Integrating GIS: A Grassroots Integration Story

Posted by Loraine Lawson Aug 12, 2009 1:49:56 AM

Today, I'd like to take a break from the usual integration stories to bring you something completely different: A feel-good integration story.

While perusing Government Computer News, I stumbled across an interesting and frankly, national, integration problem, which is being handled in a very grassroots, creative way.

No doubt, you're familiar with geographic information systems. Government agencies at all levels use GIS for all sorts of interesting things, from managing traffic flow, responding to emergencies and natural disasters. GIS is even used to track the planting of new trees, according to the article.

But like most things technical, GIS apps were often built in isolation, by individual development teams who used a variety of development tools, geospatial engines and databases. Predictably enough, this means these GIS apps often can't share data or maps with one another. For instance, while two adjacent counties or states may have these wonderfully detailed maps on traffic flows, they can't match up the maps to create an even bigger wonderful map.

The situation is more than a major integration bummer – it's an obstacle to effectively managing things like regional natural disasters, security problems and environmental issues. You know – serious stuff of national interest.

It seems like the perfect opportunity for an expensive, far-reaching federal IT project, right?

But as it turns out, that's not what's happening. Instead, state and regional groups are working in small groups across the country to solve GIS integration problems. The federal government is involved, often giving the state efforts grant money, but without the heavy-handed directives you might expect.

One impressive example is Virtual Alabama, which is bringing together data and query tools from more than 1,200 local and state agencies. The Alabama Department of Homeland Security conceived of and launched the project, but its seed money came from the federal Department of Homeland Security. Virtual Alabama brings together geocoded imagery of statewide properties, plus the location of gas stations, schools, power lines, and so on. The article notes it even integrates video feeds from highways and other public places.

These types of projects extend across state lines, too. Seven southern states – including those hardest hit by hurricanes – are now working on integrating their GIS systems. Idaho is also partnering with Washington and Oregon on integrating data about natural resources, and this year, Illinois and Indiana received a federal grant from the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) for a GIS integration project.

Not surprisingly, technology is the easiest component of these GIS integration projects. The real buggaboo is the politics of the data – who controls the information, which information can be shared, and what other agencies can do with the data, and, of course, who pays for what. All of which are important questions, when you consider how GIS data could be used.

But that's how it always is, even in private corporations. What's exciting here is what solving this integration challenge could mean for the nation. These small integration projects could eventually be integrated into a national GIS system.

It's also proof that innovation doesn't always come from the private sector and that even small agencies can work together to make a big difference.

Autopia Planes, Trains, Automobiles and the Future of Transportation

The Grid, Our Cars and the Net: One Idea to Link Them All

• By David Weinberger

Editor’s note: Robin Chase thinks a lot about transportation and the internet, and how to link them. She connected them when she founded Zipcar, and she wants to do it again by making our electric grid and our cars smarter. Time magazine recently named her one of the 100 most influential people of the year. David Weinberger sat down with Chase to discuss her idea.

Robin Chase considers the future of electricity, the future of cars and the internet three terms in a single equation, even if most of us don’t yet realize they’re on the same chalkboard. Solve the equation correctly, she says, and we create a greener future where innovation thrives. Get it wrong, and our grandchildren will curse our names.

Chase thinks big, and she’s got the cred to back it up. She created an improbable network of automobiles called Zipcar. Getting it off the ground required not only buying a fleet of cars, but convincing cities to dedicate precious parking spaces to them. It was a crazy idea, and it worked. Zipcar now has 6,000 cars and 250,000 users in 50 towns.

Now she’s moving on to the bigger challenge of integrating a smart grid with our cars – and then everything else. The kicker is how they come together. You can sum it up as a Tweet: The intelligent network we need for electricity can also turn cars into nodes. Interoperability is a multiplier. Get it right!

Robin Chase

Chase starts by explaining the smart grid. There’s broad consensus that our electrical system should do more than carry electricity. It should carry information. That would allow a more intelligent, and efficient, use of power.

“Our electric infrastructure is designed for the rare peak of usage,” Chase says. “That’s expensive and wasteful.”

Changing that requires a smart grid. What we have is a dumb one. We ask for electricity and the grid provides it, no questions asked. A smart grid asks questions and answers them. It makes the meter on your wall a sensor that links you to a network that knows how much power you’re using, when you’re using it and how to reduce your energy needs – and costs.

Such a system will grow more important as we become energy producers, not just consumers. Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will return power to the grid. Rooftop solar panels and backyard wind turbines will, at times, produce more energy than we can store. A smart grid generates what we need and lets us use what we generate. That’s why the Obama Administration allocated $4.5 billion in the stimulus bill for smart grid R&D.

This pleases Chase, but it also makes her nervous. The smart grid must be an information network, but we have a tradition of getting such things wrong. Chase is among those trying to convince the government that the safest and most robust network will use open internet protocols and standards. For once the government seems inclined to listen.

Chase switches gears to talk about how cars fit into the equation. She sees automobiles as just another network device, one that, like the smart grid, should be open and net-based.

“Cars are network nodes,” she says. “They have GPS and Bluetooth and toll-both transponders, and we’re all on our cell phones and lots of cars have OnStar support services.”

That’s five networks. Automakers and academics will bring us more. They’re working on smart cars that will communicate with us, with one another and with the road. How will those cars connect to the network? That’s the third part of Chase’s equation: Mesh networking.

In a typical Wi-Fi network, there’s one router and a relatively small number of devices using it as a gateway to the internet. In a mesh network, every device is also a router. Bring in a new mesh device and it automatically links to any other mesh devices within radio range. It is an example of what internet architect David Reed calls “cooperative gain” - the more devices, the more bandwidth across the network. Chase offers an analogy to explain it.

“Wi-Fi is like a bridge that connects the highways on either side of the stream,” she says. “You build it wide enough to handle the maximum traffic you expect. If too much comes, it gets congested. When not enough arrives, you’ve got excess capacity. Mesh takes a different approach: Each person who wants to cross throws in a flat rock that’s above the water line. The more people who do that, the more ways there are to get across the river.”

