Geocaching alternatives

[bmac]

I'd be interested in seeing something like this set up in Australia. It would make be an added incentive to walk up mountains and in remote places, for instance - like geocaching is. It is also something you can do in places where caches cannot be maintained due to lack of local cachers.

My understanding of the GC.com benchmarks are that they are listed in a database, but you then log the coordinates you get for it. If a database is available freely, I think it should be put up so as to avoid an unfair advantage to those who would have access to such information through other means.

I recall seeing a database at one stage for trig points or survey markers of some type in Qld. I remember there was one on top of the water tower in Bundaberg (and hence off-limits).

Does anyone have more info on the different types of survey markers? The everyday run-of-the-mill ones seem to be just about everywhere.

bmac.

[EcoTeam]

Swampy was getting swamped (sorry about the pun) with off-topic comments in his premium cache post. So let's debate it here.

Should Australia set up a 'complimentary' caching site? Could we develop a new form of caching? Who will bankroll it?

My thought was to set up a Trigspotting site based on the Virtual cache 'That's the Trig' by 2 Dogs and the UK site.

A trig caching site isn't a bad idea.
Who would bankroll it?, well, it would cost next to nothing to host. The kind of bandwidth and space we are talking for such a site could easily be covered by something like the $7US per month web site host plan I use(250MB, 5GB bandwidth, all the databases and web stuff you can poke a stick at). Add on <$10 for a .com addess (.com.au are a ripoff, so just call it oztrig.com or something), and the cost is still trivial for someone who's keen.
The real cost would be in someones time to develop and maintain a suitable web interface and database. But even my almost non-existant web programming skills could knock up a basic shell that works. A web geek could probably do it in a matter of hours.

EcoDave

[EcoTeam]

As for alternatives to GC.com and Navicache, one which will be regulated by it's users, it looks like the only ones who are talking about having a go are www.opencaching.com
Nothing yet though, just a forum of people talking about it.

The Banned Caching site looks popular with ONE cache so far
It's just a movable, no grog, no food, not near a terrorist target in a National Park - nothing controversial!

EcoDave

[EcoTeam]

Looks like even Jeremy is poking his nose into the opencaching.com forum:
http://www.opencaching.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3

Sounds like he has genuine intentions to go "open source" if he can find a way...

EcoDave

[EcoTeam]

Yet another alternative caching site!
http://www.terracachers.org

EcoDave

[Mix]

http://www.navicache.com/cgi-bin/db/dis ... cheID=3764

It seems that the rules of navicache are different as this cache was not approved by GC.COM, I just accepted it at the time but maybe people might like to consider navicache next time your cache is not acceptable to the secondary site, I mean no disrespect to our local approvers. I get the feeling they are hamstrung sometimes by the yanks and their directives. I donÂ’t know specifically why THE RED TOP was not approved on GC.COM but if I can put it up someplace else why not.
<br><br>
Have you got caches you canÂ’t get approved?
Why not try them at navicahe?
<br><br>
GC.COM is a better site and will remain the main one but why not.

[Hounddog]

On benchmarks/trigs

When I set up the "That's the Trig" vitual. Jeremy and Geocaching.com actually wrote back to me and complimented the idea but made us restrict the cache to Australia Only. At that stage they had not thought of setting up their benchmark section but soon after it arrived on the site.
I have not patented the idea here, so if anyone wants to go ahead and create a benchmark site feel free. Or maybe I can just remove the ceiling on the number of allowed trigs.

As far as Navicache/alternative sites etc.

Like I said, these sites mostly have good intentions and are only playing the game and evolving in much the same way Geocaching.com did. (Navicache has 3 caches in Aus today but maybe hundreds later down the track) GC.com should not take offence to cachers using more than one site to access caches, but I believe that in all fairness they will always have the right to preserve copyright/patent on any aspects of the game and website that they have created. I cannot say enough about how good a job Geocaching.com is doing for the hobby, but in countries outside the U.S. particularly, they should not be surprised if more 'local savvy' domains appear.

Another advantage of alterantive sites might be that the work load for a larger site could be lightened. An approver stated here recently that the work load was often so great that it was taking him away from other things he wanted to do. Perhaps another site would relieve the situation....or would cache setters simply want to register their cache on both sites?

Outiside of this and the "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" reason I don't see much advantage for Australian cachers using another overseas site though. The true advantages would come from an exclusively Australian based site.

[Ebenezer]

Perhaps another site would relieve the situation....or would cache setters simply want to register their cache on both sites?

I'd want to register my cache on multiple sites if I thought there was more than one site that people commonly used in Australia. Personally I think that having a site with separate cache listings to gc.com dilutes the number of caches, and makes it more hassle for newcomers.

A separate site for trigs would be great, but not a separate site for geocaches.

[The Spindoctors]

Well I'm keen to be part of developing a trig site, but my computer knowledge is stuck in 1995 (HTML code and DreamWeaver2), plus I use a Mac. Someone with computer skills would be handy.

Regarding a database: I had a smilar experience with NSW Lands as Dooghan had in Qld. I think the concern hey have is that the information, which they usually sell to surveyor, would be extracted for free from our 'future site'.

The idea of building up our own database would be useful though. I have a list of all the Trigs found so far. Maybe the person that first finds a trig is listed as the 'owner'. Others could then log it. This way it would work similar to gc.com.

If, as EcoDave suggests, the financial cost is minimal, I'm keen to fork out the funds to start a site, but I do need someone to help set it up.

As our UK colleague said, he is happy to provide the code, we just need someone with PHP/mySQL experience (I have neither).

[EcoTeam]

I'm even happy to host it on my website (subject to size and bandwidth limitations) and can easily point a domain name (www.oztrig.com etc) to my site and you wouldn't know the difference.
I'm sure that a good web programmer could knock up something useful in matter of hours. I know I could knock up a standalone application in a few hours, but I know next to nothing about making a web-enabled version.

I agree that a trig site would be good, but a seperate oz caching site most likely wouldn't work unless a LOT of effort was put into it. And I'm afraid that's never going to happen unless someone keen enough took complete ownship of it. Heck, I have enough trouble getting people to write a few words for the national newsletter!

A trig site would just need a simple database with a list of trigs, the ability for anyone to add a new trig, and the ability to log finds and upload photos. There is probably an off-the-shelf "shell" program out there that could do most of that already.

EcoDave

[riblit]

I'm agreeable to sharing my trig locations file. Others can add to it as time goes by. Anybody with topo maps and Oziexplorer can easily add to it by setting waypoints on trigs marked on the maps and saving the waypoint file
I have concentrated mostly aroung the county of Cumberland as this is my area of interest.

[SNIFTER]

So what is wrong with "That's the Trig" site. Just take off the limitations and away you go. No need for another site.

[riblit]

So what is wrong with "That's the Trig" site. Just take off the limitations and away you go. No need for another site.

Depends on what is wanted - if a simple logging page yes its ok, if a searchable database is wanted, it's a different story..