Geo caching. What is geocaching? See what "Geocaching" is in other dictionaries

Geocaching (from the English geocaching) is a game that appeared in 2002 in the USA (in Russia since 2002) in which the jury or other players hide “treasures” on the ground and report their coordinates in a legend issued before the start or on the Internet, and Car enthusiasts with GPS receivers are looking for them. Like orienteering, but in cars and also with a local history twist, since treasures are hidden in interesting historical places.

I took part in this game several times, organized by our magazine "Avtoprobeg", here are my impressions from the first one. I hope the material will be useful to those who do not yet know what geocaching is and what it involves. At the same time, you will see that tasks can be more creative than just finding “treasure”.

FIRST TIME IN GEOCACHING CLASS

Having received an editorial assignment to travel with one of the crews participating in geocaching competitions, I get into the Nissan Patrol of the Nizhegorodets dealer team. In the back leather seat of the car I feel kind of like a UN observer: they also have the status of these huge SUVs in the hot spots of the planet, and I, like these UN officers, are of no use to the crew - I don’t know the route and can’t suggest anything.

Let's get acquainted. At the wheel is Alexander Chirkov, in the navigator’s chair is Igor Solovyov, behind him is his assistant, son Sergei. All of them are participating in such an event for the first time and therefore, understandably, are nervous before the start: “Where did he go? When will they give us a card?” Only the Nissan Patrol is unperturbed, its turbodiesel rumbles reassuringly, as if saying: “You guys figure out where to go, but I know my job - I’ll get you there in the best possible way.”

Having received a pile of maps just before the start, the navigator jumps into the cockpit and begins feverishly entering the coordinates of the desired points into the GPS navigator. Alexander takes off the jeep right off the bat - we have five hours, and we have time to comb the entire Kstovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region! - but he immediately realizes: you can’t drive faster than 90 km/h - the speed readings are recorded by a device, and for exceeding it there is a serious fine. Therefore, the additional horsepower awakened by the turbine will have to rest today.

And competitors are scurrying ahead along the course, feverishly thinking: should they make their way through the city or go to the Kazan highway?

We, too, go into a frenzy, and soon it becomes unclear why people go to play roulette in Monte Carlo, when the same sensations can be obtained in the outskirts of Nizhny...

We fly into the village. We find a church. We need to quickly find out how many rectangular windows are in the second tier. A few minutes later, in another settlement, we count the columns near the temple. To get the coordinate of an additional point, you need to subtract either the windows from the columns, or the columns from the windows, and divide the result in two. Of course, one cannot be divided into the other without a remainder, the result is the well-known one and a half diggers, and ahead of us there are still crosses on the domes, arches, bells and peaks on the fences.

The organizers made it so that all objects are accessible by highway, but in one place, if we drove only on asphalt, we would have to return and make a detour. "For what?" – the driver is perplexed. Really, why? We have a real jeep with “rigid” axles, and not some kind of “SUV”, and we rush straight, without understanding the road, past gardens, and then through the forest, and finally, with the hood raised high, we get out of a deep ditch onto a normal road , catching puzzled glances from those driving cars. Where are we from and what were we doing in those wilds?

And our car is like that, it always provokes us to cut corners along the gullies.

And when the next task says: “Leave the car and walk to the desired point on foot, you won’t be able to get there,” the crew decides: “What other walks! We will get there! " But at the upper edge of an unpaved village street, more like a ravine, we come across a parked Volga. The crew is in such excitement that, if the rules allowed, the unexpected obstacle would be moved by the bumper (as during the war they pushed a stuck car off the bridge), but we ourselves have to dive to the bottom of the ravine and knead the wet mud there.

It would seem that one could rely not only on a GPS navigator, but also on the help of local residents. But they are of no use - the men we meet on the roadsides on the occasion of the holiday can barely stand on their feet and mutter something inarticulate, and grandmothers only cross themselves at the sight of cars scurrying back and forth, and the ubiquitous boys, perhaps for the first time seeing such a cavalcade of different brands in their area, cars - from the baby "Micra" to the all-wheel drive monsters from the NKVD *, we are speechless, and only the joyful dogs flashing by the wheels are trying to explain something to us in their own language.