Cooperative gain means more users bring more capacity, not less. It’s always right-sized. Of course, Chase points out, if you’re trying to go a long distance, you’re ultimately forced back onto the broadband bridge where the capacity is limited. But for local intra-mesh access, it’s a brilliant and counter-intuitive strategy.

Mesh networking as a broad-based approach to networking is growing. A mesh network with 240 nodes covers Vienna. Similar projects are underway in Barcelona, Athens, the Czech Republic and, before long, in two areas of Boston not far from the cafe we’re sitting in. But the most dramatic examples are the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Today in Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers and tanks and airplanes are running around using mesh networks,” said Chase. “It works, it’s secure, it’s robust. If a node or device disappears, the network just reroutes the data.”

And, perhaps most important, it’s in motion. That’s what allows Chase’s plural visions to go singular. Build a smart electrical grid that uses Internet protocols and puts a mesh network device in every structure that has an electric meter. Sweep out the half dozen networks in our cars and replace them with an open, Internet-based platform. Add a mesh router. A nationwide mesh cloud will form, linking vehicles that can connect with one another and with the rest of the network. It’s cooperative gain gone national, gone mobile, gone open.

Chase’s mesh vision draws some skepticism. Some say it won’t scale up. The fact it’s is being used in places like Afghanistan and Vienna indicates it could. Others say moving vehicles may not be able to hook into and out of mesh networks quickly enough. Chase argues it’s already possible to do so in less than a second, and that time will only come down. But even if every car and every electric meter were meshed, there’s still a lot of highway out there that wouldn’t be served, right? Chase has an answer for that, too.

“Cars would have cellular and Wi-Fi as backups,” she said.

The economics are right, she argues. Rather than over-building to handle peak demand and letting capacity go unused, we would right-size our infrastructure to provide exactly what we need, when we need it, with minimum waste and maximum efficiency.

“There’s an economy of network scale here,” she says. “The traffic-light guys should be interested in this for their own purposes, and so should the power-grid folks and the emergency responders and the Homeland Security folks and, well, everyone. Mesh networks based on open standards are economically justifiable for any one of these things. Put them together - network the networks – and for the same exact infrastructure spend, you get a ubiquitous, robust, resilient, open communication platform — ripe for innovation — without spending a dollar more.”

The time is right, too. There’s $7.2 billion in the stimulus bill for broadband, $4.5 billion for the smart grid and about $5 billion for transportation technology. The Transportation Reauthorization bill is coming up, too. At $300 billion it is second only to education when it comes to federal discretionary spending. We are about to make a huge investment in a set of networks. It will be difficult to gather the political and economic will to change them once they are deployed.

“We need to get this right, right now,” Chase says.

Build each of these infrastructures using open networking standards and we enable cooperative gain at the network level itself. Get it wrong and we will have paved over a generational opportunity.

David Weinberger is a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. E-mail him at self@evident.com.

Top photo: Flickr / Phil Hawksworth. Second photo: Andrew Elliott.

What the Heck is Geocaching? A Beginner's Guide
Many thanks to members of the Getting Started forum for their generous and patient advice -- Thot

It's a high tech Easter egg hunt. Someone hides a container of inexpensive knickknacks -- a cache. Then they post its latitude & longitude on the internet, and other people go hunting for it. If they find it they trade knickknacks and sign a log to record their visit. The picture on the right is an example of a classic cache

In Mid. '03 few people had heard of geocaching -- it was almost a secret game. It's grown a lot since then. I stumbled onto the game in about June '04 and have been playing since.

The minimum you have to have to play is a handheld GPSr (Global Positioning Satellite receiver). Global Positioning Satellites are used in all forms of navigation today. They send signals that these receivers use to figure out where on the surface of the earth they are.

As the game has grown it's developed a number of variations. There are micro caches that are only large enough to contain a rolled up, or maybe folded flat paper log for you to sign. There are puzzle caches, and other spin-offs. (Here's a list of cache types.) There used to be locationless (also called reverse caches) and virtual caches, but locationless caches are no longer supported by geocaching.com as of the end of 2005. Most (many?) preexisting virtual and webcam caches can still be hunted and logged as finds, but no new ones are being approved.

There's more than one website that supports this game, but far-and-away the most extensive and most popular is, what else, geocaching.com -- also called Groundspeak. You get cache locations there and then return there to record your success or failure to find them. On the upper right of the main page you can enter your zipcode and get a list of the caches near you.

When I explain geocaching to friends the inevitable question is, "Well if the GPS gadget takes you to right where it is, what's the game?" First, the gadget only gets you close -- typically about 15-20 feet away. And, the cache is hidden -- either from geocachers to increase the challenge/fun, or to conceal it from muggles. Muggles are the uninitiated -- people who don't know about geocaching, and may stumble on the cache and take it, ruin it, or throw it away.

But, the real fun is discovering endless new parks and interesting places near you that you never knew were there. It's absolutely astounding how many interesting places there are near you that you're probably unaware of. If you resist the temptation to make this a contest and just have fun and enjoy the places it takes you, it will be a more rewarding activity. Kids love it, so it provides a setting for outdoor family fun.

Click here to visit my photo journal of the places I've gone and caches I've found.

One weakness I have found is the FAQ's at the geocaching website aren't thorough. That's why I decided to create this page. To help beginners learn geocaching. Here's help with some of the fundamentals:

Table of Contents

• Which GPS Receiver Should I Buy?
• Geocachers Use So Many Special Terms and Abbreviations. What do they all mean?
• How Do I Get Cache Locations Into My GPSr
• What Should I Carry When I Go Geocaching?
• What Are Some Hunting Hints For A Beginner?
• Travel Bugs

• I Love It. How Do I Hide My Own Cache?

Which GPS Receiver?

