WiFi Caching Map - Revisited

AIG: WiFi Caching Map - Revisited

Just over one year ago, I posted an article titled "WiFi Caching Map" that gave instructions on how to use your GPS receiver attached to a laptop computer running NetStumbler and a program called JiGLE to create a visual map of the various WiFi hotspots in your local area. The map from that original post looked like the one below. The results are decent and it is a fairly easy way to quickly see WiFi coverage in an area.


However, since my discovery of GPS Visualizer that I mentioned last week, I thought it would be a good idea to go wardriving once again and try out a new tool like GPS Visualizer. The instructions are basically the same as the previous tutorial, but instead of loading your file in JiGLE, you simply upload your file to GPS Visualizer and let it do all the work for you. GPS Visualizer uses your recorded NetStumbler coordinates and the signal strength of the detected wireless networks to map the approximate location of the source of the wireless access points that were detected. To create a map like this one on a Windows XP computer, follow these steps:

1. Download and install NetStumbler from http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/.
2. Connect your GPS to your laptop with a data cable and configure your GPS to send a NMEA compatible signal in your Interface Setup screen.
3. Start NetStumbler and begin driving through your neighborhood. Each time NetStumbler picks up a signal, it will show its listing on the main screen and generate an alert sound.
4. When you are finished with your drive, close NetStumbler and save the NS1 file it generates for you on your desktop.
5. Connect to the Internet and visit http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map?form=wifi.
6. Choose your preferred output type (SVG, JPG, PNG, Google Map, Google Earth KMZ, or Yahoo! Flash) from the Output Format drop-down box.
7. It is not necessary to change any of the other options, but you can customize the results if you'd like.
8. Browse for and upload your saved NetStumbler NS1 file from the left side menu.
9. Click "Draw the Map" and view your results!

I've loaded several example images below to demonstrate the various types of output that GPS Visualizer can generate. These maps are all created from the same NetStumbler file in the same geographic area as the original JiGLE map above.

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SVG Format with USGS Aerial photo

Google Street Map

Google Hybrid Map

Google Earth

 

GPS Visualizer Tutorial

AIG: GPS Visualizer Tutorial

"GPS Visualizer is a free, easy-to-use online utility that creates maps and profiles from GPS data (tracks and waypoints), street addresses, or simple coordinates. Use it to see where you've been, plan where you're going, or visualize geographic data."

Out of all the geocaching-related mapping programs including the various Google Earth overlays, this simple online utility has by-far the most WOW factor. This short tutorial is designed to quickly help you take a simple GPX track file downloaded from your GPS to a fully interactive and color-coded map on Google Earth.

1. Begin by downloading your own GPX track file from your GPSr or by using my sample file, here.
2. Visit the GPS Visualizer Map page, http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map.
3. Change the first drop down box called "Output format:" to Google Earth and allow the page to switch you to the specialized Google Earth form.
4. Change "Altitude mode:" to your preferred style. For my flight path example, I selected "Extruded."
5. Change "Colorize by:" to your preferred style. For my flight path example, I selected "Speed." All other options on this page are completely optional and do not need to be changed from the defaults.
6. In the right-hand column, click Browse and find your saved GPX track file.
7. Click "Create KML file" button and view your results!

Note: If you have an older computer and can not use Google Earth, you may still follow the general steps above except on Step 3, you may choose Google Maps or another image format. However, your result will be 2-dimensional instead of 3-D.

How to Go Geocaching

AIG: How to Go Geocaching

http://www.wikihow.com/ is the newest site from the company that brought the world eHow.com. "wikiHow is a collaborative writing project aiming to build the world's largest how-to manual. Our mission is to provide free and useful instructions to help people solve the problems of everyday life."

wikiHow.com also contains one of the best over-all "How to Go Geocaching" guides that I've seen to date. But the best part is that since it is a wiki, it can get even better!

Leave No Trace

AIG: Leave No Trace

In keeping with last week's theme of environmental awareness, I thought I should also mention another great non-profit organization called Leave No Trace. The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships.

