Acronym Definition
RGQS Relative Gray Quality System
RGQS Remote Global Quick Search
RGQS Resource Global Quality Search
RGQS Remote Geo Quick Search
RGQS Resource Global Quality Services
RGQS Resource Global Quick Sale
RGQS Report Global Quality Sports
RGQS Risk Guideline Quality System
RGQS Remote Geo Quick Search
Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use
a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to
hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world.
A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and
"treasure," usually toys or trinkets of little value. Today, well over 440,000
geocaches are registered on various websites devoted to the sport. Geocaches are
currently placed in 222 countries around the world and on all seven continents,
including Antarctica.
History
Geocaching is similar to the 150-year-old letterboxing, which uses references to
landmarks and clues embedded in stories. However, geocaching was not possible
until the removal of Selective Availability from GPS on May 1, 2000 (May 2, 04
UTC (http://pnt.gov/public/sa/diagram.shtml shows the improvement)). The first
documented placement of a GPS-located cache took place on May 3, 2000, by Dave
Ulmer of Beavercreek, Oregon. The location was posted on the Usenet newsgroup
sci.geo.satellite-nav . By May 6, 2000, it had been found twice and logged once
(by Mike Teague of Vancouver, Washington).
Origin of the name
The activity was originally referred to as GPS stash hunt or gpsstashing. This
was changed after a discussion in the gpsstash discussion group at eGroups (now
Yahoo!). On May 30, 2000, Matt Stum suggested that "stash" could have negative
connotations, and suggested instead "geocaching."
Geocaches
Geocache Loonse en Drunense Duinen in The NetherlandsFor the traditional
geocache, a geocacher will place a waterproof container, containing a log book
(with pen or pencil) and trinkets or some sort of treasures, then note the
cache's coordinates. These coordinates, along with other details of the
location, are posted on a website. Other geocachers obtain the coordinates from
the Internet and seek out the cache using their GPS handheld receivers. The
finding geocachers record their exploits in the logbook and online. Geocachers
are free to take objects from the cache in exchange for leaving something of
similar or higher value, so there is treasure for the next person to find.
Microcache hidden and found beside the Roman ColosseumTypical cache treasures
are not high in monetary value but may hold intrinsic value to the finder. Aside
from the logbook, common cache contents are unusual coins or currency, small
toys, ornamental buttons, CDs, or books. Also common are objects that are moved
from cache to cache, such as Travel Bugs or Geocoins, whose travels may be
logged and followed online. Occasionally, higher value items are included in
geocaches, normally reserved for the "first finder", or in locations which are
harder to reach.
A Travel BugGeocaches can range in size from "microcaches," too small to hold
anything more than a tiny paper log, to those placed in five-gallon buckets or
even larger containers.
If a geocache has been vandalized or stolen, it is said to have been "muggled"
or "plundered." The former term plays off the fact that those not familiar with
geocaching are called "geo-muggles" or just muggles, a term borrowed from the
Harry Potter series of books.
If a cacher discovers that a cache has been muggled, it can be logged as needing
maintenance, which sends an e-mail to the cache owner so it can be repaired,
replaced, or archived (deactivated).
Variations
There are many types of caches. Some are easy enough to be called "drive-bys,"
"park 'n' grabs" ("PNGs"), or "cache and dash." Others are very difficult,
including staged multi-caches; there are even examples of caches underwater, 50
feet (15 m) up a tree, after long offroad drives, on high mountain peaks, on the
Antarctic continent, and above the Arctic Circle. Different geocaching websites
choose to list different variations as per their own policies (e.g.,
Geocaching.com does not list new Webcam, Virtual, Locationless, or Moving
geocaches).
A Geocacher finding a Virtual Cache at McMurdo Station, AntarcticaVariations of
geocaches include:
Traditional: This is the basic cache type. It is a container with a log book (at
minimum) found at its listed set of coordinates and usually trade items.
Night Cache: These traditional caches can only be found at night and involve
following a series of reflectors with a flashlight to the final cache location.
Event Cache: This is a cache located at a gathering attended by geocachers.
Caches placed at events are often temporarily placed for the event date only.
This term is also used to describe the gathering itself.
Cache-In Trash-Out (CITO) Events: This is a variation on event caching.
Geocachers gather to clean up the trash in the area to improve the environment
as a coordinated activity.
