GCA Maps

[Laighside Legends]

I have just discovered the google maps feature on GCA and I am impressed by it
It allows you to hide your finds (you have to be a PM on gc.com to do this on there site). It also shows PM only caches and GCA caches.

Could someone explain to me how to do the following things??? (if they can be done)
When it first loads it is zoomed out to cover all of SA and it tries to load every cache in SA - this nearly crashes my computer - Is there a way to start zoomed in or not show caches when zoomed out?
Can you hide certain cache types?
Somewhere I saw a screenshot of the map with more exciting icons used instead of the default google ones - does anyone know where this is?

[blossom*]

I have just discovered the google maps feature on GCA and I am impressed by it
It allows you to hide your finds (you have to be a PM on gc.com to do this on there site). It also shows PM only caches and GCA caches.

Could someone explain to me how to do the following things??? (if they can be done)
When it first loads it is zoomed out to cover all of SA and it tries to load every cache in SA - this nearly crashes my computer - Is there a way to start zoomed in or not show caches when zoomed out?
Can you hide certain cache types?
Somewhere I saw a screenshot of the map with more exciting icons used instead of the default google ones - does anyone know where this is?

The way I generally use the feature is to pick the cache (or any cache in the area) that i want to centre around. Once that is up on the GCA page, I click on the google map link on the far right.

Another way to get just the caches you want or types you want etc is to go to "My Queries" and create a specific query for what you want. Then use the Map feature in the My Query page. For example, only Traditionals, within 20km of my home co-ords

[caughtatwork]

I have just discovered the google maps feature on GCA and I am impressed by it
It allows you to hide your finds (you have to be a PM on gc.com to do this on there site). It also shows PM only caches and GCA caches.

Could someone explain to me how to do the following things??? (if they can be done)
When it first loads it is zoomed out to cover all of SA and it tries to load every cache in SA - this nearly crashes my computer - Is there a way to start zoomed in or not show caches when zoomed out?
Can you hide certain cache types?
Somewhere I saw a screenshot of the map with more exciting icons used instead of the default google ones - does anyone know where this is?

Well, you selected to show all caches in SA, so of course it zooms to SA and attempts to load a lot of caches. It doesn't actually load every cache, but it does attempt to load a substantial number. I am assuming you are using Internet Explorer? If so, change. The javascript engine in IE sucks big time. It is extremely slow. It's also a known issue. So maybe change to Frirefox or Chrome which have substantially better javascript engines. Are you on dialup or broadband?

You can, as blossom* says, set up a My Query to restrict the map to only things you want. So it's more a case of deciding what you want to see rather than showing everything and then turning things off. The more things you choose to see the larger the volume of data and processing that gets shunted to your machine.

Exciting? Define exciting.

[Laighside Legends]

Exciting? Define exciting.

Umm, Im not really sure Something that make cache types more easily distinguishable maybe? (like the gc.com icons) I just not a fan of the default google icons.

The way I generally use the feature is to pick the cache (or any cache in the area) that i want to centre around. Once that is up on the GCA page, I click on the google map link on the far right.

This sloves my problem

[caughtatwork]

Exciting? Define exciting.

Umm, Im not really sure Something that make cache types more easily distinguishable maybe? (like the gc.com icons) I just not a fan of the default google icons.

The way I generally use the feature is to pick the cache (or any cache in the area) that i want to centre around. Once that is up on the GCA page, I click on the google map link on the far right.

This sloves my problem

Well, those images are copyright so we can't have them.
AS we're a community site, what would you say to making the necessary icons?
You would need to make them up for all cache types without using the GC pcitures.
Yes?

[Laighside Legends]

AS we're a community site, what would you say to making the necessary icons?
You would need to make them up for all cache types without using the GC pcitures.
Yes?

I'm no artist - I challenge you to find someone who is worse at drawing than me
Doesn't GCA have is own set of icons used on cache pages??? (these would all be ten times better than anything I've ever drawn!)

I not that bothered by them anyway - It was the loading of the page that was really annoying me

[Zalgariath]

I'll Give a go at knocking up some simple icons. I'll try to use the same colours as the GC ones for familiarty, but with a completely different design... actually... I just had a thought which could be cool... I'll get back to you all in a day or two

[caughtatwork]

Can't wait.

[blossom*]

I'll Give a go at knocking up some simple icons. I'll try to use the same colours as the GC ones for familiarty, but with a completely different design... actually... I just had a thought which could be cool... I'll get back to you all in a day or two

You have waaaaay too much time on your hands lately!! Thank goodness for all of us that you do

[Zalgariath]

Gotta Love Procrastination...

Lucky this came along... I was just about to have to do some ACTUAL work... now I have another distraction

[caughtatwork]

Please note the requirements of the markers according to the Google Maps API so you don't waste your time generating something that can't be used.

By the way http://forum.geocaching.com.au/viewtopi ... con+google we did ask if anyone wanted to do this some 18 months ago, but, nada.

[Zalgariath]

Ive found a good "Marker Maker" which should suffice nicely

[Zalgariath]

Ive Done 4 so far... I think you'll spot the theme pretty quickly Any feedback welcome... will do the rest in the next day or two...

GCA Traditional:

GCA Multi:

GCA Mystery/Unknown:

GCA Virtual:

[caughtatwork]

Before you go too far.

The images are waaaaaaaaay to large for the maps so it might be a good idea to shrink them down to size to see how clear they are small sizes. No more than 20px wide and 34px high please.


There should be a point at the bottom of the maker as that's the point that actually "marks the spot".
i.e. The point at the bottom of this is the spot, not a general area, the actual spot.

Try to get the end result < about 2KB to ensure we don't overload peoples machines with large images.

This is your image at 20x20.

Appreciate your work, just keep an eye on what is needed for the maps to be useful as well as exciting.

[Laighside Legends]

WOW!
They look magnificent!
I never expected anything that exciting to come from this thread when I started it!

There should be a point at the bottom of the maker as that's the point that actually "marks the spot".

While it is good to have a point it isn't a necessity is it? You could just make the middle of the icon the point (like gc.com does)