

 

--... ...--

Morseman

Link to comment

Just below the map that you generate, this statement now appears:

quote:
Please note: Due to the high traffic the web site has been getting lately, we have had to disable listing caches you have found. We're working on a better mapping solution which should be available by the end of February. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

I sure am looking forward to February! At the same time, I feel sorry for fellow cachers outside the U.S., and hope that they will have some sort of useable map functionality, identifying found vs. unfound caches, at some future time.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

If there's no accounting for stupidity, then why do I need to file a tax return?

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by The Leprechauns:

Just below the map that you generate, this statement now appears:

quote:
Please note: Due to the high traffic the web site has been getting lately, we have had to disable listing caches you have found. We're working on a better mapping solution which should be available by the end of February. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

I sure am looking forward to February! At the same time, I feel sorry for fellow cachers outside the U.S., and hope that they will have some sort of useable map functionality, identifying found vs. unfound caches, at some future time.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

If there's no accounting for stupidity, then why do I need to file a tax return?


 

Well on the brighter side, performance is much better icon_biggrin.gif but looking forward to the return of identified caches in Feb/Mar.

Link to comment

Just nudging this to the top of the list, since we're getting a new forum thread every couple of days where someone asks what happened to the "found cache" icons on their state map. Since the map takes up the screen, folks aren't reading the text below, which explains the situation.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

If there's no accounting for stupidity, then why do I need to file a tax return?

Link to comment

Kudos on the great looking maps!

 

Will the maps allow "mouse-over" cache identification? By that I mean will the cache name be displayed by placing your mouse pointer on the cache symbol?

 

The biggest problem I found with the old maps was the need to click on "identify" and then bring up a new map page to see the name of the cache.

 

BTW, maps or no maps, GC.com is well worth my $30.00 icon_biggrin.gif

Link to comment

Why weren't the state maps left as they used to be until the new maps were up? Was there a software problem all of a sudden? I must have missed the discussion.

 

Might I suggest that Admin put the notification on the state map page in red or something (maybe at the top). I didn't notice it, and judging by the forum posts, somebody each day has the same question about the state maps.

 

One thing that bothered me about the old maps was that you often had to zoom way in to see the name. There was an overlap of titles even when in quite close. The rollover idea is good if it can be done.

 

Lastly, I was wondering if us folks in the huge states might have a break. I live in San Diego County and I have to zoom *way* in for any useful detail. My county is about as large as some of the states I think. It would be nice if some of the large states were divided for the "state" maps, or if we had some "closer in" option for starting. You can see the difference in Mapquest and Yahoo. Mapquest practically starts with a view from low earth orbit, and it's sooooo anoying.

 

Parsa

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...