They cost from $100-$600+. To start geocaching you should be able to get a satisfactory unit for $200 or less. If you intend to also use your GPSr for navigation in a boat or car you need to explore this question at a website that covers general use. The two most popular brands are Magellan and Garmin, but Lowrance is growing.. Garmin sells many more GPSrs than Magellan. There's a lot of ill-founded but intense brand loyalty. From what I've read comparable units perform about the same across brands. The basic performance differences are between units that support something called WAAS and those that don't, and newer mid-price units (with the SiRFstar III chip) have better sensitivity. In my opinion if you are buying a GPSr and you're in the United States you want one that supports WAAS -- it increases the accuracy by up to a factor of 5. I used to say, other than this about all you get for more money is more features -- not better basic accuracy, but with these newer mid-price units you can get better/faster accuracy. If you already have a handheld GPSr that lets you transfer waypoints (cache locations) to it from your computer it will do fine to start you out. As of Nov '06 WAAS only works in North America and (sort of) in Europe, so the rest of the world does without it anyway.

Sidebar A GPS is a Global Positioning Satellite that transmits signals indicating where it is. A GPSr is a receiver that receives signals from several GPSs and uses them to determine where it is on the surface of the earth.

The most popular GPSr for beginning geocachers may be a Garmin eTrex Legend. I've never used one, but the more I learn about this unit the less I care for it. For three years I used a Magellan SporTrak Pro and was happy with it (This model has been discontinued. You'll have a terrific deal on a beginning unit if you can get a used one with/cable for $70 or less on EBay.). A number of people believe the Magellan units do a better job of finding locations in adverse conditions, like heavy tree cover, than the eTrex and other lower priced Garmins (Recent mid and higher priced Garmins probably do a little better than the SporTrak). The tradeoff is the Magellan's take longer to settle down when you reach the general area. You have to wait a minute or so for them to decide on the final location, whereas the Garmin units don't have this delay. My Magellan does a good job in tree cover, but I do have to give it a minute or so to settle on an answer after I get to the general area. The bottom end of the Magellan and Garmen lines are inexpensive, but you can't transfer waypoints to them from your computer. This rules them out for geocaching as far as I'm concerned. I recently bought a Garmin 60CSx -- it's the top rated handheld for geocaching at this time (May/08). I haven't found it a lot better than my SporTrak for basic cache finding, but it has some features that make it easier to use. USB is much better than Serial Port for sending/receiving data to the unit. Battery change-out is easier. The popup menus are nice. It holds more caches. Batteries last longer. If you use it for maps (I don't) the color screen is easier to read. And, if you're an FTFer (First to Find) Garmin's direct download into your unit is nice. Click here for my review/comparison of the 60CSx vs the SporTrak.

You'll want a cable that hooks to your computer to download cache information into your unit. To repeat, some cheap models don't connect to a computer -- avoid them. Entering waypoints manually is very tedious; plus, the first time you wander off into some awful place because you entered one of all those numbers wrong you'll regret not buying a unit that lets you enter them with your computer. The cable itself is an optional extra with some inexpensive models, and it's cost can make-up the difference in the price of a better unit, so consider that if using cost as a deciding factor. You don't need a high end GPSr for geocaching.

[update note: models released after 2004 seem to have USB connections, but pre 2004 models are still in production]

How Do I Get Cache Locations Into My GPSr

First and foremost, always enter the cache coordinates into your unit, even if you have to do this manually. Do not try to wander around watching the coordinates on your unit change until they match the ones printed on the cache page. This is a very painful way to hunt.

Go to the main geocaching.com web page. Enter your zipcode in the upper right corner. This will give you a list of caches moving out from the center of your zipcode. You could go to each cache page and enter the coordinates manually, but that's a lot of work, and an error can put you in the some terrible place. (You'll have to do it this way if you don't have a computer cable.). At the bottom of the list is a button that says Check All. Click this and it will mark all caches on that page for download. Then click the Download Waypoints button and download the file that contains this list of coordinates. I think you have to register to see the Check All and Download Waypoints buttons, but it's free. Geocachers use handles/pseudonyms like Renegade Knight, OpinioNate, moonpup, despot&smitten, guttergrrl, tirediron. When you register, your username becomes your geocaching name, the name you will be known by. Also, you will have to write it over and over and over in all the cache logs you sign, so you may want a short easy to write one like Thot :-) Spend a little time thinking about what you want to be called before registering. Click here to see a list of geocacher's names. Think about signing a name like "headed_west_and_never_looking_back_0671" hundreds of times, often on tiny pieces of paper. Changing your name used to be painless, but not anymore. You have to start another account and return (on the website) to all the caches you've found, delete your original logs and reenter them under your new name. Be sure to use the same date and explain what you're doing so the owner doesn't think you're claiming a find and didn't sign the logbook. NOTE: Recently some people have appealed to geocaching.com to change there name and they did. I don't know what kind of pull you have to have to get them to do this.

Now go here and download & install the program EasyGPS. If you click on the cache list file you downloaded it will start EasyGPS. Hook the cable you got with your GPSr to your computer. Unfortunately some models haven't entered the 21st Century and still use Serial Ports, so you may have to ask a computerish friend to help you setup the cable the first time.. [I understand there are 9 pin serial-to-USB adapters for GPSrs available -- e.g. $15 at Best Buy.]

Once you tell EasyGPS which brand & model of GPSr you have, which Comm port you're using, and turn on your unit; then click this button on the EasyGPS toolbar and it will load the set of cache coordinates/waypoints into your GPSr.

You have to download these lists one page (20 caches) at a time. It's a little clumsy to work with these sets one at a time. For that reason I wrote a program which combines many sets into one. You can download it here. It's free

If you decide to become a Premium Member ($30/year or $3/month) there's a more convenient way to get cache lists. They're called "pocket queries." I have no idea what they have to do with pockets.

If you really get into this you'll probably want to get a program named GSAK. It costs a few bucks and is more difficult to learn, but it does

a lot more things with pocket queries than EasyGPS.

What Should I Carry When I Go Geocaching?