Two and a half hundred kilometers flew by in one breath, an additional point was already found after a short pick between the navigator and the driver: “Do we need it? We need to play until the end!” The last one remains, with a tricky name that even the locals don’t know, and the GPS receiver mockingly shows its location on the other side of the Volga.

But the navigator, having gathered his will into a fist, goes on a brainstorming session, again and again divides the arches into windows, subtracts the columns from the crosses (it’s good that only we can hear this), and here it is - the desired coordinate! And to confirm the correctness of the non-standard arithmetic, an additional finish line is shown behind the lake. We've arrived. Is it really the end of the game?

And it doesn’t matter that after checking the results, the Nizhegorodets crew does not get a prize place, but only a diploma - the main thing is that there was a will to win, all the points were passed, the hidden finish was found. And this is quite enough for the first time. And I enjoyed the game. There is no doubt about that when you hear Sergei’s question: “Dad, when is the next geocaching?”

-
© Alexander Elchishchev
Photo by the author and Andrey Chudakov

*Nizhny Novgorod off-road equipment club

Their geographic coordinates are determined and reported on the Internet. Other players use these coordinates and their GPS receivers to find caches.

Most often, caches are located in places that are of natural, historical, cultural, and geographical interest.

The accuracy with which the device determines the position ranges from several meters to several tens of meters. This only allows you to “outline” a small area of the location of the bookmark. To more accurately search for a container, you need to use hints from the description of the cache, use observation, ingenuity and experience.

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Types of caches

Game rules and types of caches are given on the official website

Traditional cache.

A classic cache with given coordinates. The container can be any size, but at a minimum it should fit a notepad. Large containers can contain tradeable items and trackables.

Cache-mystery

The most versatile of all types. May include challenging puzzles. You will have to solve them to determine the real coordinates of the cache. Sometimes this type includes new, unique caches that are difficult to compare with other types.

Step-by-step cache

Such caches consist of two or more steps. At the final point there is a container with a notepad. There are many options, but, as a rule, the first point will give you clues to determine the coordinates of the second. The next stage will take you to the third point, and so on.

Geological Cache (EarthCache)

A cache interesting from the point of view of geology and the structural features of the Earth. In addition to coordinates, the cache page contains educational materials. Visitors can learn how geological processes shaped our planet, how we use its resources, and how scientists collect facts. To consider a cache found, you need to become familiar with the geology of the area and answer questions correctly.

Letterbox Hybrid

Letterboxing is another treasure hunt game. Instead of GPS coordinates, it uses hints. Sometimes the letterbox owner makes his container also a geocaching container and publishes the coordinates on Geocaching.com. Such a cache must have a seal, and it must always remain in the container. Using this seal, players mark their visits.

Meeting

Cache meeting is a meeting of geocachers or geocaching organizations. The time and location of the meeting are indicated on the meeting cache page. The meeting can be timed, for example, to coincide with a holiday, excursion or flash mob. After the meeting ends, the cache is transferred to the archive.

Cache In Trash Out ( letters“Yes to caches, no to trash”) – an environmental meeting of geocachers. The main goal is cleaning the area and the purity of nature, which we enjoy while searching for caches. Sometimes geocachers form large teams to do the same thing, but on a larger scale. They clear the area of garbage and waste, plant trees, restore vegetation and ecological trails.

Mega meeting

A mega-meeting is a meeting that brings together 500 or more participants. Many meetings take place during the day, but often the events surrounding a mega-meeting last several days. Some mega-meetings are held annually and attract geocachers from all over the world.

Giga meeting

One of the rarest types of events. A geocaching giga meeting requires the participation of at least 5,000 people. A giga meeting is similar in form to a mega meeting: it can last several days, include different types of activities, and be held annually. Giga meetups attract many geocachers from all over the world.

