Geocaching.com... It Would Be Nice If...?

[+Peconic Bay Sailors]

I don't know how feasable this is...

(I'm sure it will not be easy to do on the web site, programming wise),

but a nice feature would be to be able to identify caches along a particular route...

 

Like all the caches between town X and town Y along Rt. NNN?

 

For example... we are planning on going to NFA's event in Saranac Lake, NY next month...

We will be leaving Mayfield, NY and travelling the 127 miles along Rt. 30 to get there...

It would be nice to be able to list all the caches say within 5 miles of Rt 30 along this route...

 

I'm a Mainframe Systems Engineer, with limited applications programmming experience (I did some COBOL Programming 20 years ago) and although I do know Assembler (more than I wish i did) I do not know whether or not this is possible on the website... (my web programming experience is limited to MS Front Page)

 

Any web software guru's out there that know if this could be done?

Does anyone else see a value in this?

I don't know if this has ever been suggested before?

 

Something on my wish list...

 

Your thoughts?

 

PBS, Brian & Deb

Edited December 17, 2004 by Peconic Bay Sailors

[+orange]

You should go over and read the Geocaching.com forum section.

This is being discussed alot. I think it may even be pinned at the top.

There are people already at work trying to provide this feature in the future.

[+Peconic Bay Sailors]

You should go over and read the Geocaching.com forum section.

This is being discussed alot. I think it may even be pinned at the top.

There are people already at work trying to provide this feature in the future.

That's excellent news!

Have you got a link to it?

I cannot seem to find where you are talking about?

The only link I find on geocaching.com bring me back to here... forums.Groundspeak.com

Thanks,

PBS, Brian & Deb

Edited December 17, 2004 by Peconic Bay Sailors

[+dhenninger]

Here is the link

[+Mopar]

This can already be done locally on your end, if you have any mapping software.

Currently the hardest thing is planning the PQs you need to order up before the trip. Since you are on a trip, and you do actually want to get where you are going, it helps to limit them to easier caches. For the route I would probably skip multis and puzzles, disabled caches, and anything over maybe 2.5/2.5 D/T, then play with the radius until I get close (but not over) 500 caches. On a short trip like yours, just plot the PQs so they have a little overlap. On a very long trip you might to leave a gap so you actually get some driving done. Once you get your PQs all tweaked, set the day and order them up. While you are waiting, plot a route on your favorite mapping software. If your software let's you export the route to an ARC file, you're ahead of the game! If it doesn't, your GPSbabel or GSAK to convert it to one. Now, take those nice new PQs and run them through Babel or GSAK, and applying the route you created as an ARC filter. Set the filter for the distance you are willing to deviate from your route, say maybe 2 miles. That's a bit simplistic, but the details shouldn't be too hard or take very long if you are familiar with the various pieces of software. When you are done you will have a GPX file of just the caches along your route.

[+Peconic Bay Sailors]

This can already be done locally on your end, if you have any mapping software.

Currently the hardest thing is planning the PQs you need to order up before the trip. Since you are on a trip, and you do actually want to get where you are going, it helps to limit them to easier caches. For the route I would probably skip multis and puzzles, disabled caches, and anything over maybe 2.5/2.5 D/T, then play with the radius until I get close (but not over) 500 caches. On a short trip like yours, just plot the PQs so they have a little overlap. On a very long trip you might to leave a gap so you actually get some driving done.   Once you get your PQs all tweaked, set the day and order them up. While you are waiting, plot a route on your favorite mapping software. If your software let's you export the route to an ARC file, you're ahead of the game! If it doesn't, your GPSbabel or GSAK to convert it to one.  Now, take those nice new PQs and run them through Babel or GSAK, and applying the route you created as an ARC filter. Set the filter for the distance you are willing to deviate from your route, say maybe 2 miles.  That's a bit simplistic, but the details shouldn't be too hard or take very long if you are familiar with the various pieces of software. When you are done you will have a GPX file of just the caches along your route.

Mmmmmmmmmmm....

I think I'll wait to see if it ever shows up as a feature on geocaching.com...

I have GARMIN's MapSource & Maptech's Pocket & Offshore Navagator...

I do have a COMPAQ iPaq... (I did figure out what a PQ is tho!)

But you've lost me with a lot of the acronyms...

Maybe, if I can find the time, I'll research the rest of them...

 

And thanks for the link...

I did eventually fing it by doing a little READING!!! DUH!

Edited December 17, 2004 by Peconic Bay Sailors

[+Peconic Bay Sailors]

Mopar's comments in the other discussion seem to hit the specs correctly...

 

"Isn't designing a user interface (that is usable by the average geocacher) part of the technical aspects?

Geocaching started as a geek hobby, but it's evolved way past that. The recent addition of the cache size "eye-candy" to me shows that the average site user these days is not technically inclined. No offense to NFA, but I think he is the typical geocacher, and he had problems visualizing a 2 waypoint bounding box.

