GPS Tracklog

Geocaching with a Garmin nuvi

Geocaching is an awesome sport, that gets technology enthusiasts (and often their kids) outdoors, albeit with a gadget in their hands!

A handheld GPS designed for outdoor use is the best tool for this high-tech treasure hunt, but many GPS enthusiasts only have a car unit. Fortunately for those of you with a Garmin nuvi, a method has been developed to allow you to give the sport a try without investing in any more equipment.

Geocache helps save lost climbers on Mount Hood

Two climbers on Mount Hood have been rescued with an assist from a geocache. The climbers spent the night in a snow cave after a whiteout. They reached authorities via cell phone Tuesday morning and began their descent, but were unable to relay their location since they had no GPS.

Luckily, they stumbled across a geocache, which contained enough clues that rescuers were able to determine their location.

Blog Action Day - Go geocaching with your kids

Today is Blog Action Day, a day when bloggers from all over the world are posting on the same topic -- the environment. According to their website, the idea is..."Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future."

So I've decided to post today on geocaching. These days video games, social networking sites and yes, blogs, keep kids (and me) at the computer way too much. Taking care of the environment is about taking care of future generations. But it's not just recycling and reducing our carbon footprint that we need to worry about. We need to expose them to the environment too; give them an appreciation of nature.

GeoJournal - Geocaching software for Mac

GeoJournal is a new geocaching program for Mac that allows you to "plan, manage and record your geocaching activities." It includes the following features:

• .gpx and .loc support.
• Multiple custom categories allow you to group geocaches by type, location, etc.
• Multiple "home" locations allowed.  For all you folks with a vacation home or the need to get away from the in-laws!
• Built-in use of Google Maps.
• Itinerary generation to help plan caching expeditions. Viewable in Google Earth.
• Built-in journal feature allows you to attach photos to each found cache. hence the name, GeoJournal.
• POP3 importing for Pocket Queries.
• Paperless geocaching support features includes CacheMate compatibility.

Waymarking - The next hot GPS game?

Have you heard of waymarking, the new GPS game from Groundspeak, the folks behind geocaching.com? Waymarking could be described as a more urban friendly geocaching, or even geocaching with a social network twist.

Waymarking.com describes a waymark as "a physical location on the planet marked by coordinates (latitude/longitude) and contains unique information defined within its waymark category. An outdoor maze waymark category, for example, could contain information like price of admission and days of operation..." And their category list is massive, including everything from off-leash dog parks to farmers markets to hot springs.

Waymarking grew out of the geocaching trend of creating "virtual caches" -- where there was no physical cache to discover. As a matter of fact, with the advent of waymarking.com, no new virtual caches can be listed at geocaching.com.

Geodashing and other lesser known GPS games

Most people reading this already know about geocaching, but did you know there are a host of other GPS-enabled games? There is benchmark finding, the degree confluence project and GPS drawing, but the list is even longer than that.

I came across a post today at GIS Lounge that mentioned geodashing, which is defined here:

In each game, a large set of waypoints, called dashpoints, from all over the world is posted on the Web. Dashpoint locations are chosen at random by computer, with all the unpredictability that presents. Dashpoints might be in suburban neighborhoods or in the middle of wilderness areas.

Then, the race is on to see who can reach the most dashpoints before the deadline.

Geodashing players can participate as individuals or as teams of up to five players to increase the number of dashpoints reached. The competition is friendly and teamwork helps to get high scores, so put your online acquaintances to good use.

Because the dashpoints are spread all over the world, it doesn't matter where you live. Dashpoints are as likely to be near to you as to anyone else. It's easy to start playing. Pick a dashpoint, visit it, report what you find.

Another geocaching Christmas, this time with travel bugs!

Last year I reported on a geocaching Christmas, now a firmly ensconced family tradition. For those of you not familiar with geocaching, it's a way to have fun with your GPS and get kids out of the house and hiking. And if you just got your first GPS, geocaching is a great introduction to GPS navigation.

This year we found several caches while in North Carolina, including Decaying Tunnel which had a couple of travel bugs in it. My nephew took one to Indiana and I took the other to California.

Daisy Mae Duck is the lucky bird that hitched a ride to California, where she awaits her next trip at Ploverlook in MacKerricker State Park. According to Daisy Mae's web page, she wants to travel and see places like Florence, Tuscany, London, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. If you can help her out, give her a lift.

GeoBuddy geocaching software

TopoGrafix, the company behind EasyGPS and ExpertGPS has announced the release of GeoBuddy 2.0. GeoBuddy was built with geocachers in mind. It can import pocket queries and GSAK files, and a free 90 day demo is available. The purchase price is $99.95. From the GeoBuddy web site:

"Unlike other geocaching utilities, GeoBuddy is a complete geocaching solution. GeoBuddy displays all of the geocaches in your area, as well as your own personal GPS data, over USGS topo maps, aerial photos, and your own scanned paper trail and road maps.  A built-in Web browser lists all of the information about each geocache, including pictures and hints left by the cache owner, and logs by recent visitors to the geocache. No other software gives you the maps, tools, and resources you need in one easy-to-use, integrated, package."

If you try it out, let us know what you think.

Win a Garmin 60CSx

Going to Florida this summer? Check out the Hidden Treasures of North Florida Geocaching Contest. Find all 13 caches before September 1 and you could win a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. Along the way, you'll get to tour 13 counties in North Florida and the Panhandle. Thanks to the official Garmin blog for this tidbit.

Technorati tags: GPS

Waypoints - April 15, 2006

My "waypoints" series has become a weekly feature at this point. It started out as a way to capture bits and pieces that didn't warrant a full post. I'm noticing though, that this is the place I tend to post items related to certain themes -- primarily GPS and cellphones, Google Earth and Google Maps. To a lesser extent, the same is true for GPS tracking and location based services. Enough introspection -- on with the show:

Cellphones and GPS

• Memory-Map has released Pocket Navigator for Smartphone, with live weather radar. Via GpsPasSion.
• Have an older parent you'd like to be able to locate if necessary? They're not tech-savvy enough to use a normal cellphone? The Twig Discovery could be the answer.
• MobileMag reports that the U.S. may soon see the E-Ten G500 Smartphone, which carries the SiRFstar III chipset.
• John Kass of the Chicago Tribune explores the issues associated with tracking your kids with a GPS cellphone.
• Fun in Vegas at the Luxor with location based services.
• Here's a review of Verizon's VZ Navigator.

Aerial photos and satellite imagery

• Kathryn Cramer theorizes about using satellite photos as a peace tool. Via Ogle Earth.
• Zillow adds Pictometry's oblique (aka birds-eye) imagery to its real estate site. Via All Points Blog.

Google Maps

• Here's a new mashup that gives you local news and traffic, by zip code. Interestingly enough the mashup uses Google Maps and Google RSS news feeds, but Yahoo! Geocoding and Yahoo! Traffic. Via Google Maps Mania.
• Google Maps is now displaying an overview pane.

Leftovers

• A new satellite system will use GPS to track hurricanes and climate change. It will do this by measuring the extent to which GPS signals are "bent" as they pass through the atmosphere.
• CBSNews.com has posted a story and video on geocaching.

Technorati tags: GPS