Jump to content

Does Anyone Monitor A Geocache With A Webcam?


Recommended Posts

Fellow Geocachers, We all get to read the logs about finds and DNF's but I thought it would be great to actually be at home on the computer monitoring a geocache via a webcam to see the hunt. Watching the cacher sneak around trying to avoid detection and making the find or watching the cacher go in circles leaving empty handed. It would be great if there was a geocache that anyone could monitor via a web cam.

 

You could go to the webcam site and watch fellow geocachers during the hunt. I wonder if anyone has something like this already. If not I think it would be a great one to do and post it on a website for all to see.

 

I am not taking about a webcam cache rather a traditional cache that is monitored by a webcam. Am I FTF on this idea?

 

I guess it would have to be close to your residence or workplace or an existing webcam that is overlooking a suitable geocache hiding place.

 

If any sites like this exist it would be great to post them here for everyone to monitor and the name of the cache that it being monitored.

Link to comment

I have a webcam at my office and was planning on doing exactly this - placing a cache across the street in a grassy area and pointing the webcam at the cache. I would just have the cam store a running MPEG during daylight hours and go back and capture a pic whenever someone logged it.

Link to comment
I have a webcam at my office and was planning on doing exactly this - placing a cache across the street in a grassy area and pointing the webcam at the cache.  I would just have the cam store a running MPEG during daylight hours and go back and capture a pic whenever someone logged it.

It would be cool if made a webpage for all to see your cam running monitoring the cache you intend to hide and set up the page so everyone can comment on what they see. It would be like those webcams that monitor every moment of someone's life except in this case it would be monitoring the cache's life and exploits of those that seek the cache.

 

Kind of like "You are the search engine" meets "Your engine is being monitored"

Link to comment

The only problem I see with doing this is having people "cheat' by watching the webcam, and watching people as they find the cache, and then running out and finding the cache themselves...

If, however, you don't reference the webcam at all on the cache page, then few people would know about it, and I'd see no problem with that

 

Maybe I just need more faith in the geocaching community :huh:

 

Happy caching

Jeff

Link to comment
The only problem I see with doing this is having people "cheat' by watching the webcam, and watching people as they find the cache, and then running out and finding the cache themselves...

If, however, you don't reference the webcam at all on the cache page, then few people would know about it, and I'd see no problem with that

 

Maybe I just need more faith in the geocaching community :huh:

 

Happy caching

Jeff

Well, I don't think that's really a concern - most webcams have very low resolution and a focal length like a piece of paper. With a cache 150' from the cam itself, you'd be lucky to be able to tell a .30cal ammo can from a film canister, let alone where exactly they found it. The particular cameras we have at work (they're actually part of a security system we bought) are better than average, but it would still be more of a novelty than anything else. Here's a sample image from our reception area camera. The double doors in the picture are about 25 feet away from the camera, so imagine what 150 feet away would look like. I can increase the resolution but it's not going to change the focal length.

 

Still, I think it's a fun idea that I'm looking forward to implementing.

Link to comment

Yeah, it depends on the webcam, to an extent. In some areas, though, having the webcam publicly available and known, people could watch others find the cache and hide it behind a certain tree or some such, and that'd be enough to give the location away...

 

Again I say(slightly different wording this time, though) - Maybe I just need more faith in modern society's honesty...

 

Happy Caching

Jeff

Link to comment
Yeah, it depends on the webcam, to an extent. In some areas, though, having the webcam publicly available and known, people could watch others find the cache and hide it behind a certain tree or some such, and that'd be enough to give the location away...

Maybe the best way to handle that is to put the web address for the cam in the cache. You would not know about it till you find it and then it would not matter.

 

But hey if people want to cheat themselves that is their problem. Nothing anybody can do about that.

Link to comment
You could go to the webcam site and watch fellow geocachers during the hunt. I wonder if anyone has something like this already. If not I think it would be a great one to do and post it on a website for all to see.

