Does anyone know of a program that will allow you to draw circles on a displayed
map? I'm trying to get a visual representation of the coverage of the pocket
queries I use. I'm sure there are some gaps, and I'd like to fine tune things
for optimal coverage. I use both an Android app and an IOS app that have the PQs
in a database that I can sort and filter by, and I have some finds that aren't
showing up.

I know I could always use the GC.com app instead of the one I like, but I don't
particularly like the GC.com interface, and it doesn't have the filtering and
sorting capabilities that I want.

Mike
jmd65

It was a nice surprise today as I arrived at Austin High to run an
errand (having recently graduated to being the mother of a freshman
there) to encounter a face I knew from the Central Texas geocaching
community! Gadget Girl (Tanya) was helping a friend who teaches
geography give the students a hands-on experience with latitude and
longitude. It was fun to see the students running around working with
the coordinates pre-entered in the GPS devices they were using.
Unfortunately, although my daughter (FG1) was in geography at that
hour, it wasn't the class that enjoyed the expert geocaching
assistance from Gadget Girl!

Gotta love the applications of this game!!

-- Vicki (FG2 in FiedoGang)

Is this around a city? If so, you can get a good approximation by
counting blocks. Residential neighborhoods tend to have long, skinny
blocks. It's the width, not the length that you should be using for an
estimate. This is about 1/10 mile. Ten blocks is about a mile.

I'll check the apps I have and see if any of them have a function you
describe (other than the accuracy circle around your current
location).

Victor

On 8/30/12, Mike Detlefsen <mdmeleagro945@...> wrote:
> Does anyone know of a program that will allow you to draw circles on a
> displayed map? I'm trying to get a visual representation of the coverage of
> the pocket queries I use. I'm sure there are some gaps, and I'd like to fine
> tune things for optimal coverage. I use both an Android app and an IOS app
> that have the PQs in a database that I can sort and filter by, and I have
> some finds that aren't showing up.
>
> I know I could always use the GC.com app instead of the one I like, but I
> don't particularly like the GC.com interface, and it doesn't have the
> filtering and sorting capabilities that I want.
>
> Mike
> jmd65
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


--

Victor Engel
http://victorspictures.com/blog

Not sure how practical those solutions are for Android and/or iOS. But
maybe I just missed something obvious. Anyway, here is a rundown of
the apps I checked out, all iOS.

If navfree has such a function I didn't find it.
Mytopo maps has both a built in scale and a handy ruler tool, but no
circle draw tool that I could see.
ViewRanger has a better built in scale but no measuring tool and no circle tool.
Map Draw doesn't have a circle draw tool that I could see, but you can
draw polygons with arbitrary sides, and it displays the total length
of all sides.
ArcGis also has a sort of polygon measuring tool.
GPS Data doesn't even have a map, but I like it the best for finding
coordinates.
GPX Master is great for creating tracks but doesn't really have any
measuring tools.
Sensor log is completely different, and I only mention it because it
gives a continuous readout of all parameters, GPS, magnetic compass,
accelerometer, and gyroscope. Pretty cool, but doesn't address your
issue.
L4C Free is my only strictly geocaching app, and it doesn't have any
such tools. On the other hand you can use it for your own queries and
specify a radius there.

Not sure if any of this was helpful. Maybe I didn't even understand
the question.

On 8/30/12, Dave Read <dave@...> wrote:
> If you Google the phrase "draw circle google maps" you will find the answer
> you seek.
>
> D
>
> From:  Mike Detlefsen <mdmeleagro945@...>
> Reply-To:  <CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com>
> Date:  Thursday, August 30, 2012 7:21 PM
> To:  <CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject:  [CentralTexasGeocachers] Mapping program
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Does anyone know of a program that will allow you to draw circles on a
> displayed map? I'm trying to get a visual representation of the coverage of
> the pocket queries I use. I'm sure there are some gaps, and I'd like to
> fine
> tune things for optimal coverage. I use both an Android app and an IOS app
> that have the PQs in a database that I can sort and filter by, and I have
> some finds that aren't showing up.
>
> I know I could always use the GC.com app instead of the one I like, but I
> don't particularly like the GC.com interface, and it doesn't have the
> filtering and sorting capabilities that I want.
>
> Mike
> jmd65
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


--

Victor Engel
http://victorspictures.com/blog

I didn't leave a very coherent message, my bad. The reference to Android/IOS was
to forestall comments about why I didn't just use the gc.com app and not have to
worry about missing caches. Sometimes I explain too much. :-)