Wherigo™ Cache

Wherigo is a set of programs for creating and participating in GPS adventures in the real world. An important element of the game is the so-called Wherigo cartridge - a script that is downloaded as a file to the GPS device. The game allows geocachers to interact with physical and virtual objects and characters. However, the ultimate goal is still to discover the physical container. The cartridge requires a Wherigo-enabled GPS device to operate.

Cache Geocaching HQ

The Geocaching HQ cache is located at Groundspeak's headquarters in Seattle, Washington.

GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit

GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit

Such a cache can be found at the GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit. The exhibitions are intended for people of all ages. Visitors are told about geocaching and new GPS technologies.

Virtual cache

A virtual cache is not about finding a container, but about visiting a specific location. How to look for such a cache? You may have to answer a question about the area, take a photo, or complete some task. In any case, to mark the location of the cache, you must visit the point. Although there is a lot of interesting things around us, it is assumed that the virtual cache was created in a truly unusual place.

Webcam

These caches use webcams installed in different places, such as parks and business centers. In order to consider the cache found, you need to stand in the field of view of the camera, go to the webcam page and take a screenshot.

Project A.P.E cache

In 2011, as part of a joint project with 20th Century Fox, 14 caches were created to promote the film Planet of the Apes. The role of descriptions of hiding places was played by fantastic stories, in each of which scientists identified an alternative theory of primate evolution (Alternative Primate Evolution, A.P.E.). The caches were made from specially labeled boxes and contained original props from the filming. Today there is only one cache left from the A.P.E. project.

10 years of geocaching

Cache without coordinates (reverse)

A cache without coordinates is a traditional cache, but in reverse. Instead of searching for a hidden container, you need to find a specific object in the area and find out its coordinates.

For a traditional cache, the description indicates the coordinates of the location of the bookmark, possible clues, or simply the history of this place. The language is national, the text is often duplicated in English or some other language, especially if the place is popular with tourists. In a step-by-step cache, you need to walk several steps on the ground to the final container, finding the coordinates of each of the previous ones. In a mystery cache, the location of the bookmark can be found out only after successfully solving the problem (sometimes the problems are very difficult). There are other types of caches. Caches can be of very different appearance and size, from a freezer container (the most popular option), to artificial cobblestones, an urban bolt (door, bridge), etc. The smallest (nano-) caches have a volume of no more than 2-3 ml . Inside such a cache, only a narrow paper ribbon fits, on which you can mark your visit. Larger caches, in addition to a notepad for marking visits, can contain various souvenirs, keychains, disks, toys, coins, etc. The player must check in the notebook and can take any item from the container, but in return must leave an equally valuable item. After visiting the cache, the player closes the container and returns it to the place where it was placed. The cache must be carefully camouflaged to keep the search interesting for subsequent participants, and also to prevent the cache from being accidentally found and destroyed. The player marks the visit to the cache on a geocaching site on the Internet.

Story

The prototype of the game can be found in children's secrets, known in the USSR in the 60s of the 20th century.

The history of geocaching began in 2000. On May 2, the day after the official cancellation of GPS signal roughening for civilian receivers, Dave Ulmer from Portland (Oregon) suggested a new game, Stash, to his friends in one of the online conferences. The essence of the new game was that one person created a cache, published its coordinates on the Internet, and others tried to find the cache using these coordinates. The next day, Dave went into the forest and hid the first cache not far from his city.

Initially it was proposed to call the game geo stash ing (Russian pronunciation geostashing). However, a better option was proposed, which stuck.

The largest international gaming platform is Geocaching.com. More than 2.5 million caches are published on the site, there are more than 6 million players in the world. For example, in Finland there are over 36,000 caches, and in Russia, despite its vast territory, there are 704 caches (as of April 2015). Their peculiarity is the rare presence of the Russian language in the description of caches.