I was doing the "find a parking spot" thing a few weeks back and spotted another team approaching the general area (they were more gung-ho than I was and jumped the curb to park in the grass!). I watched them go in for the kill and then come back out 20mins later.

 

It was pretty interesting to watch, although I felt like I was GeoStalking or something. :-)

 

I think it's fairly common for people to hide caches where they can see them from home/work. Maybe it's the same voyeuristic angle.

 

BTW, DiscGolfer, there is a course in my city (Carrollton, Tx) that doesn't get much attention. I hid an ammocan in the woods near it to attract some outdoorsey attention to the course (even though I don't play). I called it "Disc Cache", but haven't listed it here yet. I thought you might want to hear that. :-)

Link to comment

oh, I have a definitie opinion (read: bug up my butt) about this topic:

 

Generally, spying on people without their knowing about it, is wrong, rude, disrespectful, creepy, and downright pathetic.

 

Yes, there are instances when "watching" is warranted - and in such justified cases one should expect clear notice alerting them that they are being watched (and that their "privacy" is being violated: A convenience store, bank, etc with security cams will post a notice that "you are being watched".

 

To spy on a geocacher, and even worse post their image on a public-access webcam for the "enjoyment" of the world without their knowledge or consent? That's dead wrong, and makes me personally want to drop out of this game and community, for my own protection and privacy.

 

If anyone decides to proceed with posting (or authorizing) a webcam-watched cache site, then you also have a clear obligation to also post that info so the cacher can decide whether they even want to be watched, or have their image broadcast. Myself - no thanks. It's creepy and wrong.

Link to comment
If anyone decides to proceed with posting (or authorizing) a webcam-watched cache site, then you also have a clear obligation to also post that info so the cacher can decide whether they even want to be watched, or have their image broadcast. Myself - no thanks. It's creepy and wrong.

Sorry not seeing things that way at all. If you are out in public you have no right to any expectation of privacy.

 

By the looks of this site there are plenty of places you need to avoid and likely would never even know it.

Link to comment
oh, I have a definitie opinion (read: bug up my butt) about this topic:

 

Generally, spying on people without their knowing about it, is wrong, rude, disrespectful, creepy, and downright pathetic.

 

Yes, there are instances when "watching" is warranted - and in such justified cases one should expect clear notice alerting them that they are being watched (and that their "privacy" is being violated: A convenience store, bank, etc with security cams will post a notice that "you are being watched".

 

To spy on a geocacher, and even worse post their image on a public-access webcam for the "enjoyment" of the world without their knowledge or consent? That's dead wrong, and makes me personally want to drop out of this game and community, for my own protection and privacy.

 

If anyone decides to proceed with posting (or authorizing) a webcam-watched cache site, then you also have a clear obligation to also post that info so the cacher can decide whether they even want to be watched, or have their image broadcast. Myself - no thanks. It's creepy and wrong.

I don't know of any caches that are monitored (I should have had one on my newest though) and it would probably be listed on the cache page if it were. You are acting like all caches have cameras watching them with the resulting images posted on the net.

 

Spying on people is wrong, but I think of that being done where privacy is your right, eg. your house, lockerrooms, etc. If you are out in the public you have no right to privacy.

 

I personsally wouldn't mind a camera watched cache, so they see me wandering around in circles poking my hand around trees and rocks big deal.

Link to comment
If anyone decides to proceed with posting (or authorizing) a webcam-watched cache site, then you also have a clear obligation to also post that info so the cacher can decide whether they even want to be watched, or have their image broadcast. Myself - no thanks. It's creepy and wrong.

Sorry not seeing things that way at all. If you are out in public you have no right to any expectation of privacy.

 

By the looks of this site there are plenty of places you need to avoid and likely would never even know it.

gosh, you're absolutely right - and I also have no right to expect people not to fart in a crowded elevator -- but most decent, civilized and respectful folks know better than to do so...... just because one is "allowed" to do something (like stalking or spying on people without their knowledge), doesn't mean you should.