Mike
jmd65



On 30 Aug 2012, at 20:17 , Victor Engel wrote:

> Not sure how practical those solutions are for Android and/or iOS. But
> maybe I just missed something obvious. Anyway, here is a rundown of
> the apps I checked out, all iOS.
>
> If navfree has such a function I didn't find it.
> Mytopo maps has both a built in scale and a handy ruler tool, but no
> circle draw tool that I could see.
> ViewRanger has a better built in scale but no measuring tool and no circle
tool.
> Map Draw doesn't have a circle draw tool that I could see, but you can
> draw polygons with arbitrary sides, and it displays the total length
> of all sides.
> ArcGis also has a sort of polygon measuring tool.
> GPS Data doesn't even have a map, but I like it the best for finding
> coordinates.
> GPX Master is great for creating tracks but doesn't really have any
> measuring tools.
> Sensor log is completely different, and I only mention it because it
> gives a continuous readout of all parameters, GPS, magnetic compass,
> accelerometer, and gyroscope. Pretty cool, but doesn't address your
> issue.
> L4C Free is my only strictly geocaching app, and it doesn't have any
> such tools. On the other hand you can use it for your own queries and
> specify a radius there.
>
> Not sure if any of this was helpful. Maybe I didn't even understand
> the question.
>
> On 8/30/12, Dave Read <dave@...> wrote:
>> If you Google the phrase "draw circle google maps" you will find the answer
>> you seek.
>>
>> D
>>
>> From:  Mike Detlefsen <mdmeleagro945@...>
>> Reply-To:  <CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com>
>> Date:  Thursday, August 30, 2012 7:21 PM
>> To:  <CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com>
>> Subject:  [CentralTexasGeocachers] Mapping program
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Does anyone know of a program that will allow you to draw circles on a
>> displayed map? I'm trying to get a visual representation of the coverage of
>> the pocket queries I use. I'm sure there are some gaps, and I'd like to
>> fine
>> tune things for optimal coverage. I use both an Android app and an IOS app
>> that have the PQs in a database that I can sort and filter by, and I have
>> some finds that aren't showing up.
>>
>> I know I could always use the GC.com app instead of the one I like, but I
>> don't particularly like the GC.com interface, and it doesn't have the
>> filtering and sorting capabilities that I want.
>>
>> Mike
>> jmd65
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
>
> Victor Engel
> http://victorspictures.com/blog
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Sometimes the circle will cover multiple cities out in the boonies. My reference
to apps was probably a mistake and confused the issue. I'll be using the program
on either Mac or Windows, whichever has the best solution.

Mike
jmd65


On 30 Aug 2012, at 19:41 , Victor Engel wrote:

> Is this around a city? If so, you can get a good approximation by
> counting blocks. Residential neighborhoods tend to have long, skinny
> blocks. It's the width, not the length that you should be using for an
> estimate. This is about 1/10 mile. Ten blocks is about a mile.
>
> I'll check the apps I have and see if any of them have a function you
> describe (other than the accuracy circle around your current
> location).
>
> Victor
>
> On 8/30/12, Mike Detlefsen <mdmeleagro945@...> wrote:
>> Does anyone know of a program that will allow you to draw circles on a
>> displayed map? I'm trying to get a visual representation of the coverage of
>> the pocket queries I use. I'm sure there are some gaps, and I'd like to fine
>> tune things for optimal coverage. I use both an Android app and an IOS app
>> that have the PQs in a database that I can sort and filter by, and I have
>> some finds that aren't showing up.
>>
>> I know I could always use the GC.com app instead of the one I like, but I
>> don't particularly like the GC.com interface, and it doesn't have the
>> filtering and sorting capabilities that I want.
>>
>> Mike
>> jmd65
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
>
> Victor Engel
> http://victorspictures.com/blog
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

GPS Visualizer is a very useful website, and it includes the ability to draw
circles around one or more points: www.gpsvisualizer.com/calculators#coordinates

Larry/buckandi

--- In CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com, Mike Detlefsen
<mdmeleagro945@...> wrote:
>
> Does anyone know of a program that will allow you to draw circles on a
displayed map? I'm trying to get a visual representation of the coverage of the
pocket queries I use. I'm sure there are some gaps, and I'd like to fine tune
things for optimal coverage. I use both an Android app and an IOS app that have
the PQs in a database that I can sort and filter by, and I have some finds that
aren't showing up.
>
> I know I could always use the GC.com app instead of the one I like, but I
don't particularly like the GC.com interface, and it doesn't have the filtering
and sorting capabilities that I want.
>
> Mike
> jmd65
>

That sounds like the classic traveling salesman problem,
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem>

It's impressive if near optimal paths can be found efficiently.

