The Map Room

My friend Zaid is a hardcore geocacher; he’s working on a TV show about geocaching for the Arabic-language Middle Eastern media market. It’s called Treasure Hunters. So far there’s a two-minute teaser video and a Facebook page.

GPS Review’s love-hate relationship with geocaches: “[L]ately I’ve become a bit turned off by caches placed in places where they simply shouldn’t be. While each area is different, I’d say more than half of the geocaches I’ve visited in recent years are located in places where I just don’t think a geocache belongs.” Such as caches that are too far off the marked trail or in improper terrain, that trigger bomb scares, or that are placed too closely near other caches.

The Boy Scouts of America have released the design of their geocaching merit badge and accompanying pamphlet; both should be available by the end of the year. Via Garmin.

Previously: Boy Scouts’ Geocaching Merit Badge Requirements.

An individual or group calling himself/herself/themselves the Forest Defenders has been removing or destroying geocaches in the name of the environment and posting the results to a blog, the Everett, Washington Herald reports. His/her/their claim is that the geocaches are essentially litter in sensitive ecological spaces, which geocachers trample when they leave the trail. This appears to be happening in the Pacific Northwest. The article notes that caches in state parks are placed with the permission and supervision of park staff (and that, since caches are someone else’s property, what they’re doing is illegal). Via GPS Tracklog: 1, 2.

The requirements for the Boy Scouts of America’s forthcoming geocaching merit badge have been released, though the badge itself has yet to appear. Via geoparadigm.

Very Spatial points to an amusing geocaching t-shirt on Zazzle.com: “I use multi-million dollar satellites to find Tupperware in the woods. What’s your hobby?” A look at the t-shirt page’s recommendations reveals lots of other geocaching-themed t-shirts on the…  •  Continue reading this entry.

Splinterheads is a movie, opening next week in limited release, that features geocaching as a plot point, at least if this teaser is any indication. Via Google Maps Mania….  •  Continue reading this entry.

A rather good introduction to geocaching at About.com, via Matt….  •  Continue reading this entry.

A guide to geocaching with kids — self-explanatory, really. Via Matt….  •  Continue reading this entry.

My original plan was to write an entry about the navigation applications available for the iPhone and iPod touch by buying a few of them myself and trying them. As often occurs with my plans, that didn’t happen. In…  •  Continue reading this entry.

A geocache near a bus rapid transit station in Ottawa triggered a bomb scare that led to a four-hour shutdown of a major boulevard last week, CBC News reported on Monday. Police detonated the package, and are asking geocachers to…  •  Continue reading this entry.

GPS Adventures “is a hands-on traveling exhibit that features GPS technology — its history, current uses and future possibilities; and simulates geocaching indoors by leading visitors through a 2,500 square foot maze rich with interactive experiences.” At Minnetrista, an…  •  Continue reading this entry.

If this story is any indication, geocaching may be the next fun activity to face the hammer of Homeland Security: GPS Scavenger Hunt Triggers Scare. Via GeoCarta….  •  Continue reading this entry.

An article about geocaching appeared in yesterday’s Newtown Bee; it’s as good and as accessible a general introduction as any, with the inevitable local angle. Previously: Geocaching in Canada’s National Parks; Geocaching; The Degree Confluence Project….  •  Continue reading this entry.

CBC News has a story about geocaching and Parks Canada, the federal government agency that runs our national parks: after banning physical geocaches earlier this year for fear of disturbing wildlife, Parks Canada is working with geocachers to develop a…  •  Continue reading this entry.