 

And just because so many people today seem to be experiencing a mass "moral slippage" regarding their behavior and attitudes towards others, doesn't mean I need to ascribe to it, just because it's apparently become rampant in modern society. I can choose to treat others with courtesy and respect, even if they have no "right" to expect that from me. I also "Choose" to take (and hold) the higher ground, and to pass on values of decency (respect for yourself and for others) to the next generation -- jeez, apparently SOMEONE has to.....it's become a sad state of affairs, for sure......

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

Link to comment

I say post the cache and the webcam URL and call it "Go ahead and watch!" And then make the hide REALLY REALLY clever-- something that people will wish they'd watched the webcam to find.

 

If the webcam is set up in real-time, and you keep the archive of finders secured, then someone would have to luck out and be watching the webcam right when someone else found the cache for it to be a spoiler.

 

That's how I would do it, anyway. Let 'em watch. If someone doesn't want to watch a find-in-progress, they can click away. Unlike the photos that get posted to the cache's gallery, the images in a webcam arent' going to stay there forever.

Link to comment
gosh, you're absolutely right - and I also have no right to expect people not to fart in a crowded elevator -- but most decent, civilized and respectful folks know better than to do so...... just because one is "allowed" to do something (like stalking or spying on people without their knowledge), doesn't mean you should.

 

And just because so many people today seem to be experiencing a mass "moral slippage" regarding their behavior and attitudes towards others, doesn't mean I need to ascribe to it, just because it's apparently become rampant in modern society. I can choose to treat others with courtesy and respect, even if they have no "right" to expect that from me. I also "Choose" to take (and hold) the higher ground, and to pass on values of decency (respect for yourself and for others) to the next generation -- jeez, apparently SOMEONE has to.....it's become a sad state of affairs, for sure......

It's not a moral issue at all, nor a flatulent one. You have no right to privacy in a public venue, and that's no different than 100 years ago. When you go to a baseball game, is your expectation that photographs taken of the action that may include you in the background are violations of your privacy? You do know that every time you drive down a highway that your image is stored in DOT computers and videotape machines? Many stoplights in almost all major cities now have cameras to catch violators - is that a violation of your right to privacy? Your picture is on your driver's license and stored by the government. They know your Social Security number, too! My guess is that if you've been out of the house in the last year, that you've been captured on innumerable cameras in innumerable places, at every retail location you've entered, etc., etc.

 

Anyway... the idea of using a camera to monitor a cache location has absolutely nothing to do with stalking or voyeurism, and the leap of logic it takes to make it some sort of horrific transgression of everything that's right and holy is beyond me. This is "fun" stuff. Try having some. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
...... just because one is "allowed" to do something (like stalking or spying on people without their knowledge), doesn't mean you should.

 

Stalking and spying? You are out in public people get to look and see what is in front of them. Man I find it amazing what people think they have a right to. Don't go outside, never leave your house then you will never run the risk of people invading your privacy. If someone was watching you find a cache but you did not see them is that spying or stalking? Or you go to some tourist stop and people are taking pictures and happen to get you in one of them and then post it to their website for all the world to see. Has your privacy been invaded?

Link to comment

you're absolutely right - this should be a fun experience for everyone involved.

and sorry that this discussion (perhaps my doing) got sidetracked from the "real issue", i.e. that if someone decides to pursue a cache that involves a webcam monitoring, then the cache poster should let people know UP FRONT that the cache is being monitored, and thereby allow each cacher to make an informed decision about whether they want to have their image broadcast via webcam. Why would you not grant them that simple decent common courtesy? How does that subtract from your "entertainment factor" by allowing people the CHOICE of whether or not to seek out webcam-monitored caches? Isn't that really their decision to make (whether they want their image broadcast via webcam), and not YOUR decision?