Victor

On 8/31/12, Mrs. Captain Picard <mrscaptainpicard@...> wrote:
> I've used Streets and Trips for creating 'routes' between caches.  That
> program has an "optimize" function that tells you the best way to drive
> between a number of waypoints.  There are some flaws, like it doesn't
> handle caches in parks real well because there's no road to the cache, but
> for car caching, it really works well!
>
> Julie
> Mrs. Captain Picard
>
> On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 10:31 PM, <jestrrrulz@...> wrote:
>
>> **
>>
>>
>> **
>> Not that it is practical for all cases, but I have a software I used to
>> use before I got a car GPS - Microsoft Streets and Trips. You can
>> download
>> a demo from MS. GSAK will export into a format specifically for Streets
>> and
>> Trips which is just a CSV format. Then import into Streets and Trips.
>> Green icons pop up for all of the caches.  I can then search around for
>> 'groups' of caches or strings so that if there is a certain area I want
>> to
>> target - I can head there.
>>
>> Jeri / JestrRulz
>>
>>
>>
>


--

Victor Engel
http://victorspictures.com/blog

 

That sounds like the classic traveling salesman problem,
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem>

It's impressive if near optimal paths can be found efficiently.

Victor

On 8/31/12, Mrs. Captain Picard <mrscaptainpicard@...> wrote:
> I've used Streets and Trips for creating 'routes' between caches. That
> program has an "optimize" function that tells you the best way to drive
> between a number of waypoints. There are some flaws, like it doesn't
> handle caches in parks real well because there's no road to the cache, but
> for car caching, it really works well!
>
> Julie
> Mrs. Captain Picard
>
> On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 10:31 PM, <jestrrrulz@...> wrote:
>
>> **
>>
>>
>> **
>> Not that it is practical for all cases, but I have a software I used to
>> use before I got a car GPS - Microsoft Streets and Trips. You can
>> download
>> a demo from MS. GSAK will export into a format specifically for Streets
>> and
>> Trips which is just a CSV format. Then import into Streets and Trips.
>> Green icons pop up for all of the caches. I can then search around for
>> 'groups' of caches or strings so that if there is a certain area I want
>> to
>> target - I can head there.
>>
>> Jeri / JestrRulz
>>
>>
>>
>

--

Victor Engel
http://victorspictures.com/blog

True. Is that likely? That scenario has been rare in my limited
geocaching experience. When I cast a net for a set of caches, they
generally seem roughly random in placement.

Victor

On 8/31/12, Dave Read <dave@...> wrote:
> It's not NP hard unless the waypoints have particularly troublesome
> configurations. if you're going mostly on a line from 'start' to 'finish'
> with a small number of excursions, it's not hard to solve optimally.
>
> D
>
> On Aug 31, 2012, at 7:44 AM, Victor Engel <brillig@...> wrote:
>
>> That sounds like the classic traveling salesman problem,
>> <URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem>
>>
>> It's impressive if near optimal paths can be found efficiently.
>>
>> Victor
>>
>> On 8/31/12, Mrs. Captain Picard <mrscaptainpicard@...> wrote:
>> > I've used Streets and Trips for creating 'routes' between caches. That
>> > program has an "optimize" function that tells you the best way to drive
>> > between a number of waypoints. There are some flaws, like it doesn't
>> > handle caches in parks real well because there's no road to the cache,
>> > but
>> > for car caching, it really works well!
>> >
>> > Julie
>> > Mrs. Captain Picard
>> >
>> > On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 10:31 PM, <jestrrrulz@...> wrote:
>> >
>> >> **
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> **
>> >> Not that it is practical for all cases, but I have a software I used
>> >> to
>> >> use before I got a car GPS - Microsoft Streets and Trips. You can
>> >> download
>> >> a demo from MS. GSAK will export into a format specifically for
>> >> Streets
>> >> and
>> >> Trips which is just a CSV format. Then import into Streets and Trips.
>> >> Green icons pop up for all of the caches. I can then search around for
>> >> 'groups' of caches or strings so that if there is a certain area I
>> >> want
>> >> to
>> >> target - I can head there.
>> >>
>> >> Jeri / JestrRulz
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>>
>> --
>>
>> Victor Engel
>> http://victorspictures.com/blog
>>
>


--

Victor Engel
http://victorspictures.com/blog

Japan earthquake displaced water in Edwards Aquifer

Energy released from last week's massive earthquake caused the walls of the sprawling aquifer to contract and expand, official says

Enlarge Photo

The water level of Texas Edwards Aquifer was displaced about a foot Friday after energy released from a massive earthquake near Japan put the squeeze on the underground rock formation that supplies drinking water for much of Central Texas. A reading from a well that monitors the aquifer's water level shows the water's surface fluctuating wildly early Friday morning. The fluctuations began about 15 minutes after the earthquake near Japan and lasted for about two hours. MSL stands for mean sea level.

