Re-requesting An Old Old (ancient) Feature

[+Draegon]

I'd like to get a general consensus to see if maybe I'm the only nut who misses the old cache maps, where caches you'd already found would not show on the maps.

 

I do like the current maps, to show all caches and found caches, but when I go to check on density when I'm looking for a numbers-run around my hometown or neighboring cities that I cache in often it turns into a hassle to pan around, zoom in and out and pan some more to see where I have alot of unfound caches.

It's even harder to do this by way of the nearest cache or PQ lists.

 

So, could we get an option (I don't care if it's a premium feature or not) to "Turn off found/owned caches" under the beautiful "Show found/owned caches"

[+Marky]

It's even harder to do this by way of the nearest cache or PQ lists.

 

I find it relatively simple to take my PQs, bring them into GSAK, filter the caches the way I want, then send them to MapSend and use it to browse around. This is the most efficient way to do things, because there is no way the geocaching.com maps could ever come close to performing as fast as something like MapSend or MapSource running locally on your machine.

 

So, could we get an option (I don't care if it's a premium feature or not) to "Turn off found/owned caches" under the beautiful "Show found/owned caches"

 

I think it was stated before that this feature was removed because it was too processor intensive to generate. It was removed from the old maps as well. What you are asking for is the OLD, old maps. I doubt that is going to happen. (Of course, this is just my speculation.)

 

--Marky

[+as77]

Why would it be more processor intensive to omit the icons for the found caches instead of using checkboxes for them? That just doesn't make sense.

[+IV_Warrior]

I agree, I find it much easier to run a PQ to filter out found/owned/not interested in caches, then I use GPSBabel to convert to a .csv file and import that into MS Streets&Trips, or Delorme Street Atlas. Much nicer than the cheesy maps here, and much more control over just what caches appear on the maps.

[+Marky]

I agree, I find it much easier to run a PQ to filter out found/owned/not interested in caches, then I use GPSBabel to convert to a .csv file and import that into MS Streets&Trips, or Delorme Street Atlas. Much nicer than the cheesy maps here, and much more control over just what caches appear on the maps.

We are doing the same thing, I just use GSAK because I am "command line challenged".

 

--Marky

[+IV_Warrior]

We are doing the same thing, I just use GSAK because I am "command line challenged".

 

--Marky

So am I, I use the 'front end'

[+Marky]

Why would it be more processor intensive to omit the icons for the found caches instead of using checkboxes for them? That just doesn't make sense.

I'm guessing here, but I think that it's because rendering the cache icons, then rendering the checkmarks is much less processor and database intensive than getting the intersecting list of these two datasets.

 

--Marky

[+webscouter.]

So why couldn't you create a transparent icon instead of the checkmark?

[+Marky]

So why couldn't you create a transparent icon instead of the checkmark?

Because this still requires you to intersect two different datasources. One is the list of geocaches. The other is MY list of found geocaches. If I were to view the California map, for each of the 30K+ (how many are there in calif now?) it would have to search my list of 3K+ caches to see if it has been found by me. So, instead of looping across a list of 30K and a list of 3K and mapping the results, you need to add in over 90 million comparison operations. Add to that nearly another million comparisons to remove my hides.

 

All this is of course just guessing how things work.

 

Displaying an alternate image (a transparent image, for example), or not displaying an image is pretty much the same issue.

 

--Marky

[+webscouter.]

But don't you need to do the database query to create the checkmark icons?

[+as77]

Marky,

 

currently the systems uses a checkmark icon on the map to distinguish the found caches from the other ones, i.e. the calculation you are mentioning is already being done.

[+Hemlock]

My understanding is the current system is even simpler than described above.

 

The shapefile containing all the caches for a given area is static. It's generated once per day. This is why we occasionally have a thread here from someone asking why their new cache isn't showing on the map. They just have to wait until the shapefile is updated.

 

The checkmarks are actually a separate image from the cache icons below them. So for every cache you've found, it's actually displaying two images, one being the cache icon, and one being the checkmark.

 

The travel bug and NEW icons are overlayed the same way,

[+Marky]

Marky,

 

currently the systems uses a checkmark icon on the map to distinguish the found caches from the other ones, i.e. the calculation you are mentioning is already being done.

It might seem that way, but it isn't. First, the geocache icons are placed on the map. Then, the checkmarks are placed on the map. Each one is done without regards for the other. The two datasets are independant. It's only when you want the intersection of the two that you incur the extra processing. The checkmarks can be displayed without the geocache icons, and the goecache icons can be displayed without the checkmarks. They are independant of each other.

 

I think I'm done trying to explain this, even though it's been kind of fun. Maybe Jeremy will pop in and tell me that I'm way off base.

 

--Marky

[+Marky]

But don't you need to do the database query to create the checkmark icons?

Yes, you do need to access the database, you just don't need the intersection of different datasets to do it.

 

--Marky

[+Draegon]

Marky,

First off, I'll give you the benfit of the doubt because you don't know me (though I'm not sure that would help in this case) and because my "post count" isn't that high, so it might look like I'm a n00b, but check my joined date.

I do know what's going on for hte most part, and I'm not an idiot. I do filter things through GSAK but I don't have Mapopolis or any other mapping software on my GPS or PDA.

 

So, to the real issue

Is there then a way to overlay yet another graphic that would simply mirror a small area of the actual map to cover up the other icons?

[+cachew nut]

We are doing the same thing, I just use GSAK because I am "command line challenged". 

 

--Marky

So am I, I use the 'front end'

The front end program does make things easier, but I really would like to see GPSBabel's front end program improved. I would like to see a front end program that allows all of the capabilities of GPSBabel.

[+as77]

It might seem that way, but it isn't. First, the geocache icons are placed on the map. Then, the checkmarks are placed on the map. Each one is done without regards for the other. The two datasets are independant. It's only when you want the intersection of the two that you incur the extra processing. The checkmarks can be displayed without the geocache icons, and the goecache icons can be displayed without the checkmarks. They are independant of each other.

Oh. I didn't know it's done that way. What can I say. It's a kinda ugly hack.

They should buy some real computing power instead.