 

I'm not saying that webcam caches shouldn't be allowed - I think they should. I just think they should also be clearly identified as such, as a decent common courtesy to other cachers.

Link to comment

I have a multicache that I had to move one of the waypoints to my front yard (for technical reasons). I've noticed cachers looking for it on many occasions. Sometimes they knock on the door, sometimes they find it without my help.

 

Having the waypoint at my home has opened my eyes to a number of things, two of which stand out.

 

1. Way more people than I suspected find caches and don't log them on either the website, or the cache log.

 

2. Geocachers are often oblivious to their surroundings when they are in the heat of the hunt.

 

The suggestion that theres something wrong with "observing" cachers in action raises a few questions for me.

 

Am I a voyeur? Nah.

 

Do I need to place a warning on the cache page that they may be observed on one of the waypoints? Nope.

Link to comment
Please just don't place it where nudecacher can find it!

The cache or the webcam? I have posted a few DNFs. :)

I haven't posted any webcams yet. Most of them are worse than urban micros for not being nude friendly.

 

Nudecacher

he's like beetlejuice.... just say his name a few times and he appears!

 

:)

Link to comment

As other people have mentioned, there are already a lot of places with webcams set up in public areas. Just do a search on a webcam directory site and you can find a LOT of these. If you're that worried about being filmed you might want to look all these up and make a list so you can avoid all these areas where you may possibly be recorded. Better stay away from stores, too, as many have security camera, even pointing out the windows/doors sometimes.

 

I don't understand why cheaters would be such a big problem-- if someone wants to go to all the trouble of carefully watching a webcam to figure out exactly where the cache is hidden, let them! It doesn't hurt anyone else for them to find one more cache.

Link to comment

I'd like to chime in with monimoni. Yeah it's legal...and if you intentions are good..it's moral...but IMHO you should let participants in the cache know they are being watched. As a general rule, you can expect security cameras in certain public places (and I don't really have a problem with it). But...these security camera systems usually have strict usage guidelines that govern their proper use (and that's why I don't mind them).

 

I've got kids....I don't personally know any of you folks (although this community of people seems great!). Face it...there are wierdos among all groups of people.

 

Picture this scenario....Joe Sicko is wifi-ing the web cam on his laptop from the local Starbucks parking lot.....the 13 year old Geo-Princesses Girl Scouts show up at the hidden camera cache site...their mom said it was OK because it was only a few blocks from home and seemed harmless...need I go further?

 

This game/sport is fun and appeals to a wide range of people. The success of the sport hinges upon great people sharing fun experiences with each other. Why mess that up by testing individual's privacy tolerances.

 

If there are snakes in the area...you'd tell me. If the terrain is dangerous...you'd tell me. If I'm going to get wet...you'd tell me. If you're going to take my picture...be polite and tell me!

 

That all being said....put up you Web Cam Cache....it sounds like fun....I'd go! Just tell people what you're doing and what to expect (so we can put on some cool movie star glasses or something!). <_<

Edited by TeamGonzo
Link to comment

Yep. Working in the Seattle area, I know of around 30 cameras that catch me every day commuting, each way. Take a couple trips to the market or the mall and I'd reach 100 easily. The vast majority of them are publicly viewable, traffic cameras and such. I'm just floored that people think it's such an issue. I assume you live in Nome or Vanuatu or something if you're so concerned about your privacy.

 

Those game cameras are pretty nifty. A friend of mine is a hunter and has one of those off in the boonies somewhere. Some of our work cameras have motion-sensitivity built in, but they work on a percentage difference basis, frame-by-frame... IOW, not very well.

 

One of those would be even more fun than an illicit perverted webcam watching a cache - put the game camera IN the cache container, pointing up, so when it's opened a picture is taken automatically. Cachers as they really look at the moment of discovery.

Link to comment
Not to complain, but in Canada, I believe that would be voyeurism.

Except that if you know about it going in, it's legal.

