What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Discussion about the Geocaching Australia web site
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fluffyfish
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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by fluffyfish » 09 February 16 9:34 pm

tmiftg wrote:This park in particular has lots of information on specific native plant species, so users could get hints or an id key to then have to find particular species - then learn about that plant and the value and why it is there while chasing the location.
Many groups would just like to make more people aware of the environmental works, and why they are valuable (cultural, environmental values).
The Westgate group runs large numbers of volunteer days when people could turn up, help with cleanup, planting, etc, for specific events - so that is another option.
This site, and many others have regular problems with weeds and or rubbish - so some sites could include the test to identify and remove a weed plant or rubbish, or photograph and geolocate weeds for the group to target..
Other groups would just love to have new people see their site, take a photo or provide a condition report (simple ie needs maintenance, weeds growing) or feedback - particularly the more remote ones. A series of photos taken from a key location (a virtual cache?) over time would be a big help to groups (ie photo point monitoring) - and help promote sites - especially if linked to Facebook etc. Time series photos are incredibly powerful for monitoring.
Keep going. This sounds even better. Would a photo suffice as proof? Like a web cam cache? But instead a photo of something of environmental importance at the provided coords?

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by tmiftg » 09 February 16 10:32 pm

For many, a photo from a specific location could indeed suffice as proof - particularly if part of the challenge is to find the location and correct direction or subject.
Possible arrangement - start point, get hints for Q&A to learn to identify a plant or something of environmental value, find the item (and hopefully about the importance of it), take a photo for proof and submit.
Simpler one would be find the point, calculate the photo point location and take and submit the photo.

One issue is that whatever is done needs to be easy to manage or with minimum extra work for the groups - these people put in huge volunteer time for their works and sites and don't have the extra time for other work - like promoting their achievements (most suck at promotion).

Ideally, the groups might be looking to find GCers who could set up and maintain the cache and information - otherwise it is another area of time or skill development that might not happen, so they might be relying on your organisation to help find and connect these people. That way GCers would be setting up the caches and challenges with help from the groups in identifying the information & sites - so they could be the right challenge for other GCers.

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by caughtatwork » 10 February 16 8:41 am

The site cannot validate whether a photo is of the area or a picture of a clown. So any validation / checking is at the cache owners end. This is why we did Q&A for History caches. At least force them to cheat :-)

I am not a huge fan of photo evidence even though TrigPoints require it as do Virtuals. . Probably 10% of the time I simply forget to add the photo because I log it then forget to get the picture off my phone or don't have a cable handy, so I make a note to do it later and forget.

I would like to see some other innovative way (other than photo or Q&A) for a cache that does not have a container.
TrigPoints and Virtuals require a photo.
History caches require Q&A.
If we were to do an enviro-cache, then we would need a new method of proof to go with the cache. If we just use the same mechanism, we are not really creating a new cache type, just a different name for a virtual.

What can we do that is not the same as another type?

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by MavEtJu » 10 February 16 11:02 am

History caches require Q&A.
Is the Q&A option available for non-History caches?
The site cannot validate whether a photo is of the area or a picture of a clown. So any validation / checking is at the cache owners end.
I honestly could not care less if somebody does log one of my caches (virtuals/non-virtuals) without making a photo or without physical signing the log book. Yes it's in the general requirements for the game or for the cache, but does it really bother me? No. And if somebody is acting like an idiot and logging everything while they haven't been anywhere, generally the system or community will catch them.

Edwin

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by Sol de Lune » 10 February 16 11:13 am

caughtatwork wrote:The site cannot validate whether a photo is of the area or a picture of a clown. So any validation / checking is at the cache owners end. This is why we did Q&A for History caches. At least force them to cheat :-)

If we were to do an enviro-cache, then we would need a new method of proof to go with the cache. If we just use the same mechanism, we are not really creating a new cache type, just a different name for a virtual.

What can we do that is not the same as another type?
Is there anything?.......if so, it should be easy and somewhat simple for the finder to complete as a long protracted logging experience wont be attractive. I'm struggling to think of anything that is different.