Whatever way you do it needs to be usable by the grandfather that needs a post-it note to remind him of the steps needed to get to his email. It needs to be usable by the soccer mom who enters the waypoints manually for each cache, because easygps and loc files are too complicated. Those are typical geocachers. The people like Robert who can can create arc files of routes and filter caches, already are (even if not by the most efficient way). It's guys like NFA and LB&MM that are asking for simpler ways to get caches along a route. Whatever you do, don't make it too complicated for them to use it. " - MOPAR

 

Well thought out response and describes the geocaching community as it really is today...

Not an easy job for the one(s) actually doing the coding!!!

(I'm glad my job only involves the easy stuff, like OSA & Routers & TCPIP & SNA)

Edited December 17, 2004 by Peconic Bay Sailors

[+Mopar]

• PQ = Pocket Queries. A premium feature of the site that lets you get up to 2500 (500x5) cache pages a day emailed to you in GPX format.
  
• GPX is a file format for waypoints like LOC. The advantage is GPX files also contain all the cache descriptions and information, as well as last 5 logs. LOC files only contain the waypoint name and coords.
  
• GPS Babel is a very powerful program for converting and filtering between various formats. It open source and runs under almost any operating system. A disadvange for some is most of its more powerful features must be accessed via the command line.
  
• GSAK = Geocaching Swiss Army Knife. A windows program for managing, manipulating, and archiving GPX files. It actually uses Babel internally, and provides a windows interface to many of Babel's features.
  
• ARC file is simply a text file format of all the waypoints that are used to make up a route on your mapping software.
  
• D/T = Difficulty/Terrain rating on the cache page.
  

Did

I get them all?

 

Garmin's mapsource is fine (as an aside, the newest beta from the garmin site lets you load gpx files directly into the the program which makes things even easier) for creating the route and planning the trip.

[+nfa]

I'm an archetype of low-browed geocachers everywhere...mom would be so proud

[+Peconic Bay Sailors]

• PQ = Pocket Queries. A premium feature of the site that lets you get up to 2500 (500x5) cache pages a day emailed to you in GPX format.
  
• GPX is a file format for waypoints like LOC. The advantage is GPX files also contain all the cache descriptions and information, as well as last 5 logs. LOC files only contain the waypoint name and coords.
  
• GPS Babel is a very powerful program for converting and filtering between various formats. It open source and runs under almost any operating system. A disadvange for some is most of its more powerful features must be accessed via the command line.
  
• GSAK = Geocaching Swiss Army Knife. A windows program for managing, manipulating, and archiving GPX files. It actually uses Babel internally, and provides a windows interface to many of Babel's features.
  
• ARC file is simply a text file format of all the waypoints that are used to make up a route on your mapping software.
  
• D/T = Difficulty/Terrain rating on the cache page.
  

Did

I get them all?

 

Garmin's mapsource is fine (as an aside, the newest beta from the garmin site lets you load gpx files directly into the the program which makes things even easier) for creating the route and planning the trip.

Thanks MOPAR!

Looks like I have some reading and learning to do!

I'll eventually figure it out...

But beware... you may be getting some technical PM questions from me!

Thanks MOPAR!

[+Rusty O Junk]

Actually what you want can be done with Mapsource and GSAK, that's it. Once you have the gpx files as Mopar described load them all into GSAK, don't worry about it , she'll take them all. I don't know if there is a limit but I've had over 3000 caches loaded up at one time.

 

Now go into Mapsource and make a series of waypoints along your route placing one every time your road makes a major change of direction. Save them waypoints in a file to your desktop. Back to GSAK and open the Filter dialog window and along the top click on "Arc/Ply". Two thirds of the way down the window click on "Load From File" and point it to the waypoint file you just created with Mapsource. Make sure the Arc/Ply radio button is checked and add 5 to Distance. Now if you click on GO you will have a list of all the caches along your route within 5 miles either side. Export to a new GPX file to sync with your pda and blow the waypoint into your gps then hit the road.

[+GPS Guy]

Rusty-

You should demo that at our next tech meeting.

[+Rusty O Junk]

Good idea but I can't demo it with Mapsource. Streets and Trips, Topo, Mapsend, DeLorme, Trip Maker and I've probably got a few more in there I've forgotten about. But Mapsource I'll leave to you.

[+lostinjersey]

why couldn't they implement a search function (either as a search or as a PQ) that does a radius along a straight line. you enter coordinates 1, then 2, and ask it for all caches within 10 miles of that direct line. granted it won't follow the twists and turns of a highway, but if there arent *that* many twists and turns you could maybe do 2 or 3 legs, cooresponding to each major turn in the road.

 

I'm not inclined to actually map this out but lets say I'm headed to Mohegun sun in CT, I could plot a point in NY at the point where 287 crosses into ny and end it at the point where I'd exit 95 and head north on 395. then do a 2nd search from that point north to the casino. it might need some tweeking, but you could always widen the search to maybe 20 miles. you'd obviously want to seriously narrow the caches, say maybe only difficulties up to 2 or above 4 (depending on what your prerence is) as well as some other factors too to avoid a result of several hundred caches.