 

 

There's a cache around here that has a special logging requirement.. It's a multi cache and the end stage is in line with a security camera and in order to log the cache you have to do the chicken dance so the camera can see you. Not the same thing, but just an example that some people have done things involving cameras that weren't typical webcams.

Link to comment

Back to the topic of the webcam at the cache. I did a cache in Aug 03 in the Fredericksburg, VA area, where the cache owner was monitoring the cache via web-cam. How do I know? He sent me an e-mail describing my cache hunt. It was obvious he had been watching me.

Felt kinda strange in hindsight.

Link to comment

If you are outdoors, in public, you may very well be on camera. That's just the way it is in the USA today. I can see that it felt strange, as this game has a tradition of honorable dealings with others and family-friendly activities; the cache owner should probably make it clear that you're going to be on camera in his/her listing. Unfortunately that's their choice, not yours. You can all rest assured that if I place a cache and point a camera at it, that you'll have plenty of notice.

 

(Well, unless I put an automated camera with a flash on it inside a cache container, and have it take a picture as soon as the cover is opened. That'll be a suprise, I think. Probably cause a few heart attacks.)

Link to comment

monimoni, The first step is to recognize the problem. I hope this helps.

 

Social Phobia

 

What is Social Phobia?

Social Phobia, or Social Anxiety Disorder, is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. Social phobia can be limited to only one type of situation?such as a fear of speaking in formal or informal situations, or eating or drinking in front of others?or, in its most severe form, may be so broad that a person experiences symptoms almost anytime they are around other people.

 

Signs & Symptoms

People with social phobia have a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions. Their fear may be so severe that it interferes with work or school, and other ordinary activities. Physical symptoms often accompany the intense anxiety of social phobia and include blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking.

 

Treatment

Effective treatments for social phobia are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with social phobia and other anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives.

 

Getting Help

Locate mental health services in your area, affordable healthcare, NIMH clinical trials, and listings of professionals and organizations.

------------

Complete article: Social Phobia

Link to comment

Gees Happy Gillmore....that was the rudest thing I've seen in any forum here. monimoni is entitled to her opinion (which is kinda what I thought people shared in forums)...she didn't attack you...if you don't like it, share your own opinion and move on to the next topic.

Link to comment

It wasn't given in malice. However, some times offering help is not always accepted well. I have personal experience with friends who have this clinical problem. It is nothing to make light of. It controls their lives more than you can believe. I am offering a hand, not a put down. It is interesting to note the page full of logs from people saying "get over it", but the one post offering help gets slammed.

 

EDITED for spelling.

Edited by Happy Gillmore
Link to comment

Ah come on HG....offering a suggestion to seek mental health services for an opinion expressed in a friendly forum? That's a bit different from a disagreement or a "get over it".

 

I enjoy geocaching as a family friendly activity that appeals to a wide range of people from the very young to the very young at heart. monimoni's avitar leads me to the impression that she may be in the young at heart category.

 

I appreciate that video survellance is a hot button topic for some. I think we all have a line that would cross our personal boundaries of tolerance. If her line isn't where yours is, that's cool. But I don't think suggesting that she seek mental health services is an appropriate response in a forum that appeals to such a wide range of users.

 

Besides...her "I also have no right to expect people not to fart in a crowded elevator" comment made me chuckle! :D

Link to comment

TeamGonzo, what is with you? Can't you just accept the fact that a concerned person is trying to help? Your rebuttles are not wanted, they are off subject and not appropriate. This thread is not about civil liberties. If you are so concerned about protecting someone's right to state their opinion then stop stepping on my right, that you say I have. If my comments help those who need help, great. If not, that is fine. But don't tell me I can't offer to help just because you don't like it.

 

End of subject.

Link to comment

Well this just went off the rails, didn't it? I promise not to ever monitor a cache with a webcam without telling everyone first. I would hope that most others would do the same. I'm concerned about the lack of privacy in our lives here the US; probably more than most I'm concerned about it. But I don't believe that much can be done about it in the wake of September 11, 2001. We just have to live with it and have as much fun as we can without letting it bother us too much.