Geocaching appeared in Russia in the spring of 2002. Two independent projects, Geocaching.ru and Caching.ru, merged into a common Geocaching.ru (later Geocaching.su). Caches are located everywhere, but usually the author tries to choose a special place - attractions, a beautiful view.

Other countries also have large national geocaching sites. For example, German, Australian, Hungarian, Estonian, Romanian, Polish and others.

There are also gameplay variations. For example, the organizers of the Encounter project modified the gameplay by adding a time limit and hints to geocaching.

Corporate geocaching

Geocaching is actively used as corporate entertainment. Employees of the supply company hide caches, instruct participants, and provide them with equipment and GPS navigators. Such entertainment may be non-commercial, but the essence is the same: the organizers hide, the participants search. Usually at the end of the day the results are summed up and the winners are awarded.

Geocaching as a form of learning

As an alternative form of training for future surveyors, in Novosibirsk on the basis of the SSGA, associate professor of the cadastre department Alexey Dubrovsky proposed geocaching of architectural or historical landmarks. Participants in the adventure travel around the city and complete tasks with the help of special descriptions of places where they should be and do something. These can be descriptions of the appearance of architectural or historical landmarks, geographic coordinates, and even satellite images. Teams participating in geocaching must provide a photograph of the captain against the background of a given object as confirmation of their presence at a given point.

Garmin satellite GPS navigators have functionality for working with geocaching caches, including using the Garmin Chirp ANT+ transmitter. There are also two types of points for simple caches in Garmin data formats: an untaken cache and a taken cache. The latest models of navigators also implement many additional functions that help the geocacher.

Notes

geocaching.com - official Geocaching website
GPS race: Russia lacks satellites, cnews.ru, June 4, 2003

cache- cache) - a tourist game using satellite navigation systems, consisting of finding caches hidden by other participants in the game.

It can be played with family, company or alone. The main idea is that some players hide caches using geographic coordinates and report them on the Internet. Other players use these coordinates and their GPS receivers to find caches. You can use “bundles” connected to a PDA or laptop.

In some versions of the game, it is recommended to create a cache only in places that are of natural, historical, cultural, or geographical interest. Therefore, creating and searching for caches turns into an active cognitive process. Players receive a lot of interesting information about attractions. Hides where an original and difficult search task is realized are welcome.

At first glance, it seems that finding a cache using a GPS receiver is simple. However, the accuracy with which a civilian GPS receiver determines a position is several tens of meters. A civilian GPS receiver only allows you to “outline” a small area of the cache location. For a more accurate search, you need to use the tips from its description.

There are many different types of caches. The most common (traditional) cache is a container with a lid that contains “treasures” - small items (discs, cassettes, toys, books, etc.), a notebook for those who found the cache and a pencil. The player has the right to check in the notebook and pick up any item from the container, but in return must leave an item of equal or more valuable value. The notebook is a mandatory attribute of the cache and contains information about the cache and its visitors. After visiting the cache, the player must close the container and place it in its original place. The cache must be carefully disguised so that the next participants in the game make no less effort to find the cache, and also so that it is not accidentally found and destroyed. All that remains is to write about your visit in the Internet guest book of the cache. If the container is not completely sealed, which is most often the case, it is recommended to put a water absorbent in it - a bag of silica gel, and next to it - a punched bag of red pepper, which will protect it from destruction by animals that even detect buried caches by smell.

In addition to traditional ones, there are also step-by-step caches. To find the container, the geocacher must complete the task assigned by the cache's author. Sometimes this task involves answering questions related to a landmark, sometimes it requires the seeker to use navigational skills, and in some cases it forces the player to show off his erudition.

In the Russian version of the game, so-called “virtual” hiding places have become widespread. In cases where there is no place to place a container, or the area is crowded (that is, there is a high risk of random people finding and destroying the container), the seeker, in order to receive credit for visiting the cache, must send the correct answer to the security question to the email address of the game administration. This question is determined by the author and is usually related to the landmark to which the cache is dedicated.