Letterbox Hybrid: A letterbox hybrid cache is a combination of a geocache and a
letterbox in the same container. A letterbox has a rubber stamp and a logbook
instead of tradable items. Letterboxers carry their own stamp with them, to
stamp the letterbox's log book and inversely stamp their personal log book with
the letterbox stamp. The hybrid cache contains the important materials for this
and may or may not include trade items. Whether the letterbox hybrid contains
trade items is up to the owner.
Locationless/Reverse: This variation is similar to a scavenger hunt. A
description is given for something to find, such as a one-room schoolhouse, and
the finder locates an example of this object. The finder records the location
using their GPS handheld receiver and often takes a picture at the location
showing the named object and his or her GPS receiver. Typically others are not
allowed to log that same location as a find.
Moving/Traveling: Similar to a traditional geocache, this variation is found at
a listed set of coordinates. The finder uses the log book, trades trinkets, and
then hides the cache in a different location. By updating this new location on
the listing, the finder essentially becomes the hider, and the next finder
continues the cycle.
Multi-cache: This cache consists of multiple caches. These caches are one or
more intermediate points containing the coordinates for the next or final cache,
that contains the log book and trade items.
Mystery/puzzle-based: This cache requires one to discover information in order
to find the cache. Generally it includes a false set of coordinates within a
mile or a couple of kilometers of the cache, and a puzzle must be solved in
order to determine the final cache location. In other cases the given location
is correct, but the name of the location or other features found there are
themselves a puzzle leading to the final cache. Alternatively, additional
information is necessary to access the cache (such as a padlock combination) or
there are special requirements for logging the find on-line.
Offset: This cache is similar to the multi-cache except that the initial
coordinates are for a location containing information that encodes the final
cache coordinates. An example would be to direct the finder to a plaque where
the digits of a date on the plaque correspond to coordinates of the final cache.
Virtual: Caches of this nature are coordinates for a location that does not
contain the traditional box, log book, or trade items. Instead, the location
contains some other described object. Validation for finding a virtual cache
generally requires you to email the cache hider with information such as a date
or a name on a plaque, or to post a picture of yourself at the site with GPS
receiver in hand.
Earthcache: Organized and maintained by the Geological Society of America, the
EarthCache program is a subset of geocaching in which the "treasure" a cacher
finds is not a physical container with trinkets, but an educational lesson of
the Earth. The important requirement for an EarthCache to be approved and
published is that the cache listing must contain educational information about
the earth science of the cache area, and an interactive educational task which
directly engages the cacher in that geology. EarthCaches are submitted at
www.earthcache.org, and transferred to Groundspeak’s geocaching.com during the
review process. The EarthCache program is funded by Groundspeak, National
Geographic, Subaru, and the National Park Service.
Webcam: Similar to a virtual cache; there is no container, log book, or trade
items for this cache type. Instead, the coordinates are for a location with a
public webcam. Instead of signing a log book, the finder is often required to
capture their image from the webcam for verification of the find.
Paperless geocaching
Paperless geocaching is the process of using PDAs or other electronic devices to
geocache without having to print out geocache pages. It also gives cachers the
capability of doing some impromptu caching if they have some free time and
already have cache data on hand for a particular area. Cachers can obtain
geocache information (also known as waypoints) from various websites in various
formats and load the data into their PDAs to take along with them. Data is
generally formatted for use as filetype GPX, which uses XML and contains
information describing the geocache and also information about recent visitors
to the cache. Other formats exist for storage on various devices, but GPX is the
most popular. A variety of programs can translate between the various formats if
data is obtained in another program's format.
Obtaining data
Cachers can build their own GPX files with different client software tools, but
this task could be very time consuming and prone to data entry error. Many
geocachers pay a fee for Premium Membership with Geocaching.com. This allows
geocachers the capability to build queries (called Pocket Queries by
Geocaching.com) for caches they wish to hunt. They can obtain caches where they
want to hunt based on criteria such as Zip Code or coordinates and have it
emailed to them as an attachment on a schedule. Other geocachers using
TerraCaching.com can download GPX files directly. By using Geocaching Software,
geocachers can combine and filter cache listings from many sites. Geocaching
with Navicache.com offers similar services to its members at no charge.
Converting and filtering data
Some cachers convert GPX files to other formats that can be read by their PDA.
Others run their GPX files through Geocaching Software to change the data for
special icons on their GPSr or to filter out caches based on certain criteria.