 

The 9.0-magnitude quake caused its walls to contract and expand, officials with the Edwards Aquifer Authority said Wednesday. A monitor in a Bexar County well that continuously records the aquifer's water level noted the oscillations, which lasted about two hours from late Thursday to early Friday morning, said Geary Schindel , the authority's chief technical officer. The force from the quake took about 15 minutes to reach the aquifer, he said.

 

"When a wave from an earthquake passes, it slightly compresses and dilates the aquifer, and the water will shoot up and down," Schindel said. "Any time we see a major earthquake, it's commonly recorded in that well. They act as seismographs."

 

The oscillations during high-energy earthquakes are common in artesian aquifers, or confined aquifers, where the water is pressurized, including the Edwards Aquifer, Schindel said. "We saw Haiti, we saw Sumatra, Japan, a couple in Mexico and Alaska," he said of recent earthquakes.

 

The well, named J-17 , has been monitoring the aquifer's water level in Bexar County since the 1950s, Schindel said. A float that rests on the water surface hundreds of feet underground is connected to a wire and a wheel that records the level on pen and paper, he said. Water restrictions are tied to readings, Schindel said.

 

The sprawling aquifer cuts underground through Central Texas and provides drinking water for about 1.7 million people, including most of San Antonio, said Roland Ruiz, spokesman for the regulatory agency that manages and protects the aquifer's San Antonio segment.

 

ddoolittle@...; 445-3671

 

Ok. You're probably right about that.

Victor

On 8/31/12, Dave Read <dave@...> wrote:
> It's hard to say. I don't normally go out looking for a pile of
> randomly-distributed caches in an area, but I'm not as hard-core about the
> game as some.
>
> In any event, it sounds like MCP was not saying that Streets and Trips will
> optimize the entire path through all the waypoints, just that it optimizes
> the path between each pair of waypoints. I think it probably assumes you
> entered or numbered the waypoints in the order in which you wish to
> traverse
> them.
>
> D
>
> From:  Victor Engel <brillig@...>
> Reply-To:  <CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com>
> Date:  Friday, August 31, 2012 10:13 AM
> To:  <CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject:  Re: [CentralTexasGeocachers] Mapping program
>
>
>
>
>
>
> True. Is that likely? That scenario has been rare in my limited
> geocaching experience. When I cast a net for a set of caches, they
> generally seem roughly random in placement.
>
> Victor
>
> On 8/31/12, Dave Read <dave@... <mailto:dave%40daveread.com> >
> wrote:
>> It's not NP hard unless the waypoints have particularly troublesome
>> configurations. if you're going mostly on a line from 'start' to 'finish'
>> with a small number of excursions, it's not hard to solve optimally.
>>
>> D
>>
>> On Aug 31, 2012, at 7:44 AM, Victor Engel <brillig@...
> <mailto:brillig%40gmail.com> > wrote:
>>
>>> That sounds like the classic traveling salesman problem,
>>> <URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem>
>>>
>>> It's impressive if near optimal paths can be found efficiently.
>>>
>>> Victor
>>>
>>> On 8/31/12, Mrs. Captain Picard <mrscaptainpicard@...
> <mailto:mrscaptainpicard%40gmail.com> > wrote:
>>> > I've used Streets and Trips for creating 'routes' between caches. That
>>> > program has an "optimize" function that tells you the best way to
>>> > drive
>>> > between a number of waypoints. There are some flaws, like it doesn't
>>> > handle caches in parks real well because there's no road to the cache,
>>> > but
>>> > for car caching, it really works well!
>>> >
>>> > Julie
>>> > Mrs. Captain Picard
>>> >
>>> > On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 10:31 PM, <jestrrrulz@...
> <mailto:jestrrrulz%40aol.com> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> **
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> **
>>> >> Not that it is practical for all cases, but I have a software I used
>>> >> to
>>> >> use before I got a car GPS - Microsoft Streets and Trips. You can
>>> >> download
>>> >> a demo from MS. GSAK will export into a format specifically for
>>> >> Streets
>>> >> and
>>> >> Trips which is just a CSV format. Then import into Streets and Trips.
>>> >> Green icons pop up for all of the caches. I can then search around
>>> >> for
>>> >> 'groups' of caches or strings so that if there is a certain area I
>>> >> want
>>> >> to
>>> >> target - I can head there.
>>> >>
>>> >> Jeri / JestrRulz
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Victor Engel
>>> http://victorspictures.com/blog
>>>
>>
>
> --
>
> Victor Engel
> http://victorspictures.com/blog
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


