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Adding Updated Maps Soon


Jeremy

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Why wait. Download Google Earth. Import the Loc files form GSAK and presto .

Actually, I do, and it's quite useful... but Google Earth is (sadly) not designed for Geocaching, so it omits a lot of important details. (ie. Cache type, found/not found, etc.)

Use the filter on GSAK to get rid of your found caches and then when using the export the .loc file set it to give the cache type/dif/ter in the name of the point.

If you're willing to do some coding, I *think* you can get Google Earth to display custom Icons for different cache types (requires converting the GPX to a .kml file though...

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Again, once they are out of beta I will add them as a link. At that time I'll consider integrating them as a feature of the web site.

Glad to read this. As a matter of fact I lost the link to the old map and would need a map of Italian caches urgently

Dunja

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so does that mean we wont be getting the MAP it option in Canada......I got lost in this Google map conversation stuff

You'll have better map date in Canada. We're tentatively looking at this Sunday night for the upgrade. Keep your fingers crossed.

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I see Google Maps has been added on the "map lists" on cache pages. Not sure if folks are aware of this or not, but I believe Google maps in many countries use their own map datum. For instance, Google Maps in Japan (map data from Zenrin) uses the Tokyo Mean datum, which is up to 2 miles off at times from WGS84.

 

Here's an example. GCP5Z8 has it's start point listed. Google maps directly off the published lat long is:

 

N34.19112 E132.22027 - WGS 84

 

It should be though:

N34.18786 E132.22278 - Tokyo Mean

 

There is a pretty good conversion formula to do the job of converting to this, and I'd love to see that be the case for Japan's caches. If too much, I'll just keep using my Greasemonkey script to get the job done.

 

VW

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Here's an example. GCP5Z8 has it's start point listed. Google maps directly off the published lat long is:

 

N34.19112 E132.22027 - WGS 84

 

It should be though:

N34.18786 E132.22278 - Tokyo Mean

I was unaware of this. To be honest it seems to me that Google is just funking up their own maps by not providing a pin at the right location. I can understand that the second link going to the jp site, but if I'm pointing to the maps.google.com site it should be using the correct datum.

 

In other words it seems to be a Google problem, not a Geocaching.com problem.

 

I see the issue but I'm not exactly sure what to do about it. Am I wrong that Google is messing up their Japan maps?

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Nope, the map data is the same in both the .jp and .com - just happens that the .com wasn't available when i wrote my greasemonkey script. It's indeed using Tokyo Datum for the map data. It does seem that they would have reverse converted their lat/longs over to WGS84, but alas - no such luck. From what I've seen here in Japan, even the automobile navigation systems (which apparently all primarily use Zenrin map data) also use the Tokyo datum.

 

The following are the same location, with and without the .jp

 

http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?q=34.1878625...2.2227811593186

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.187862590...2.2227811593186

 

From the user's perspective, the easy solution would be an "If in japan, convert(lat/long for google maps), publish link."

 

Being a programmer in my other life, I understand this is probably a pain in arse, especially if any other countries are doing this same thing. Maybe I'll email google maps and ask them if they know about it and have them provide a ?= option for WGS84.

 

VW

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Maybe I'll email google maps and ask them if they know about it and have them provide a ?= option for WGS84.

 

Feedback submitted to Google Maps. Probably easier for them to change, then all the rest of the sites that use their data.

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Feedback submitted to Google Maps. Probably easier for them to change, then all the rest of the sites that use their data.

Yeah. I would think that ultimately this should be the way to go. What they should do IMO is just add a &datum=wgs84 or whatever so there is no confusion.

 

Nice catch.

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I was quite amused to see that our main train station ("Hauptbahnhof") is just about a mile (btw: how 'bout metric system for maps?) south of the tracks; on the other hand, they are showing the urns cemetery (with one of our new caches)...

Ever seen 200,000 ppl living on 5 streets? Here you go:

 

gc-map_460.jpg

 

Anyway: it's a HUGE!!! improvement, so thanks, Jeremy & Groundspeak staff!

 

BalkanSabranje

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I was quite amused to see that our main train station ("Hauptbahnhof") is just about a mile (btw: how 'bout metric system for maps?) south of the tracks; on the other hand, they are showing the urns cemetery (with one of our new caches)...

You do realize as an American I am arrogant. If the train station is at that location it is there. Don't make me come over there and have you move that station to its proper place.

 

Yeah, the maps are really only supposed to be accurate within a certain zoom level. After that you can just shake your head at them (sorry!).

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