Links

Garmin about geocaching

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Geocaching” is in other dictionaries:

M. Search for hidden treasure. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

Treasure hunting game (caching) is a type of entertainment that consists of searching for pre-created hiding places and retrieving hidden objects from there. The simplest caching option is the children's game “hot and cold”. In modern versions... ... Wikipedia

Autoquest (English autoquest, from English automobile automobile and English quest search) is a type of intellectually active games related to urban navigation. The goal of the game is to decipher the place on... ... Wikipedia

Typical contents of a “cache” Geocaching (geocaching from the Greek γεο Earth and English ... Wikipedia

Cache: Cache in computing is an intermediate buffer with fast access. Cash, Patrick Hart (eng. Patrick Hart "Pat" Cash) Australian professional tennis player. Caché (DBMS) industrial post-relational DBMS, integrated ... Wikipedia

Krasnoselsko-Ropshinskaya Great Patriotic War Date January 14 – 30, 1944 Place Leningrad region, USSR Result Victory of the Red Army ... Wikipedia

A standard geocaching cache with a notebook in which the players who took the treasure are noted.

Geocaching is an international game where people hide treasures in interesting places around the world and leave coordinates for search on the website Geocaching.com. Finding these treasures, in fact, you have to find interesting places themselves, thus studying the area around.

Geocaching is a real solution to the problem of finding truly interesting places when traveling and visiting new places.

There are a lot of geocaching caches all over the world: distant villages in Europe or Russia are surrounded by caches, there are caches on the most interesting mountain peaks that you would not even think of going to by car (but you can), tropical islands, abandoned objects and many other places are strewn with caches. many places around us.

Caches are usually located in really interesting places, sometimes you come across very cool, beautiful or secret, non-tourist places (a small list from my blog for example at the end of the post↓).
To find a geocaching treasure, you need to not just use Google coordinates, but use your brain, because the coordinates point to the location quite approximately. You need to read the description, sometimes unravel it, and in any case be patient and persistent in searching for the treasure.
Anyone can create their own cache and describe it on the site.
There are cool little things that travel from cache to cache in different countries, such as “frog travelers”, “Traveler bugs”, geocoins, etc.

About geocaching caches

The cache must have a notebook with a pen or pencil (if it is not a mini-cache) and a set of little things that players leave (coins from different countries, mini-toys, all sorts of interesting little things).

Among the things in caches, sometimes there are traceable ones. Often, the owners of the things being tracked will come up with a specific task for them to complete. For example, transporting an item across the country to another geocacher or transporting it across all countries of the world, etc.

Trackable - an item with a track number that has a special task from its “creator”. You can find it by number by checking it on the website.

You can read more about the types of Geocaching items on the Geocaching website - there are a lot of them listed there.

Types of caches

Regular cache- is located in the place according to the coordinates indicated on the website, but having reached the place, you need to find it according to the description (descriptions in English or the language of the country where the cache is located). Sometimes the descriptions are very mysterious, you have to think and search.

Step-by-step cache you need to walk several steps on the ground to the final container, finding the coordinates of each of the previous ones.

Cache-mystery- it can be found only after successfully solving the problem (sometimes the problems are very complex).

Different sizes of caches

Container. The most popular size is a small plastic container, about the size of a brick.

Micro caches- something like a large tablet, magnetically attached with one side to iron surfaces. Inside such a cache, only a paper tape is placed, on which the players leave their names. There are a lot of such caches in Bangkok; they can be found on almost every tourist information sign.

How to find Geocaching caches and what to do with them

First you need to register on the website Geocaching.com, look at the caches closest to you on the map and go on a search, marking a point on the map. You can use a paid application, which is worth the money - it’s very easy to search and shows a lot of hiding places.

And now the main and most pleasant thing is that when you come to a new place for you and are looking for something to do, something to see, and so that there is something unusual - you simply open the map of Geocacher caches, select any and go in search.

After you have found a cache, you can take any item from it, making sure to put yours in its place, and mark your visit to the cache on the Geocaching website.