This is the second time I’ve seen Geocaching.com owner’s Groundspeak stifle innovation and very useful enhancements. OgleEarth just wrote about this earlier today. Last month I wrote an article about Geocaching Google Earth showing a very powerful script written by Andy Fowler which allowed you to see Geocaches at the Geocaching.com web site from within Google Earth. You still had to link to Geocaching.com to see the useful data, it just made it MUCH easier to visualize where the caches are located by using GE. Here’s Andy Fowler’s views on what they have done, and I agree with him.
A few months ago I saw another web site author (I can’t seem to find his web site now) which tried to enhance the ability to visualize the caches using a 2D mapping interface. He also was forced to stop by the Geocaching.com people.
As a Geocacher myself, I have been very disappointed in the lack of innovation of the interface to visualize geocaches at Geocaching.com. Each time they prevent other people from offering useful interfaces, you would think they were about to release their own improvements. But, so far, they haven’t. A very non-Internet approach to doing business. In the meantime, I hope some other people take Andy Fowler’s script and get it running again.
About Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor started the Google Earth Blog in July, 2005 shortly after Google Earth was first released. He has worked with 3D computer graphics and VR for many years and was very impressed with this exciting product. Frank completed a 5.5 year circumnavigation of the earth by sailboat in June 2015 which you can read about at Tahina Expedition, and is a licensed pilot, backpacker, diver, and photographer.
How I can be albe to track sharks using Google Earth; thanks,
Andrej from Bosnia and Herzegovina