Link to comment
:rolleyes: I Have been thinking about this for awhile-there have been several caches stolen within a few miles of my house-all cahes in the woods away from prying eyes and all larger cahes in ammo cans or with good stuff in them. Including one of mine. I thought about putting one of those Game Cameras near a cache to monitor who comes along and maybe get a picture of it being carried off, but decided that I would have to tell people the cache was being photographed and the thief might steal the camera which is worth a lot more than the cache. Edited by blue eyed jacks
Link to comment

Some great responses on the topic. I don't want to spy on any particular person by monitoring a geocache with a webcam, I just thought it would be great to go to a website on a rainy day when I can't go caching myself and tune in to the search of the day for the cache being monitored, all in good fun.

 

I think it would be wise to set up the cache so that everyone up front knows that they are being monitored for the enjoyment of the entire geocaching community.

 

I understand the whole "big brother" and right to privacy concerns that have been raised, but i hope everyone understands the intention of this kind of cache. A global sharing of the hunt for all to see. Sounds like potential public relations for geocaching and a way for muggles and potential cachers to see what it's all about.

 

Please continue the discussion, but let's be nice :P Let's not ruffle each others feathers over this one :lol:

Edited by DiscGolfer
Link to comment
It wasn't given in malice. However, some times offering help is not always accepted well. I have personal experience with friends who have this clinical problem. It is nothing to make light of. It controls their lives more than you can believe. I am offering a hand, not a put down. It is interesting to note the page full of logs from people saying "get over it", but the one post offering help gets slammed.

 

EDITED for spelling.

Gosh, HappyG, thanks for your very kind offer of a mental health referral (although one must wonder, if you "really cared", why wouldn't you email me that "help" privately and directly instead of broadcasting your "diagnosis" of my "problem" at the forums? Hmmmm, methinks HappyG's actions speak louder than words.......)

 

so, are you happy now, Happy?

How 'bout now, are you happy now?

 

How 'bout now.....NOW are you happy?.....

('cause I'm happy.....I'm VERY happy.....and I'm not even medicated.....)

 

 

B)

Link to comment

monimoni, I am glad you are happy. I did contemplate whether I should send the information to you directly. I thought, however, that would defeat the purpose of a forum, i.e. to share information. If I would have sent this only to you then others who might be interested in the information would not have gotten it.

 

Again, don't take offence where none was given. I have not made any malicious comments or attacked anyone. I do agree that actions speak louder then words.

Link to comment

What about the equally terrible:

 

DNF Phobia

 

What is DNF Phobia?

DNF Phobia, or Did Not Find Anxiety Disorder, is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in not locating a cache.

 

Signs & Symptoms

People with DNF phobia have a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of not finding an "easy" cache and judged by others and being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions. Their fear may be so severe that it interferes with caching. Physical symptoms often accompany the intense anxiety of DNF phobia and include blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, walking in circles, mumbling about where it could be and difficulty talking.

 

Treatment

Effective treatments for DNF phobia are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with DNF phobia and other caching disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives.

 

Getting Help

Locate cache owner and ask for help. B)

 

I am not making fun of anybodys real or imagined phobias. I would still like to do a cache that had a web cam pointed at it.

Link to comment

zcubed, as my teen-age son would say, "ROFL!". I was going to mention that there is a caching team here locally that is putting out phobia caches. I couldn't remember the names of the caches so I did a search on geocaching.com for phobia and found 29 caches!

 

I talked to the team here and they said they are going to put out a phobia for "sticking your hand into dark spaces and having to feel around for a cache". Yikes! I hate that. It gives me the heebie-jeebies! I have missed more than one cache because I just couldn't do it.

 

I guess we, or at least a some of us, could use some therapy. B)

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...