There are 7 principles of the Leave No Trace program:
(information obtained from http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/21-105)

	Plan Ahead and Prepare
	Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
	Dispose of Waste Properly
	Leave What You Find
	Minimize Campfire Impacts
	Respect Wildlife
	Be Considerate of Other Visitors

An excellent article edited by Ken Braband was published online in April 2002 on the Wisconsin Geocaching Association website about this topic and how it relates to Geocachers simply entitled "Leave No Trace."

 

Tread Lightly: Responsible Geocaching

AIG: Tread Lightly: Responsible Geocaching

After digging through the Groundspeak forums for more information about Tread Lightly, I came across a fairly short thread in which Jeremy Irish posted a link to a Tread Lightly guide that he helped author entitled "Responsible Geocaching". This article is in the same format as the other published Tread Lightly guides for responsible hiking, camping and boating which can all be found on the main treadlightly.org website. The organization has also formatted this guide into a really well designed PDF brochure that I highly recommend viewing.

• Tread Lightly: Responsible Geocaching [HTML]
• Tread Lightly: Responsible Geocaching Brochure [PDF]

Geocachers Encouraged to Tread Lightly

AIG: Geocachers Encouraged to Tread Lightly

Article by Treadlightly.org

Marrying high-tech gadgets with rugged outdoor travel, geocaching has become one of the hottest new forms of recreation. But some are warning that its popularity will take a toll on the nation’s public land if not done responsibly.

In geocaching, participants use global positioning systems (GPS) to direct them to hidden treasures or “caches.” Caches are usually low-priced trinkets and are most often placed in backcountry settings. There are at least 250,000 caches hidden throughout the world on any given day.

“Unwanted tire tracks, damaged vegetation and disrupted wildlife can be harsh consequences of irresponsible geocaching,” said Patti Klein, National Stewardship Coordinator for the Bureau of Land Management. “We encourage geocachers to check with their local land manager for regulations and practice minimum impact behavior at all times.”

"Tread Lightly!," a nonprofit organization that educates people to recreate responsibly, recently released tips to help geocachers minimize their impact on the outdoors.

TIPS FOR RESPONSIBLE GEOCACHING

• Check with local land managers to determine regulations before placing or searching for a cache. The National Park Service, for example, has strict geocaching regulations.
• Keep vehicles on designated roads and trails.
• Use the “track back” feature on your GPS unit rather than flagging and marking trails.
• In addition to your GPS receiver, always carry extra batteries, a map, compass and know how to use them.
• Practice the “lift, look, replace” technique. If you lift a rock to look under it, replace it exactly as you found it.
• Following a trip, wash your gear to reduce the spread of invasive species.
• Traditional geocaching is not appropriate in areas designated as Wilderness.

CACHE PLACERS

• Avoid sensitive areas including cultural sites, wetlands, caves and steep slopes.
• Avoid burying a cache in the ground.
• It is the cache owner's responsibility to maintain the cache and the surrounding area. If the cache area becomes impacted, confer with the landowner on how you will mitigate the impacts, and seek their advice as to whether to relocate the cache.
• Never place food items in a cache.

CACHE SEEKERS

• Use maps to find a route that will minimize impact.
• If you notice a path has started to wear in the vicinity of a cache, notify the cache owner via email.
• When allowed to hike off designated trails, spread out in open country. One exception is in deserts, where hikers should travel in single file and try to walk on hardened surfaces such as slickrock, gravel or in sand washes.
• After you’ve finished searching for a cache, the area should look as though you were never there or better than when you arrived.

"It is important for the worldwide geocaching community to tread lightly on the environment in order to maintain the natural beauty of our outdoor resources,” said Bryan Roth, Co-Founder and Vice President of geocaching.com, the web’s dominant geocaching site.

Geocaching.com also created a program called “Cache In, Trash Out” to help the sport make a positive impression on public land. Further information can be found on their website.

Additional tips for responsible geocaching are available on Tread Lightly!’s website at www.treadlightly.org or by calling 1-800-966-9900.

Tread Lightly!(R) is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower generations to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. Tread Lightly!’s strategic educational message, along with its training and restoration initiatives are designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them. The program is long-term in scope with a goal to balance the needs of the people who enjoy outdoor recreation with the needs of the environment.