As you might expect, opinions vary on this question.

My list is from the perspective of an old guy.

I use a denim carry bag to keep things together/collected, to carry to the car when I start out. When I leave the car for the hunt I take the bag, but I leave some items from it in the car. My stick is always in the trunk, except when I'm on a hunt. Here’s my list:

1. GPSr & extra batteries
2. A pen for signing logs.
3. Printed copies of the PDF file you can generate near the top of the cache description screen including at least the last 5 logs, & a zoomed map linked to MapQuest from the cache description page. I carry these pages for the cache I'm hunting folded in my pocket, the rest are left in the car until needed. Note: If I expect to hunt more than one cache on a single hike I put the pages for all these caches in my bag. [UPDATE: I now go largely paperless using a PalmIIIxe I bought on eBay for $15 including shipping, and caching software for the Palm called Cachemate, which is getting long in the tooth now but it's still cheap. I carry the Palm in my pocket.]
4. OFF/Deet - in Houston this is essential -- jillions of mosquitoes and West Nile Virus
5. A stick for walking on irregular ground, moving stuff aside, beating back brush/weeds, knocking down spider webs, tapping tall grass or areas ahead of you you can't see to warn snakes you're coming and poking around in worrisome places you'd rather not put your hand. My stick happens to be 2 cm square yardstick with a wrist strap on one end. [UPDATE: About a year ago I bought a $9 aluminum trekking pole at Walmart.] It's hard to decide whether the stick should be listed fourth or fifth. For me it's essential. I never go to a cache hidden in the woods or where I have to walk on uneven terrain or tall grass without it. Urban micro caches don't usually require it.
6. Compass - which I use infrequently, but there are occasions when it's very useful. In undergrowth you sometimes can't move around to do my "hunt-hunt-dance" to locate the cache. In this case you can use the GPSr's bearing and your compass to see which way to look. Sometimes you can't get a good GPSr reading -- it jumps or wanders around (A number of things can cause poor/erratic signals.). With a compass you can move to locations with better signals, then use the it to triangulate on the cache. I got a standard Silva Ploaris 177 Boy Scout compass from Walmart for $10. [NOTE: I find I use the compass in the woods more often for this triangulation than I did when I started geocaching.]
7. One chopstick in my bag for pushing tiny caches out of tight places.
8. A cap/hat if I'll be in the sun or winter cold.
9. Right hand (I'm right handed) heavy leather glove - for sticking hand into/under worrisome places.
10. A Digital Camera & extra batteries is optional, but it's how I record my adventures. You can also upload pictures to your internet log. A few caches require you take pictures. (Don't post spoiler pictures showing how to find the cache in your internet log. In my photo journal that's part of this article I scrambled the photos and made the names anonymous to avoid giving anything away. None of the spoiler photos in this collection were posted to my web logs.)
11. A snack size ziplock bag (3" x 6") with 4 wet wipes, 4 alcohol wipes, 4 betadine wipes and 6 band-aids.
12. Now-a-days I also carry replacement logs and signature geonickles, but obviously these aren't necessary.

The stick and the following items are more important to us old codgers who can't climb, stoop, bend, squat and kneel like younger folks. And, irregular ground is more of a problem - it threatens a fall and things break easier.

11. Inspection mirror -- a mirror with a telescoping handle. To peer into, above and under hard to reach places. This has helped me find many caches I was unable to find without it. It's normally more useful for urban microcaches. (Note: I’ve recently decided a larger hand mirror is better and found one at the Dollar store that I use mostly now.)
12. I recently bought a pair of super cheap (~$12) knee high wading boots at Academy for when I run into mud and standing water. They stay in the trunk until needed. [In wet areas, like here in Houston, caches sometimes require sloshing through mud and/or standing water.]

I leave a couple of bottles of water in the car. If I expect to be out in the heat for over an hour I carry a bottle in my hip pocket.

I don’t carry swag (stuff to trade) because I don’t trade. I go for the places I see and the fun of the hunt. I've only taken things from the cache when they were required to complete the cache instructions, or an occasional First to Find prize. The only rule is you must sign the log. Those who trade normally list what they took and what they left in both the written log at the cache and the web log when they get home. If you don't plan to trade you may still want to keep one nice trade item in your bag in case you discover something you really want. I carry two Sacagawea dollars for such situations. .

I’ve had a Leatherman type tool and a first aid kit in the trunk of the car for years. I carry a small Spyderco pocket knife and a tiny cell phone (fits in my watch pocket) at all times, so I didn’t put these on the list. I think a cell phone is essential if you cache in the woods or remote areas -- particularly if you cache alone.

Sidebar If you have a Palm/PDA you can do Paperless Geocaching. This lets you save trees, and have more information with you on the hunt. NOTE: I bought a PalmIIIxe on EBay for $12. I found it difficult to geocache without maps. Now I have a TomTom car navigator that solved this problem.

That's my list. Some caches require long hikes. I've never done any of those, but people who do use backpacks and of course carry plenty of water.

If you're interested in more extensive lists read this discussion and this one.

Tips For Green Cache Hunters?

A cardinal rule is, if you trade items, trade even or trade up. That is, leave an item of equal or greater desirability than the one you took. Please don't trade a broken McDonalds toy for a pocket watch.

Try to stay with regular caches in the beginning if you can. Micros are often hard for everyone, especially beginners. Probably the most common micro is a 35mm film container, but they can be a little larger. The official micro container is somewhat bigger around and half as long as your little finger. Micros can be as small as a marble. It's becoming more common to use these evil nano caches. (TIP: These tiny caches have rolled up pieces of paper for logs, when you put the log back, put it in the lid -- don't try to put it in the body and then replace the lid -- you'll just make a mess and become frustrated.) Even when micros say one star they're likely to be difficult and can be discouraging to a beginner. Near the top of the cache description page you'll find the "Size." Micros are often attached by magnets to metal objects. Common "small" containers are Lock-And-Lock and serving size Rubbermaid . "Small" caches I've found are typically about the size of a tennis ball or a stack of 7 Hershey bars, but small caches can be almost any size from somewhat larger than a 35mm film container to smaller than 2 quarts/liters. As you probably guessed, smalls are easier to find than micros, but harder than regular caches -- surprise!

