I'm Interested In Studies On Geocaching...

[Firemeboy]

I'm currently working on a Ph. D. in instructional technology, and I've got a small interest in self-organizing systems. I'm amazed at what a group of people who have never met, armed only with their GPS devices, have been able to accomplish in such a short period of time. Geocaches all over the world, an efficient means to track and place, it's all pretty incredible. Imagine if somebody had got this idea to run as a business. It would have taken millions in investment capital to place sites, maintain them, advertise, etc. Instead, the whole thing has just happened spontaneously.

 

Anyway, does anybody know if there have been any academic studies, or major news pieces reporting on this? If I can find the time I'd like to do a literature review, but I thought if there were some well know articles that the community knows of, I would start there; seminal papers, things like that.

 

Anyway, thanks in advance for any information.

[+Amazon Annie]

Anyway, does anybody know if there have been any academic studies, or major news pieces reporting on this?

 

You could start at the GC.com page that displays the latest media reports:

Geocaching in the News

 

Good luck on your Ph. D.

[+welch]

I'm currently working on a Ph. D. in instructional technology, and I've got a small interest in self-organizing systems. I'm amazed at what a group of people who have never met, armed only with their GPS devices, have been able to accomplish in such a short period of time. Geocaches all over the world, an efficient means to track and place, it's all pretty incredible. Imagine if somebody had got this idea to run as a business. It would have taken millions in investment capital to place sites, maintain them, advertise, etc. Instead, the whole thing has just happened spontaneously.

 

Interesting....

Businesses are sorta banned from listing caches here (they can, if they get it oked before hand). And in a way you might be able to say Groundspeak runs this as a business, though they use lots and lots of volunteer labor, which cuts down the costs. Placing and maintianing caches and advertising are done free, while tracking can be done here and elsewhere free. Then you have some people that pay into the business for... ease of use? benefits.

 

 

(I don't know waht the point of that was, just trying to figure out if this is on a business model or not)

[+trippy1976]

Anyway, does anybody know if there have been any academic studies, or major news pieces reporting on this?

Michigan Geocaching Organization just completed a study in cooperation with the University of Minnesota. The results are being compiled and should be published by mid-January.

 

This is the first time we've done this, so I'm not sure what the publishing process is, but I think the results would be available to anyone who wishes to view them.

 

A similar study was completed earlier in Minnesota and you can get a copy by writing to the US Forest Service. If I can dig up the address again, I'll post it here.

 

Here is a link to a USFS research update that has a reference to an article in Parks & Rec magazine that directly references the study

http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/recreati...gust_update.pdf

 

FullOn from California, I believe, has had interaction with them as well.

 

Tracking down Ms. Chavez is what led me to the copy of the MN study and to Dr. Ingrid Schneider who is the professor leading the current MI study.

[Firemeboy]

Thank you for the information. I'll look for the study to come out.

 

Yeah, I didn't mean that this should be, or is, run like a business. I just meant that this is more akin to a self-organized system, than a 'formal' system. Formal system being defined as when you have a blue-print or some kind of pre-concieved design, you hire the 'labor' to build the design, then hope to be able to maintain the momentum. I get the sense that this whole 'sport' is very much community designed, built, and maintained. All with little or no 'overseeing' or classic management.

 

Very interesting to me.

[+Sputnik 57]

I get the sense that this whole 'sport' is very much community designed, built, and maintained. All with little or no 'overseeing' or classic management.

 

Very interesting to me.

I think that the "code of ethics" thread, begun and developed by cachers with virtually no involvement from "the powers that be" (and intentionally so on their part) is a good indication of this notion.

 

Others would argue (loudly) that the ability of TPTB to set "guidelines" for approving caches on this site gives them a crippling control over the sport, whose iron grip is destined to end geocaching (or at least prompt a mass exodus from this site).

 

Please remember that only a tiny minority of geocaches hang out in the forums, and their (our) views may not express those of the community at large. It seems that most cachers just play the game, and let the system take care of itself.