Geocaching.com has finally released an official network link for supporting Google Earth. The network link lets you browse the Earth in Google Earth and will automatically reveal the Geocaches nearby. This is a VERY cool feature!
If you read my earlier story about the company stifling innovation (because someone wrote a network link to allow convenient searching of Geocaches) this new link is the reason. Groundspeak (the company which runs Geocachng.com) has done a good job with their own implementation of the network link. Except, right now it is kind of difficult to find the network link on their web site.
Here are instructions for …
Here are instructions for getting the Google Earth network link for Geocaching.com: You have to have at least the free basic account on Geocahing.com, log-in and click on “My Account”. In the lower-right of the page under “Google Mapping Features” click on “Download Geocache browser in Google Earth”. This will download the network link into Google Earth (assuming you have GE installed).
Once you have the network link downloaded, you will see “Geocaching Network KML” in your Places folder. I recommend you move it from the “Temporary Places” to your “My Places” folder for safekeeping. Next, just zoom somewhere in the world below 500 miles out, pause a few seconds, and you will see geocaches for that view. Groundspeak has made nice looking placemarks for the different types of geocaches. If you click on a placemark you get a brief description and a link to the cache page with all the details, or you can bookmark it for future reference at the web site.
This is a highly useful capability (read the things you can do with this in my first geocaching story). I”m glad Groundspeak is officially supporting this capability. By the way, I’m told you are limited to 150 caches in a view and can only refresh the network link 200 times in a day. You also are able to download a static KML for a specific cache.
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.
Geocaching.com now also offers Google Earth support
One of the original Google Earth hacks, a network link for geocaches on geocaching.com by Andy Fowler, was taken down in September at the behest of geocaching.com’s owners. The reason? Geocaching now has its own network link up. You have…
In the lower-right of the “My Account” page under “Google Mapping Features” click on “Download Geocache browser in Google Earth”.
This took me to Geocahing’s ‘Groundspeak – Waypoint Downloads’ page at http://www.geocaching.com/kml/buildnetworkkml.aspx which pointed me to the Groundspeak License Agreement at http://www.geocaching.com/waypoints/agreement.aspx?ID=-1
I agreed to the agreement and it said ‘Thank-you’.
I retraced my tracks back to the lower-right of the “My Account” page under “Google Mapping Features” clicked again on “Download Geocache browser in Google Earth”.
I then started the same loop as above – no sign of any kml file yet.
When I have some more time to spare I may try again.
Hi Iain,
after ‘signing’ the license, you should (instead of tracing Back) click again ‘My Account’ and at that time “Download Geocache browser in Google Earth” will link directly to the kml file, which will open in Google Earth
It worked for me except that I see only drawing pins instead of the usual geocaching placemarks.
One of the cool new features of Google Maps is that you can also view KML files in Google Maps. Simply copy the URL of the KML file into Google Maps.
The downside with Geocaching.com is that you must go through an ASP script to download their KML file, so you don’t get an actual URL.
However, if you download the KML file and then upload it elsewhere, you can copy and paste that URL into the search field on Google maps and it will show up there.
Probably more work than it’s worth, but I was hoping it would also work on my mobile version of Google Maps on my Blackberry. So far it doesn’t 🙁
Not anymore. Groundspeak has removed this function from their site, on the grounds of “improving site performance,” and that there were “only 200 regular users.”
they may have removed the link, but the buildnetworkkml.aspx address posted above still works.
The KML file has stopped working on 2 of my PCs (both with VISTA).
The first stopped 1 Week ago, the second yesterday.
only 200 regular users?!? That’s absolute bull! Simply me installing it at various people’s houses I logged 10 myself!
This FEATURE is NO LONGER SUPPORTED by Groundspeak!
KEEP YELLING!!
I use this all the time, please re instate it asap
Please bring it back it was the most helpful program ever!!!!
the buildnetworkkml.aspx address posted above still works BUT the network link has been disabled. 🙁
When I click on the (now disabled KML ) a pop-up says that geocaches are in the view window of Google Earth which of course they are not. Am I doing something wrong? Is this just a tease that leads nowhere? I want my geocaching back!! Waaaaa!
Waaahh. I want it back. ;-(