Sidebar Cache Sizes Micro -- Smaller than a tennis ball Small -- Up to a quart/liter Regular -- A quart to 2 gallons/8 liters Large -- Larger than a Regular Groundspeak Definitions

Try to stay with the easier to find regular size caches to start. On the cache page it will rate the difficulty of caches from 1 to 5 stars. The first number is how hard it is to find. The second, how hard it is to get to it -- the terrain. A 1/5 will be easy to find when you get to it, but may require a boat and scuba gear to reach it. Try hunting caches in this order until you get some experience: 1/1, 1/2, 1/3 (1/4 if you’re athletic), then 2/1, 2/2, etc. [NOTE: Ordinary people (all sorts) assign those numbers, so there are 1's I've never found and 3's I found immediately. Typically, the terrain ratings are more accurate than the find difficulty ratings.]

Decrypt the hints and print the PDF file that you can generate near the top of the cache description page with as many logs as you can for at least the first 5-10 caches you try. Finding them gets easier with experience, but it can be challenging at first. Study all the logs left by others for clues to the cache location. They may also alert you to problems like -- "Watch out for the hornets nest in that tree north of the cache." Make handwritten notes of anything special like this on the pages you print out . If the latest logs have been DNFs (Did Not Finds) wait on that one until someone else finds it -- it may be missing. Tip: If you print cache pages days in advance be sure to check the website just before you leave in case the cache has gone missing. It can be very discouraging to spend a hour searching for a cache that's no longer there. Quickly scan all the logs for purple faces -- DNFs. These often signal difficult caches. One, or two out of 30 may or may not, but 5 out of 20 means it's almost sure to be difficult no matter how the owner rated it.

Be sure your GPSr's Map Datum is set to WGS84
Don't worry about what it means, just make sure it's set to this

Believe your GPSr, but don’t be slaved to it. When you get within 20-30 feet (6-10 meters), -- maybe a little more -- start looking around for where it might be hidden. Many beginners either depend too much on the GPSr, or don’t trust it enough. Either is a mistake. The satellites that the devices use are constantly moving, so some days, times and places you get better answers, and sometimes you get very bad results. Also, in heavy tree cover you can get bad results. I did a survey of experienced geocachers and the coordinates get them to within about 20 feet (6 meters) of the cache on average. Just remember, it's a combination of your unit's error and the error of the person who provided the coordinates. Some (particularly new) cachers aren't careful in determining the coordinates for their caches. GPSrs without WAAS may have an error of 30+ feet. If you or the cache owner has one of these models, well . . . My personal experience is the cache is typically nearer than 15 feet (5 meters) when I reach ground zero, but I've run into a few caches where the coordinates were off as much as 60 feet (20 meters), and a couple of rare cases where they were off about 175 feet (55 meters).

Try different displays/screens on your GPSr until you find the one(s) that works best for you. Most GPSrs have one or more screens that point toward the cache. You must be moving/walking for it to point to the cache. It knows where the cache is, but doesn't know which way you are facing and thus which way to point if you're not moving. Most units have a screen that looks like a compass, but instead of pointing north it points at the cache. Personally, I don't like them. If you stop walking they lose their mind. And, I find them confusing -- they start behaving erratically as you get near the cache, the place where you need them most. But, many very experienced geocachers rely on these pseudocompasses almost exclusively. Now that I've used both Magellan and lower priced Garmin units I think I know why. I think the Map method I use works better on Magellan units than on low end Garmin units like the popular eTrex Legend. I suggest you go to a nearby park and "waypoint" an object you can remember such as a stump, water fountain, etc. Then walk a hundred or so feet away and use the device to return to the location. Do this a few times then choose another object and do it again. Try using different screens. Save these coordinates and try to find the locations again another day. Repeat this until you get a feel for how the gadget responds and which displays work best for you.

If you're interested in how I setup my GPSr, and my technique for homing in on cache coordinates, I describe it Here.

Sometimes a cache will be in an area where you can't walk/move fast enough. (For the map screen pointer or the pseudocompass to work you must be moving about 2 mph/3 kph in a straight line.) In this case you may want to try compass-triangulation as illustrated Here.

Sidebar Latitude/longitude coordinates are often called waypoints. Your unit will let you record a waypoint for your present location. There's usually a button you press that captures your present location. When I say "waypoint a location" I mean use this procedure to capture the location.

If you’re going into uncertain territory capture a waypoint at your car ("waypoint your car") as you leave it. Create another waypoint at a trailhead, and any point where you go off-trail in a wooded area, so you can find your way back out. You will get so preoccupied wandering around looking for the cache you may get completely disorientated/lost -- there are lots of stories of cachers who spent unpleasant nights in some godforsaken place because they got lost. You should also learn how to use your unit's backtrack feature, and be sure it's turned on. Backtrack is a feature on most units that, if active, shows you the path you took to get were you are. You can follow it to go back the way you came. Practice switching to and using this mode, so if you get lost you can get to it to retrace your steps. The commands to operate these gadgets are arcane and you aren't likely to remember how to do it when you need it if you haven't practiced.

Be sure to take your GPSr manual in the car (and maybe on the hunt) until you've learned and had experience using its features.

As long as we're on the topic of safety, tell someone where you will be and for how long. Add some to the time so people won't start worrying too soon.

I mention again the importance of a stick.

To some extent this is a game better suited to younger more agile people. I've had to give up on a couple of caches that would have required a mild form of acrobatics to reach it and get back.

When you can't find a cache you're tempted to try more and more unusual things/locations. Don't take risks. Almost certainly the cache isn't in that risky location anyway. There are many other caches, and you won't get demoted, lose money or be ridden out of town on a rail if you pass on this one, and on the next, and the next.