If we really want to go ahead with this, it just may be that a photo at the sign at the entrance to the park/area is the way to go. To be honest, it doesn't excite me that much as it just becomes another virtual.......just go somewhere, take the photo and move on...which is exactly what most cachers will do. They've grabbed the required photo so all is good, but they have no idea what the area is about. To go ahead, it must be something that shows the area off to visitors....but is there anything that is unique.....and simple. I'm starting to think not.

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by Sol de Lune » 10 February 16 11:22 am

MavEtJu wrote:
History caches require Q&A.
Is the Q&A option available for non-History caches?
The site cannot validate whether a photo is of the area or a picture of a clown. So any validation / checking is at the cache owners end.
I honestly could not care less if somebody does log one of my caches (virtuals/non-virtuals) without making a photo or without physical signing the log book. Yes it's in the general requirements for the game or for the cache, but does it really bother me? No. And if somebody is acting like an idiot and logging everything while they haven't been anywhere, generally the system or community will catch them.

Edwin
You don't care...then why put them out if you don't care what people do....good advert for caches and caching in general. No doubt you'll come back at me with another reason.....but wow, I think that is a sad attitude. We're trying to raise the profile of Geocaching Australia and to have someone say they don't care about how cachers claim a find is disturbing....and not a good look.

How about you delete your post and then I'll delete mine....and we can forget anything was ever said. :D :D

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by tmiftg » 10 February 16 1:52 pm

caughtatwork wrote: I would like to see some other innovative way (other than photo or Q&A) for a cache that does not have a container.
TrigPoints and Virtuals require a photo.
History caches require Q&A.
If we were to do an enviro-cache, then we would need a new method of proof to go with the cache. If we just use the same mechanism, we are not really creating a new cache type, just a different name for a virtual.

What can we do that is not the same as another type?
Sol de Lune wrote:
To go ahead, it must be something that shows the area off to visitors....but is there anything that is unique.....and simple. I'm starting to think not.
Sorry, but this is where I need to rely on the expertise of you folks. If there are already cache types that would enable what groups would like to do, then we just need to be able to explain how to use them. If there is no need for a new type of cache, then that would be easier - but it would be great if there was a specific enviro-cache.

If there are already a couple of types of caches that have the same requirements, ie Trigpoints & Virtuals, then is it a major issue if there is another name for the same type as the history?

Ideally, I would like to have a specific type and proof options, and some options could be good but have risks. Collect or remove a weed would be great, but there are sites where even the locals can have trouble distinguishing between native and weed species at times of the year - and then where do people put their trophy? Could easily focus on 1 or 2 easy to identify species. There will be many sites where this could work well, but there are others where this would be too risky.

Looking at some sites, plant identification is a common community activity - often done when schools get involved. The proof could be a photo of the identifying features of the plants in question - and these would likely be the preferred species instead of weeds.

Groups are likely to want to show the area off to visitors - especially to encourage them to see all or major parts of the site - so Sol de Lune is spot on about this as the need to add value. Hence the Q& A would help in forcing this if moving through the site is a requirement to be able to answer the questions.

I assume the preference is not to require or add external systems or websites to the challenge - ie Facebook or group website? Many areas I know have no mobile coverage, so that would only be useful when logging from home later.

By the way, thanks for all your input. I am learning a lot.

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fluffyfish
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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by fluffyfish » 10 February 16 2:10 pm

Maybe we have over thought it?

Guessing if a group would like cachers to visit / help / photo a location, make a traditional.

An obvious box on a post with a visitors book/log book.

If it gets muggled, then all you need is to replace the book.

However it doesn't raise the requirement of it being an "enviro cache".

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by MavEtJu » 10 February 16 3:24 pm

Sol de Lune wrote:
MavEtJu wrote:
History caches require Q&A.
Is the Q&A option available for non-History caches?
The site cannot validate whether a photo is of the area or a picture of a clown. So any validation / checking is at the cache owners end.
I honestly could not care less if somebody does log one of my caches (virtuals/non-virtuals) without making a photo or without physical signing the log book. Yes it's in the general requirements for the game or for the cache, but does it really bother me? No. And if somebody is acting like an idiot and logging everything while they haven't been anywhere, generally the system or community will catch them.

