89
Chapter Wrapup
In geocaching, certain small objects (referred to as “geocaches”) are hidden in an area and the coordinates of the object are listed on the Web (a
log is maintained). From there, you can use a GPS receiver to track down
those coordinates (which usually involve hiking or walking to a location) and
locate the cache. In essence, geocaching is a high-tech outdoor treasure hunt
(see Hands-on Application 4.2: Things to Do Before You Go Geocaching). This
type of activity (using a GPS receiver to track down pre-recorded coordinates
to find objects or locations) is also used in educational or classroom activities
to teach students the relationship between a set of map coordinates and a
real-world location, as well as basic land navigation and GPS usage.
Chapter Wrapup
This chapter provided an introduction to how the Global Positioning System
operates as well as how GPS can locate where a receiver is on the ground.
A growing application of GPS is navigation systems used in your car, such
as brands like Garmin, Magellan, or Tom-Tom. These types of systems plot
not only your location on a map using GPS, but also show surrounding roads
and nearby locations (such as restaurants or gas stations), locate an address,
and then route you from your current location to another destination via
the shortest path. The only one of these features that’s actually using GPS is
finding your current location—the rest are all functions that are covered in
Chapter 8. Until then, starting in the next chapter, we’ll start focusing on the
Geocaching is a widespread and popular recreational activity today. As long as you have a GPS
receiver and some coordinates to look for, you can
get started with geocaching. This chapter’s lab will
have you investigating some specific geocaching
resources on the Web, but before you start looking
for caches, there are some online utilities to explore
first. Open your Web browser and go to http://www.
groundspeak.com. Groundspeak operates a main
geocaching Website as well as providing some tools
to use. On the main page are links to several GPSrelated sites:
1. Geocaching.com (http://www.geocaching.
com) – Check around for locations of
geocaches near you (we’ll use this during
the lab).
2. Waymarking.com (http://www.waymarking.
com) – This Website provides a way to find
the coordinates of interesting locations
(“waymarks”) that have been uploaded by
users. Type in your zip code to see what’s
been labeled as a waymark (and collect its
coordinates) near you.
3. Whereigo.com (http://www.wherigo.
com) – A Website to download a player and
a toolset for constructing games (referred
to as “cartridges”) and other applications for
portable GPS devices.
4. Cache In Trash Out (http://www.geocaching.
com/cito) – An environmental initiative
dedicated to cleaning up areas where
geocaches are hidden.
Hands-on Application 4.2
Things to Do Before You Go Geocaching
Chapter Wrapup
In geocaching, certain small objects (referred to as “geocaches”) are hidden in an area and the coordinates of the object are listed on the Web (a
log is maintained). From there, you can use a GPS receiver to track down
those coordinates (which usually involve hiking or walking to a location) and
locate the cache. In essence, geocaching is a high-tech outdoor treasure hunt
(see Hands-on Application 4.2: Things to Do Before You Go Geocaching). This
type of activity (using a GPS receiver to track down pre-recorded coordinates
to find objects or locations) is also used in educational or classroom activities
to teach students the relationship between a set of map coordinates and a
real-world location, as well as basic land navigation and GPS usage.
Chapter Wrapup
This chapter provided an introduction to how the Global Positioning System
operates as well as how GPS can locate where a receiver is on the ground.
A growing application of GPS is navigation systems used in your car, such
as brands like Garmin, Magellan, or Tom-Tom. These types of systems plot
not only your location on a map using GPS, but also show surrounding roads
and nearby locations (such as restaurants or gas stations), locate an address,
and then route you from your current location to another destination via
the shortest path. The only one of these features that’s actually using GPS is
finding your current location—the rest are all functions that are covered in
Chapter 8. Until then, starting in the next chapter, we’ll start focusing on the
Geocaching is a widespread and popular recreational activity today. As long as you have a GPS
receiver and some coordinates to look for, you can
get started with geocaching. This chapter’s lab will
have you investigating some specific geocaching
resources on the Web, but before you start looking
for caches, there are some online utilities to explore
first. Open your Web browser and go to http://www.
groundspeak.com. Groundspeak operates a main
geocaching Website as well as providing some tools
to use. On the main page are links to several GPSrelated sites:
1. Geocaching.com (http://www.geocaching.
com) – Check around for locations of
geocaches near you (we’ll use this during
the lab).
2. Waymarking.com (http://www.waymarking.
com) – This Website provides a way to find
the coordinates of interesting locations
(“waymarks”) that have been uploaded by
users. Type in your zip code to see what’s
been labeled as a waymark (and collect its
coordinates) near you.
3. Whereigo.com (http://www.wherigo.
com) – A Website to download a player and
a toolset for constructing games (referred
to as “cartridges”) and other applications for
portable GPS devices.
4. Cache In Trash Out (http://www.geocaching.
com/cito) – An environmental initiative
dedicated to cleaning up areas where
geocaches are hidden.
Hands-on Application 4.2
Things to Do Before You Go Geocaching