If the terrain is a 1, 2 or 3 you can usually assume it can be found without doing anything unusual (I've never done a terrain 4). In my limited experience they're rarely more than 60-80 feet off a trail and usually not that far. If it's farther, or it looks like you'll need a machete to get through the undergrowth look for another way to it. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is to want to go straight toward where their gadget points. ALWAYS look around for easy paths before taking difficult ones. The trail may curve ahead, so you may fight a new path through a terrible jungle just to come out back on the same trail. Stories abound of the guy or gal who waded the creek or got cut up climbing through the fence, or bushwhacked their way through 500 feet of undergrowth just to find when they got there the cache was 20 feet off a main trail. Walk past the cache to see if there's not a better way to it. The person who placed the cache didn't want to bushwhack their way in anymore than you do. On a larger scale, when I first arrive near the general area I may drive around for 10-15 minutes looking for closest place to park for the easiest, or shortest way to begin.

When searching for the cache look for something unnatural -- piles of sticks, bark, rocks, leaves or other debris. Here's an example. Also check out tree stumps, logs, and hollow tree trunks. Small caches are sometimes off the ground and Micros almost always are. The crotch or V in trees where major members fork is a popular place for micros -- or maybe a knothole. Small caches are sometimes attached to the underside of things. They're often attached to metal objects with magnets.

Then there are the light pole caches that seem to cover the earth in our area. I'm not sure there's a parking lot without one. If you look at the bottom of parking lot light poles, they normally have a rectangular box-like cover/skirt at the base. This cover will lift. Today, many micros are attached to the inside of the skirt of this cover with magnets -- often using magnetic key holders you get at the dollar store. If you find yourself driving around on a paved parking lot looking for a micro, it's almost surely a light pole cache.

One of the secrets to successful geocaching is to become a tracker. People who've been to the cache often leave evidence of the path they took and where they found the cache -- footprints, broken limbs, crushed weeds, deformed shrubs, etc. This opening was a dead giveaway to what would have otherwise been a bear of a route in. Look for the route that has the least brush, thorns, vines and other fun stuff to plow through because a cacher before you has already thinned it out with his body. I forgot and left my GPSr in the car one day on a FTF (First to Find) hunt, but it was in an area of high weeds. I simply followed the trail the owner made when he placed the cache -- took me straight to it.

Don't beat your head against a wall trying to find a cache. Pass it by and come back to it later after you've gained more experience. My second cache was a very hard micro I couldn't find. When I finally went back I found it based largely on tricks I'd learned in the meantime. Also, it may be missing. In the upper right of the cache page you can click this icon to watch a cache listing to see if someone else finds it. You'll be sent an email if somebody logs it. I usually don't go back to a cache I failed to find until somebody finds it or the owner assures me it's still there.

Some trading don'ts: Don't leave food or items that smell (like scented candles or soap). Animals have keen smellers. They're known to destroy caches looking for food. Finally, nothing dangerous or inappropriate for children.

In selecting swag (trade items) keep in mind many caches aren't watertight. If you still want to leave things that'll ruin if they get damp, it's a good idea to seal them in ziplock freezer (heavy weight) bags.

Put the cache back the way you found it, and where you found it, unless you have very good reason to believe it wasn't in it's intended hiding place. In this case, send an email to the owner explaining what you did. Don't help the owner by moving the cache or hiding it in a better place -- they may want it to be very easy (or hard) to find. Don't move the cache to where your GPSr says the coordinates are.

Did I mention waypointing your car and taking water if it's a long hike?

And, don't forget to log your hunt on the geocaching.com website after you find (or don't find) the cache. Go back to the cache page. In the upper right click this icon to log your find. . On the page that comes up select Found It, Didn't find it, or Post a note. Change the date to whatever day you found the cache, then type in some comments about your experience. In the beginning, read some other people's logs for examples of what to say, and submit your log. Here's a discussion on why you should record your DNFs -- caches you Did Not Find.

Travel Bugs

Travel bugs (and coins) are a side aspect of the game. You can do them or not. Travel bugs are (usually) smallish objects with an identifying "dog tag" attached, that are moved from cache to cache. The dog tags are used to track/log their movements. To be technically correct the dog tag is the travel bug, and the attached object is the hitchhiker. But most people, refer to the combination of the two things as a travel bug. This is my Blow & Go travel bug. Travel bugs usually have a goal/mission/objective. Blow & Go's mission is to travel to every state in the U.S. following some simple rules. Travel bugs are not trade items -- you aren't expected to leave something in exchange when you take a travel bug, and conversely, you shouldn't take a trade item if you leave a bug. [Note: Some "travel bug hotels" require you leave a bug if you take a bug. Personally, I boycott this kind of arrangement because bugs can get trapped in them.] If you pick up a bug you're expected to move it to another cache somewhere that (hopefully) will help it towards it's goal -- at least not detract from the goal. For example, if it's goal is to go from California to New York don't move it from Texas to Arizona. On the other hand moving it around in a local area is okay even if it moves a few miles the wrong way. Don't hold a travel bug for a long time. If you can't put in in another cache within couple of weeks, don't take it.

Logging travel bugs can be quite confusing the first few times. They have their own independent tracking system and thus are logged in addition to and different than caches. Click here for my explanation of how to pick up and drop off travel bugs.

There are also geocoins. Coins work much like travel bugs but there's no hitchhiker, the coin is the entire thing that travels.

FTF -- First To Find

Some people compete to be the first-to-find (FTF) a new cache. This can be a little difficult to do in urban areas with many cachers rushing to get this honor (and sometimes a special FTF prize). If you decide to try this, and you are a premium member you can go here to and sign up to be notified of newly approved caches. Or you can download and set up my FTF program. At the time of this writing (4/06), it notifies of more types of caches and sometimes is faster than geocaching.com's "insta-notify" feature. I, of course, don't participate in this plebian practice.

Hiding Your Own Cache
What container? What do I put in it? Other considerations.

