Cache pages on Geocaching.com

[Grandma & Grandpa]

Hi – We just had our first cache approved and posted on the website. The map which was automatically attached is not very good – no road names, no details, etc. Can this be edited and a better map attached?

Thanks Gram & Gramps

[GrouseTales]

The Geocaching.com website automatically links the coordinates to different mapping websites. They are not always accurate. If your original coordinates are correct, then there is nothing you can do.

Sometimes the maps will show a cache out in the water, when in fact it’s located on land. There can be other discrepancies also. If maps are causing a problem for cachers, then you may want to add some narrative on the cache page to warn of the map problem.

Most people just realize the maps are close, but not exact.

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“There are two kinds of hunting: ordinary hunting and grouse hunting.”
-Aldo Leopold, A sand county Almanac

Brian
WGA President
Grousetales at wi-geocaching dot com

[Cathunter]

It should also be noted that when a cache is first approved, the map on ther cache page will be a rudimentary one. Within a day or two, there will likely be a better looking map in place.

[Grandma & Grandpa]

Knowing the location as we do, the star on the map is accurate. However, others looking at this map would not find it to be of much use. There are directions in the narrative, but we always find the maps to be a great help when choosing caches to seek – much quicker to glance at the map than to pour through the verbage! Hopefully Cathunter is right in regard to the maps automatically upgrading, but we have found several of these low quality maps recently while looking at cache pages.

Thanks for the replies – we appreciate it.

Gram & Gramps

[kbraband]

quote:

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Originally posted by Gram&Gramps:
Hi – We just had our first cache approved and posted on the website. The map which was automatically attached is not very good – no road names, no details, etc. Can this be edited and a better map attached?

Thanks Gram & Gramps

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Another thought — You can add your own map to the cache page if you have a better one. Create it with a drawing program or scan a printed map and add special lines and marks with a drawing program. Then upload it as a photo to the page. You might even want to imbed it with the long description text so it automatically appears on the page without the need to click on a link.

[kbraband]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cathunter:
It should also be noted that when a cache is first approved, the map on ther cache page will be a rudimentary one. Within a day or two, there will likely be a better looking map in place.

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Really? This is news to me.

[Grandma & Grandpa]

Cool – I just checked the cache we are discussing, and sure enough, it has a decent map shown! Guess we just gotta be a little more patient… Now was that automatic, or did somebody get it done for us? If so, thank you very much.

Ain’t technology marvelous? The more we learn about it, the less we know, it seems.

cYa Grandma & Grandpa

[AuntieNae]

Just an FYI, if you make any changes now to your cache description, that crude map will “re-appear”, it takes 12 hours or so and the good one does come back.

[Cathunter]

quote:

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Originally posted by kbraband:
Really? This is news to me.

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Yep- when you make a cache page, the map that appears is a rudimentary one taken from http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/ .
Then, within some period of time, (hours or maybe a day) the map is replaced with one from microsoft streets & trips running on the geocaching.com server. When you click on the map, it links you to http://www.mapquest.com/ , which is actually another branch of AOL.

Just another example of the work that goes on behind the scenes of geocaching.

[Cheesehead Dave]

quote:

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Originally posted by kbraband:

Originally posted by Cathunter:
It should also be noted that when a cache is first approved, the map on ther cache page will be a rudimentary one. Within a day or two, there will likely be a better looking map in place.

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Really? This is news to me.

Try this: Take one of your caches that has a nice looking map and edit it. After you save it, the map will have changed to the “cheapo” one that appears when a cache is first approved. After awhile, the map will update back to the better quality one.

[kbraband]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cheesehead Dave:
Try this: Take one of your caches that has a nice looking map and edit it. After you save it, the map will have changed to the “cheapo” one that appears when a cache is first approved. After awhile, the map will update back to the better quality one.

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I’m feeling dense. No idea what you’re talking about.

[GrouseTales]

quote:

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Originally posted by Gram&Gramps:
Now was that automatic, or did somebody get it done for us? If so, thank you very much.

Ain’t technology marvelous? The more we learn about it, the less we know, it seems.

cYa Grandma & Grandpa

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As one of the volunteer cache reviewers, I can tell you that the system is automatic. No one manually attaches any of the maps, it all done automatically by the “system”. We didn’t make any manual changes to your cache when approving it.

Just like Ken, I also was unaware that the map “upgrades” after the cache is approved. Ya learn something new every day.

[Author]

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