If a cacher owns a Microsoft PocketPC based PDA, they can just sync the data to
their handheld without converting any data. This is due to developers creating
applications that read GPX files directly. If a cacher has a Palm based or other
PDA, then there are quite a few programs to convert GPX files for use on a PDA.
Ethics
Because of the hide-and-seek nature of the game, without some rules geocachers
could be a danger to themselves, other cachers, or society. Geocaching.com has
guidelines for hiding a cache through their listing service. Other websites,
like Terracaching.com and Geocaching with Navicache.com, have their own set of
guidelines for acceptable listings. Geocachers interested in enumerating a basic
set of generally accepted practices have also developed the Geocacher's Creed
and Geocaching Policy website. Land agencies, such as the Arizona Bureau of Land
Management, have also established their own guidelines for geocaching to ensure
that geocaching does not negatively impact their lands. United States Federal
recreation sites have different policies dependent on the agency charged with
maintaining the specific sites and the level of impact they choose to allow for
geocaching.
When geocaching in busy locations, searching for a cache can require tact and
craftiness to avoid the attention of the general public (also known by
geocachers as "muggles"). The person hiding a geocache frequently takes this
into account so that the hider and those looking for caches will not cause undue
alarm. When care is not taken in hiding or finding a geocache, cachers have been
approached by police and questioned when they were seen as acting suspiciously.
Other times, investigation of a cache location after suspicious activity was
reported has resulted in police and bomb squad discovery of the geocache. A
number of caches have been destroyed by bomb squads.
Websites for geocaching
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a
worldwide view of the subject.
Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.
There are numerous websites that list geocaches around the world. The first and
currently the largest is Geocaching.com, which began operating in 2000. This
site has members worldwide and hundreds of thousands of caches available. Caches
are published by regional cache reviewers, and the site stresses family-oriented
caching. There is the basic, free, membership which allows users to see
coordinates for most caches in its database, and the premium, paid-subscription
accounts which offer additional features and a few more cache sites.
Geocaching.com no longer lists new caches without a physical object, including
locationless/reverse and webcam; however, older caches of these types have been
grandfathered in (except for locationless/reverse, which have been completely
archived). The exception to this is earthcaches, which have been reestablished
as caches eligible for new listings. Approval for new earthcaches must be
obtained through the Geological Society of America. Groundspeak, Inc., the
site's owner, has created a waymarking website, at Waymarking.com, to handle all
other non-physical caches.
The next to offer their own cache listing database service was Geocaching with
Navicache.com. Started as a regional listing service around February of 2001,
Navicache.com quickly gained popularity among those looking for a less
restrictive alternatives to what was currently available. They continue to grow
and while many of Navicache.com's listings can be found cross-posted to other
sites, they also offer many unique listings. Unlike some of the commercial
sites, Navicache.com also lists most any type of geocache (within reason) and
does not charge to access any of the caches listed in their database. While all
submissions still must go through an approval process, they have chosen to be
more liberal in approving caches believing that the sport belongs to the players
and therefore should not be controlled by any one entity.
An alternative geocaching site is TerraCaching.com, whose goal is to have
members place and seek caches that are somewhat higher in quality, either from
the difficulty of the hide or from the quality of the location. Cache approval
is handled by other members through a sponsorship system. Members peer review
the quality of other members' caches. It is another worldwide game with caches
numbering in the thousands. TerraCaching.com embraces virtual caches alongside
traditional/multi-stage caches and has a large selection of locationless caches
integrated into the web site. The Dutch entry to TerraCaching is TerraCachers.nl.
In the United States, where most geocaching services are hosted, coordinates are
not protected by copyright but cache data are. Some commercial web sites listing
geocache data are generally protective of their data. People scraping data from
geocaching.com have been threatened with lawsuits by Groundspeak, Inc., owners
of the site. In 2001, Ed Hall was threatened with a lawsuit. According to Hall,
the threat was because Groundspeak requested that he provide a copyright notice
on his website, Buxley's Geocaching Waypoint, attributing Groundspeak as the
owner of the cache data. However, Groundspeak claims the dispute occurred after
Hall refused to remove a cache listing from his maps at the request of a cache
owner. As a result, his site now acknowledges the various sources of cache data
he uses, but after a disagreement with Groundspeak, Inc. about licensing, he no
longer includes any data from geocaching.com. Navicache.com (and others)
continue to take a more 'open-caching' type approach, sharing their database
with Buxley's and others.
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