--

Victor Engel
http://victorspictures.com/blog

I use Streets and Trips as well to plan my caching routes. What I tend
to do is do an
arc/poly filter in GSAK first, export as GPX file, import this file into
Streets and Trips
and then tell it what the first cache is in my route and what the last
one is in my route.
Then, I select 'optimize'. As Julie mentioned, if the caches aren't way
off the road, in
parks, along hiking trails, it does a pretty good job of optimizing your
route, based
on which side of the road the cache is on, u-turns, one way streets,
etc... I then have
it give me the directions for this route.

I usually walk through the route it creates and optimize it for 'real
world caching'. Just
because the cache is on the other side of the road, doesn't mean I can
park and walk
across or make a caching u-turn to get to it quickly. I then move the
order and once
done, tell it to create driving directions. I then export the
directions, which gives me
a list of waypoints in the order I want to find them. I then will either
print this out or
have it easily accessible on my iPhone while caching.

Just an example of how I use the mentioned program.

Best Regards,

-paul
HiDude_98

Victor Engel wrote:

>Ok. You're probably right about that.
>
>Victor
>

--- In CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com, "Mrs. Captain Picard"
<mrscaptainpicard@...> wrote:
>
> I've used Streets and Trips for creating 'routes' between caches.  That
> program has an "optimize" function that tells you the best way to drive
> between a number of waypoints.  There are some flaws, like it doesn't
> handle caches in parks real well because there's no road to the cache, but
> for car caching, it really works well!

I second Julie's recommendation of Streets and Trips.

I usually plan the caches (and backups) for a road trip in GSAK and then import
a GPX of those waypoints into Streets and Trips.  I add the intended caches to
my route, press "Optimize Stops" and presto bingo -- there's my road trip
optimally mapped out.  Even better, if I DNF a cache in the field I can update
the route with a backup cache and replan in the field. If I'm running late on
available daylight and have to drop some stops I can do that, replan and make
the most of my situation.  This replanning and optimizing feature of MST is
critical for road trips.

-Keith (Indigo Parrish)

--- In CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com, Dave Read <dave@...> wrote:
>
> It's not NP hard unless the waypoints have particularly troublesome 
configurations. if you're going mostly on a line from 'start' to 'finish' with a
small number of excursions, it's not hard to solve optimally.

Agreed.

In the real world, "close to optimal" is usually as good as "absolutely provably
optimal." For most (all?) NP hard problems there are polynomial time algorithms
for approximate rather than optimal solutions. That difference between optimal
(exponential) vs really darn close (polynomial) is the essential tradeoff of
Computer Science.

Just out of curiosity, I once added the 254 caches I used for the Texas County
Challenge into Streets and Trips and my house as the start and end and then
chose "Optimize Stops". Nearly 30 minutes later it gave a pretty decent
solution.  It probably could have given an acceptible solution in 30 seconds
actually that would have been at most 10% longer that what it spent the next 29m
30s computing.

Check out this mind-numbing solution for all 13,509 U.S. cities with populations
of more than 500 people :

http://www.crpc.rice.edu/newsletters/sum98/news_tsp.html

That looks like the Ultimate County Cache Run to me :)

-Keith

I'm headed to Seattle next month and am going by HQ. If you have bugs who want
to hitch a ride, let me know.

Now what to wear... Oh! Wait! I have a Cen-Tex shirt. LOL

Jeri / JestrRulz

PS I live in Kyle so I meet SA or A area...

 

Hey girl, when did you move?

Also, are you planning to come to the CITO event and after party event tomorrow in Pflugerville and Round Rock?

If you do, I have some that want to move!

 

Esther/BGTx

From: Jestr <jestrrrulz@...>
To: CentralTexasGeocachers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2012 3:52 PM
Subject: [CentralTexasGeocachers] Groundspeak HQ on 9/19

 

I'm headed to Seattle next month and am going by HQ. If you have bugs who want to hitch a ride, let me know.

Now what to wear... Oh! Wait! I have a Cen-Tex shirt. LOL

Jeri / JestrRulz

PS I live in Kyle so I meet SA or A area...