CAPTION: JILL SCOTT, A GEOCACHER FROM OGDEN, UTAH, STUDIES HER GPS UNIT TO FIND A HIDDEN CACHE. GEOCACHERS ARE ASKED TO FOLLOW GUIDELINES TO HELP THEM MINIMIZE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AS THEY HIDE AND SEEK.

 

DMOZ

AIG: DMOZ

Have you ever browsed Google's directory for geocaching sites and been curious where these listings originate? Have you ever wondered why some websites get spidered by Google and others do not?

The answer to these questions is DMOZ Open Directory Project. "The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors."

Just recently, I've been selected as a volunteer editor for the category Recreation/Outdoors/Geocaching/Personal_and_Team_Pages. To help build this category, I have been adding and reviewing some of the geocaching blogs that I'm aware of and read, but I need your help. If you know of another good geocaching blog or geocaching-related personal web site, please let me know by suggesting it to the directory using the link below.

In addition, I will soon begin adding many more XML links to correspond with blog sites that provide RSS or ATOM feeds. If your site provides a valid XML link to your content, please suggest that URL as well.

Suggest a Site

 

Good Presentations

AIG: Good Presentations

I couldn't just leave my previous post to stand alone without providing at least a few examples of good presentations. There are other presentations out there that have a similar purpose without all the “shady” content. I highly recommend looking at these. The first one by the Wisconsin Geocaching organization is probably the best I've seen! If you know of other good presentations, please post links to them in the comments. I'd love to see what else is out there.

• http://www.wi-geocaching.com/info/WPRAGeocaching.ppt
• http://www.texasgeocaching.com/docs/geointro.swf
• http://benoits.ca/geocaching/presentation/Geocaching-interactive.mov
• http://www.vickiblackwell.com/GPS/GPS%20power%20point.ppt

Muddy Cachers

AIG: Muddy Cachers

Well if I feel tomorrow
Like I feel today
I'm gonna pack my GPS
And make my getaway
Lord I'm troubled,
I'm all worried in mind
And I'm never bein' so horrified,
And I just can't keep from cryin'

-- Muddy Cachers
(original lyrics by Muddy Waters)

I just got done listening to the greatest and really only podcast about geocaching and heard a recommendation for a PowerPoint presentation used to help educate Police and or other law enforcement officers about geocaching. The presentation in question showed photos of geocachers sneaking behind bleachers, climbing over guardrails out onto bridge girders, and finding containers near concrete bridge supports. It also had several photos of ammunition boxes with the military markings still visible and even a huge buried cache! The presentation began by showing excerpts from news articles of geocachers falling to their death, being arrested for hanging buckets from a major overpass, and having cache containers blown up by bomb squads outside of police stations.
I know ALL of this has happened and is public knowledge, but why on earth would you choose this stuff when giving a presentation to police officers about geocaching?
If you want law enforcement officers to learn about geocaching as a family-friendly, outdoor-loving, eco-friendly and police-friendly sport, show them the good stuff!!! Show them the pictures of Brandon's kids, or some informational articles on jestcaching, or some of the great stories about kid's geocaching birthday parties on the PodCacher site, or even photos of a bunch of city-slickers about to kayak down a river in central Texas. Tell them about Cache-In, Trash-Out or about the Geocachers Creed.
Inform them about the sport, but do it the right way - "Safe, Legal, Ethical." Tell them what we do and how we do it, but make sure the examples you give show geocaching in a positive way. Make any presentation about geocaching seem like something they should try themselves and not something they should be on the look-out for.

$12 Billion Dollar Hobby

AIG: $12 Billion Dollar Hobby

I just came across this site http://www.lostgear.com/ and love their opening tag. Check it out!

GeoCaching is the only activity that requires $12 Billion dollars worth of equipment to participate.
That's right, one relatively cheap GPS unit, and $12 Billion U.S. dollars worth of satellite systems, and you're ready to play. Luckily the US government has already footed the bill for the satellite system, and put it out there. So all you need is the GPS, some walking shoes, and a sense of adventure. We'll wait right here while you gather these things together...