I'll add this later if I get requests

Tip: Most people agree it's better to find several caches
of the type you plan to hide before hiding one yourself.

Here's geocaching.com's article on hiding caches.

More Questions?

If you have more questions there are forums at geocaching.com. On the main page, click the "Forums" link in the list on the upper left. I found the Getting Started forum very helpful. When I started out, I asked lots of questions and generous members of the Getting Started group patiently answered them. They're a friendly group. If you move on to the regular Geocaching Topics forum, maybe not so much.

I've written several utilities I use for various Geocaching tasks. They're free. You can Go Here to see if you're interested in any of them.

Links

My article on setting up your GPSr and using it to home in on a cache

Planning a geocaching road trip
A geocaching glossary of terms -- a geolexicon
How to Add a Picture to Your Geocaching.com Log
How to Add a Waypoint to Your GPSr Manually
My article explaining EPE (Estimated Position Error)
My article explaining why it's important to log your failures to find -- your DNFs
My geocaching utilities
My review/comparison of the 60CSx vs the SporTrak Pro
FizzyCalc (originally GeoCalc) -- very useful utility for working with coordinates
How a GPSr works
Wikipedia's Description of Geocaching
A better FAQ than the one at geocaching.com
Geocaching.com's FAQ
My Poll of Geocachers' Ages
A Video With Dave Ulmer (creator of geocaching) About the First "Stash"
Miscellaneous geocaching info

January 8, 2009 9:00 AM PST

TomTom reveals its first connected GPS

Posted by Bonnie Cha

TomTom GO 740 Live is TomTom's first GPS unit with a GPRS modem.

(Credit: TomTom)

On the first day of CES 2009, GPS manufacturer TomTom introduced its newest portable navigation device, the TomTom GO 740 Live. Like the Dash Express and TeleNav Shotgun, the GO 740 Live is a connected GPS using a built-in SIM card and GPRS modem, so you'll get more up-to-date information delivered to your PND right over the air.

What kind of information? Well, I'm glad you asked. With the purchase of the TomTom GO 740 Live, you'll get a complimentary year subscription to TomTom's Live services, which include Google Local Search, fuel-price information, weather data, and TomTom QuickGPSfix for faster satellite acquisition. The Google search capabilities allow you to look up local businesses and get such information as phone number and user reviews, if available.

Along with the Live services, you also get real-time traffic information, which is updated every two to five minutes. You'll be alerted to any delays via audio prompts, and if there are any incidents along your course, you can choose to continue on the same path with an updated time of arrival or reroute around the problem.To further aid with routing, the GO 740 Live employs TomTom's IQ Routes technology, which calculates directions based on historical traffic data.

The TomTom GO 740 Live comes preloaded with TeleAtlas maps of the United States and Canada and includes text-to-speech functionality, voice recognition and commands, and integrated Bluetooth. The unit features a 4.3-inch touch screen (supports 64,000 colors with a 480x272 pixel resolution) and measures 3.4 inches tall by 5 inches wide by 0.9 inch deep and weighs 7.9 ounces.

The TomTom GO 740 Live is expected to ship in Q2 2009 for $499 and will be available at major retailers.

Bonnie Cha is a senior editor for CNET, covering smartphones and GPS. When she's not testing the latest gadgets, you can find her chasing after her crazy lab or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California. E-mail Bonnie.

Review: Garmin Nuvi 200W Portable GPS

Just about a month ago, I purchased a Garmin Nuvi 200W 4.3″ widescreen portable GPS system. This GPS system doesn’t have the bells and whistles that a lot of the other Garmin units have, but for basic GPS functionality this unit is a great starter for anybody out there. Some features that this unit doesn’t include: Canada/Mexico maps, bluetooth capability, FM transmitter, mp3 player, and text-to-speech audio. On the other hand, it does come with a nice 4.3″ widescreen and the overall GPS functionality (the basic foundation you need to look for when deciding between a Tom Tom (TOM2.AS), Garmin (GRMN), or Magellan unit) is excellent.

One Minor Flaw

I live in an area that contains many apartment buildings, and when I leave my parking garage, it takes up to 5 minutes for the satellite to acquire. Sometimes I will even drive onto Interstate 5 and it still takes time to acquire signal. This can be troublesome if you don’t know how to start your trip and waiting 5 minutes before being directed in the correct direction can cause problems. The funniest thing is that at times I don’t have signal when I leave my apartment, but when I arrive back from a trip where I’m using the Nuvi 200W, I will have satellite signal around my apartment area.

What Features I Would Pay More For

If I had to purchase another Garmin unit, I would make sure to get the text-to-speech functionality so the portable GPS unit would announce the name of the street to turn on or an exit to turn off from a highway. This is a big upgrade compared to “take a left in .3 miles” or “exit right.” Having the text-to-speech capability allows the driver to keep their focus on the road and not keep shifting their eyes between the streets and the GPS system. At the price I paid for my refurbished unit, it was worth getting the 200W but text-to-speech functionality would be something I would like included in my next GPS unit.

Geocache Add On

By going to the Garmin site, you can load geocaches onto your GPS unit, and you can use your Garmin unit to find objects that other people have hidden in specific locations. All you simply have to do is create a free Garmin account, type in the location you want to look for geocaches, and then just choose what geocaches you want to load into your GPS unit via USB.

Overall Satisfaction: A
Features: B
Signal Quality: A-
Affordability: A

Garmin Nüvifone

No one was expecting it, but Garmin may have just created the iPhone's closest competitor. The GPS gurus have announced the Nüvifone ($TBA; Q3 2008), a new touchscreen device that combines a 3.5G (HSDPA) mobile phone and personal navigator. The Nüvifone has all the standard Garmin GPS features, along with a web-browser, email and messaging apps, Google local search capability, and MP3 and MPEG4/AAC support. It's also got a built-in camera that automatically tags your photos with the exact latitude and longitude of where they were taken.