Edwin
You don't care...then why put them out if you don't care what people do....good advert for caches and caching in general. No doubt you'll come back at me with another reason.....but wow, I think that is a sad attitude. We're trying to raise the profile of Geocaching Australia and to have someone say they don't care about how cachers claim a find is disturbing....and not a good look.

How about you delete your post and then I'll delete mine....and we can forget anything was ever said. :D :D
Did I read that right? Let me highlight it for you:
You don't care...then why put them out if you don't care what people do....good advert for caches and caching in general. No doubt you'll come back at me with another reason.....but wow, I think that is a sad attitude. We're trying to raise the profile of Geocaching Australia and to have someone say they don't care about how cachers claim a find is disturbing....and not a good look.
I admit I only took some letters from the full line, but the message is clear.


Feel free to take the full statement I wrote into your statement instead of only the first three words and I am more than happy to discuss things.

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by caughtatwork » 10 February 16 7:19 pm

MavEtJu wrote:
History caches require Q&A.
Is the Q&A option available for non-History caches?
Virtual by choice of the cache owner.
Mandatory for History.

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by Now_To_Morrow » 10 February 16 9:56 pm

(Not part of the enviro convo)

Is there such a thing as a hidden cache? As in, you hide the coordinates for the real cache at the end of a multi, and at the coordinates in the real cache is the GA code to search online for and log as found? I imagine archiving it is one way to create it and hide it again, but would finding an archived cache still count? You could call it a ghost cache.
Last edited by Now_To_Morrow on 11 February 16 7:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by Richary » 10 February 16 10:35 pm

I've stayed quiet on this as I don't have any useful input here. Just not sure how an enviro cache could differ from a virtual (or history) reading the discussion so far.

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by caughtatwork » 11 February 16 8:41 am

No_Tomorrow wrote:(Not part of the enviro convo)

Is there such a thing as a hidden cache? As in, you hide the coordinates for the real cache at the end of a multi, and at the coordinates in the real cache is the GA code to search online for and log as found? I imagine archiving it is one way to create it and hide it again, but would finding an archived cache still count? You could call it a ghost cache.
They used to be referred to as private caches. A cache that is listed at this site, but is not visible unless you have some form of key / codeword / coords / etc. It can be done, but it's a very large task to exclude private caches from the general listings. The site is based on everything being available to everyone, so we would need to hide these caches from all searches, lists, logs, edits, etc. Not impossible, just large.

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by Now_To_Morrow » 11 February 16 9:22 am

Aha. I see what you are saying. True. Thanks. We'll just leave that one be (for now) then. :)

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Re: What can Geocaching Australia do for you in 2016?

Post by caughtatwork » 14 February 16 6:47 pm

On the eco-cache idea.

Lady caughtatwork and I were out at Sunbury finding geocaches today and talking about the site and improvements, etc, etc and we came across a cross site near Rupertswood that was being remediated. i.e. New bushes and trees along the creek were being planted, I assume to help keep the environment clean.

When thinking about the sites above like Westgate Park, instead of a cache where you just go somewhere and take a picture, why not set up a cache type that is kind of like a CITO (Cache In Trash Out) but different.

What would happen that in conjunction with a landcare or group responsible for the remediation of an area, we have a cache that requires you to "plant a tree". "Plant a tree" could be anything really, including removing weeds, etc, but the idea behind "plant a tree" relates to climate change rather then remediating the area.

With geocachers using a lot of fuel to go find plastic boxes (which are also probably petroleum based) we use probably put a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere. If we did a "plant a tree" cache (i.e. a eco-cache), then we would help to remove some of that carbon we are adding by driving around.

The cache would need to be co-ordinated with the group at the location. I'm sure they don't want people randomly planting anything they like. But I'm also not sure whether it would need to be an organised event or whether a group could "allow" a certain plant type to be planted and by publishing the cache, they would allow anyone in to plant the right type of tree at any time. This way the cache could always be available (with co-ordinates in the park) and when you log your cache you log the co-ords of your tree and a picture of your tree. Kind of like a locationless, but in a very specific area.

You could add up all your carbon output and using geocaching negate the entirety of your geocaching travels by using eco-caches.

It's not strictly a geocache, but neither is an event or a Mega or a CITO. What d'yall think?

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