Embed a google map

View Larger Map...
You can now embed a Google map in a page, just like a video (Youtube, etc)... For all our Burner friends, have a great time next week, welcome home and here's a map from last year! - [via] Link.

Head over to Navitravel for some cool places to go with you GPS. Click Picture to go check it out. Thank you Tony for the Link.

I dont want to be the one to say it but Microsoft
appears to beating google in Mapping Detail. I know many might disagree but look at this screen shot of San Fran from my Computer.

Garmin Nuvi 670 GPS Review

Introduction

The Garmin Nuvi 670 was sure to strike one of the strongest impressions out of most of the Nuvi models covered. Like any quality GPS system, it navigates incredibly well. Of course this is a very top end model which means it is packed with features that bring incredibly functionality for the user, all these things are seamlessly integrated into this one beautiful package and performs flawlessly. Something like the Nuvi 670 truly defines the handheld GPS navigator in this wide market, it’s definitely something to check out.

Figure 1: A model of the nuvi 600’s series, designed for transatlantic usage

Design

Let’s be honest, no one wants a clunky cumbersome unit in their car, but the Garmin Nuvi’s are different. Like all the Nuvi’s designed by Garmin, they are all sleek and and wonderfully cased - the 670 is no exception. This model does feature a widescreen, which does allow a much broader view of the maps as well as the menu’s and such. The unit itself is still well within compact specs, as well as staying light at a weight of 6.2 ounces. Very easy to bring with you wherever you go and very easy to get it setup for use again. The battery life is on the longer side, featuring a life of 7 hours from its rechargable battery. One of the things that makes this easier to setup is the FM transmitter, allowing you to connect it with your car via FM wirelessly.

Figure 2: A high end unit featuring the popular 4.3″ wide-touchscreen	Figure 3: The brilliant design keeps the nuvi small, thin, and compact, ultimately making it easy to mount and transport with you.

Interface

The interface on this model isn’t much different from the other Nuvi’s available. It is very easy to go through the various functions of the unit through the touch screen. The touch screen itself is quite easy to see, being widescreen as well as being an anti-glare type. Even under a bit of sunlight the screen itself is fairly easy to see. The touchscreen itself has been great to use, very responsive and accurate when selecting or typing from it.

Figure 4: Inputting text is incredibly simple and easy to use, thanks to the simple typepad interface	Figure 5: Similar to the text input, inputting numbers is just as easy to type up.	Figure 6: Menus are easy to navigate through with large and clear buttons.

Navigation

Getting around town couldn’t be any easier, which is what the Nuvi’s were designed to do. Getting that address inputted into the unit is quick and painless through the touch screen. After that’s done, the map of your area is shown in full color. On this map is an icon of your current position and a path that was quickly calculated to give you best results. From there on you’re basically ready to go. You can set it give you different route styles, such as fastest time, shorter distance, or off road. On top of that, you can even set it to avoid certain types of areas, such as highways or tolls. These are wonderful features that can save time and money in the long run. Along your route not only you are given a vivid map to follow, but as well a voice prompt is activated to speak and tell you when to expect turns to be made and such. This not only keeps your eyes on the road, but it allows you to focus on making the right turns at the right time. As you go along, should you even happen to make a mistakened turn or had to detour due to some unexpected traffic situation, no worries - the 670 automatically recalculates a new route that is still efficient with your time from your current position. The Nuvi 670 is also integrated with a FM traffic receiver. This is an incredibly powerful aspect of this particular model. With the receiver, you can basically toggle a view of traffic congestion and expect any tie ups or construction much ahead of time. With this you can easily make a detour without having to be even close to the points of heavy congestion. The 670 does feature great amounts of points of interests, which are basically places someone may need to go to without knowing where in the first place, this can include hotels, banks, and such. The unit will guide you to those places just as well as any user defined destination.

Figure 7: The maps utilized by the nuvi is incredibly crisp, colorful, and clear, making navigating a simple task. Above figured is in the 3D view/small>	Figure 8: Easily select route calculation options to alter the route based on your preferences.	Figure 9: All turns during your trip are always announced to you, so you will never stray off the optimal path.

Other Features

The 670 does have a prominent other feature and that is bluetooth compatibility with your mobile phone. This painlessly allows you to connect your phone with your navi, ultimately allowing you hands-free calling. You can dial, answer, and speak without even having to touch your phone. The Nuvi has an built in microphone which means you basically just have to speak, without having to touch your phone - making your trip safer and much more convenient. A popular function is also the mp3 player, with this you can take that mp3 collection of yours on the road by just an SD card. There’s jpeg viewing functions, currency convertors, calculators, clocks, and other tools that are useful for your travel convenience. Because of the FM transmitter all audible features, such as phone calls or voice prompts, can be projected through your car speakers. This can make everything much more louder, clearer, and particullarly for your mp3 playback, much more enjoyable. Another useful function is the ability to input custom points of interests, which are any points on the map that you can define. With these points defined, the Nuvi 670 can alert the driver of that point as soon as they begin to approach it. This is useful for school zones or camera locations even. The European version of this model does include a preloaded database of various camera locations all over Europe.

Figure 10: The popular mp3 playback feature allows the user to play mp3’s off their SD cards	Figure 11: A feature in which the user may sign up for to play audio books provided by Audible.	Figure 12: The photoviewing functions can view pictures on the widescreen directly from the internal storage or memory cards you may have.

Conclusion

This has proven to be a very strong unit and is definitely a leading product in the GPS marketplace. It’s simple to setup and simple to operate, because of how easy it is to actually use it, this is suitable for both novice users and veteran GPS users who want more out of their GPS devices. There’s just so much you can do with so much power. Thanks to the efficient navigating properties of this Nuvi, you will ultimately save time and money in the long run. You’d be surprised at how much this product can really do and you really just have to get your hands on one to truly reap the benefits from having a travel assistant. This a fine performing product and works flawlessly from testing. Good as a gift or good as a toy for yourself. This is definitely a product that should be given high regards.

Review of Garmin’s Nuvi 670 by Johnathon