The BILBY Geotrail (An outreach project using NGS Survey Control Recovery and Geocaching) 3 most important of outreach: “Exposure, Exposure, Exposure” Career Days Geocaching Public (History) Events Trig-Star TUgis Workforce Development Today’s Objectives • NSPS Initiative • MSS Activities • Geocache beginnings • How to “Geocache” • Variations • “Benchmarking” • BILBY Geotrail Some Aspects of Surveying? • Limitless Boundaries (License) • Geographic Positioning • Outdoor work environment • Map making • Recovering history • Expensive hardware/software • Many other benefits Some Aspects of Geocaching? (pronounced Jee-o-Kash-ing) • Global activity • Geographically positioned items • Used to enjoy outdoors • Used to challenge minds • Provides rewarding experiences • Online – no software needed • Many other benefits NSPS Geocaching Project Surveying and Geocaching have shared aspects Surveyors Use GPS (and other equipment) to find property corners, control and marks that are not visible. Geocachers Use GPS to search for geocaches that are hidden. NSPS Geocaching Project “Exposure Outreach” Mount Airy Event Mount Airy Event MSS GeoEvents MSS Geocaches “So what is Geocaching” Geocache Beginnings (maybe) Letterboxing • Started by James Perrott in 1854 • Dartmoor, in SW England • 9-mile hike to Cranmere Pool • Leave Letter or Postcard • Log Book • Rubber Stamp • Walking Instructions • 40 years passed before 2nd letterbox • Cranmere Pool cache – GC12GTF Geocache Beginnings Letterboxing and GPS Geocache Beginnings GPS (Fun facts) • 24 Satellite system (31 in orbit as of 9-11-2018) • 6 Orbital planes • 55 Degree inclination towards equator • Approx. 12 hour orbit (11 hours 58 minutes) • 20,200 km above earth’s surface (12,550 miles) • 14,000 km/hr or 9,000 mph (2.5 miles a second) • World Geodetic System coordinate datum (WGS 84) Geocache Beginnings GPS (Milestones) • Developed by Department of Defense • Development started in 1973 • 1st NAVSTAR satellite launch: February 22,1978 • Available, free of charge, for civilian use: September 16, 1983 (KAL 007 - 9/1/83) • Satellite constellation complete in 1995 • Selective Availability (S/A) turned off: May 1, 2000 at midnight Geocache Beginnings Geocaching.com (Groundspeak) • May 1, 2000 - S/A turned off • May 3, 2000 - Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant, hid a 5-gallon bucket out in the woods (containing many items and a log book) about 20 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon. • May 6, 2000 – The container had been found twice and notes posted on the internet at “Usenet newsgroup” Geocache Beginnings Geocaching.com (Groundspeak) • September 20, 2000 – A dedicated web site was launched to host this stash- hunting hobby. The site had 75 listings the for hidden “caches”. • March 8, 2010 – 1 million geocaches • February 27, 2013 – 2 million geocaches • April 17, 2017 – 3 million geocaches • Geocaching.com is in more than 190 countries, with approx. 7 million active geocachers worldwide. How to get started Create a “free” account • Geocaching.com (Premium available) • Opencaching.us (.de .pl .se etc.) • Terracaching.com How to get started Hand-held GPS receiver (GPSr) or app How to “Geocache” • Visit web site or app • Get coordinates of geocache (latitude and longitude) • Go to the coordinates • Find the geocache • Sign log book/sheet • Report “find” at web site • Repeat As of 9-17-2018: 1st Alamogul – 185,503 (CA) 5th IMSpider – 116,548 (DE) 4201 consecutive days (11.5 years) Plus 10 more with over 100,000 finds Types of caches (common) • Traditional • Multi-Cache • Mystery or Puzzle Cache • Letterbox Hybrid • EarthCache • Event Cache • Wherigo Cache • Virtual Cache (Grandfathered-no more new) • Webcam Cache (Grandfathered-no more new) • Cache In Trash Out Event (CITO) Types of caches (not very common) • Mega-Event Cache (500+) • Giga-Event Cache (5000+) • Geocaching HQ Geocache • GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit • Lab Caches (Mainly at events) • Project A.P.E. Cache (Only 2 left worldwide) • 10 Years! Event Cache (Anniversary-2010) • Locationless (Reverse) Cache (Retired) MSS Conference We are here * Rules of Hunting Geocaches • Difficulty/Terrain & Size ratings • If you take something, leave something of equal or greater value • Write about your find in the logbook • Log you experience - Geocaching.com Rules of Hiding Geocaches • Must be 0.10 mile apart (minimum) • Property owner permission • Obtain “good” coordinates • Not near railroads • Use common sense • Obey local laws • Not buried Geocaching Jargon • FTF – First To Find • DNF – Did Not Find • GZ – Ground Zero (location of geocache) • TFTC – Thanks For The Cache • GPSr – GPS receiver • SWAG – Stuff we all get • “Muggle” – A non-geocacher (noun or verb) • TNLN – Took Nothing Left Nothing • BYOP – Bring your own pen/pencil • C&D – Cache and Dash • PNG – Park ‘n Grab • SL – Signed Log • CO – Cache Owner “Trackables” • Have unique code on them • “hitchhiker” from cache to cache • Do not keep!!! • Track route around globe • Travel Bugs • Geocoins • Others Trackables – Travel Bugs Trackables – Geocoins Trackables – Others Original Can of Beans May 3, 2000 - Dave Ulmer Cache “Variations” • Wherigo caches • Power Trails • Cache Across America (50 plus 1) • Cache Across Maryland (CAM) MGS Event every Spring • Cache Series – MML, CJS, BILBY • Challenges - Calendar, DeLorme • Benchmark hunting • GeoArt – Plane, Train, Symbols Geo Plane - Idaho Geo Marines - California “What is Benchmarking” Benchmarking • National Geodetic Survey (NGS) database from 2000 • Many NGS marks missing from Geocaching.com • Others not in database • State Highway Administration (SHA) • Corps of Engineers (CoE) • Cities/Counties • Research Institutions • Commemorative/Historic event Surveyors Definition “Bench Mark” – The type of mark with a known elevation above or below a reference datum (such as “Sea Level”). Elevation ONLY ! (Surveyors Definitions Continued) Surveying “Control” Stations (Horizontal or Vertical) Horizontal Control Mark Triangulation Station Azimuth Reference Mark Vertical Control Mark Bench Mark Intersection Station Horizontal “Control” Station CHESACO N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ Getting your “Bearings” Due Due North Surveying Basics What is Bearing to Signal Frog? CHESACO N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ Getting your “Bearings” 42° 32’ 00” Due Due North Surveying Basics What is Bearing to Signal Frog? CHESACO N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ Getting your “Bearings” 42° 32’ 00” Due Due North What is Bearing to Signal Frog? CHESACO N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ Getting your “Bearings” 42° 32’ 00” Due Due North Going from Bearing to Azimuth CHESACO N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ Horizontal “Control” CHESACO AZ MK N ?° Station W ?° CHESACO N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ AZIMUTH MARK is from a few hundred feet away from station to thousands of feet away. Horizontal “Control” CHESACO AZ MK N ?° Station W ?° (Multiple marks) CHESACO RM 3 N ?° W ?° CHESACO RM 2 CHESACO N ?° W ?° N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ CHESACO RM 1 N ?° W ?° Horizontal “Control” CHESACO AZ MK N ?° Station W ?° (Multiple marks) CHESACO RM 3 N ?° W ?° REFERENCE MARKS are typically less than a hundred feet from station CHESACO N 39° 18.406’ W 76° 29.472’ CHESACO RM 2 N ?° W ?° CHESACO RM 1 N ?° W ?° Horizontal Control Mark Surveying “Control” Station Triangulation Station Surveying “Control” Station First “Survey of the Coast” Triangulation Network 1816-1817 Azimuth Mark (Arrow points to station) Surveying “Control” Station Reference Mark (Arrow points to station) Surveying “Control” Station Vertical “Control” Station (Single mark) S 64 B “Sea Level” Vertical Control Mark Surveying “Control” Station Bench Mark Surveying “Control” Station Tidal Bench Mark Surveying “Control” Station Intersection Station (Cupola, Bell Tower, Steeple, etc.) Surveying “Control” Station Specialty Stations Unique Event Unique Location “Non-Disk” Stations Bench Mark Common types of Reference Mark Center Horizontal or Azimuth Mark Triangulation Marks Station Mark “A” Mark “B” Which is the real ROYAL? (both images from geocaching.com benchmark page) Mark “A” Mark “C” Mark “B” Which is the real WASHBURN? (all images from geocaching.com benchmark page) Mark “A” Mark “B” Which is the real HOWARD 2? (both images from geocaching.com benchmark page) Mark “A” Mark “C” Mark “B” Which is the real LETOWN RM 2? Logging marks on Geocaching.com NGS “DSWorld” software and Google Earth We are here NGS “DSWorld” Recovery and Picture Submission (Will update on “NGS” web site and not Geocaching.com) NGS “DSWorld” Recovery and Picture Submission NOAA NGS “??????” New Program coming with mobile interface for Recovery and Picture Submissions Holy Grail of Bench Marks (just north of New York City) BUTTERMILK 1833 (PID LX4113) The 2.5 inch diameter drill hole (10 inches deep) was made by Fredinand Hassler in 1833. Hassler was appointed the first superintendent of the “Survey of the Coast” (now known as the National Geodetic Survey) by Thomas Jefferson Oldest surviving “Survey of the Coast” (NGS) survey mark in the country BUTTERMILK 1833 (PID LX4113) (Station TT 57 K (1932) PID LX4112 is by my left hand) Oldest surviving NGS survey mark in the country – October 10, 2016 Holy Grail of Azimuth Marks N 39° 56.352’ W 75° 43.947’ (Six miles north of Kennett Square, PA) STAR GAZERS STONE - 1764 Set by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to aid in their surveying of the Maryland-Pennsylvania Border The BILBY Geotrail ‘B’asic ‘I’nformation for ‘L’ocating ‘B’enchmarks ‘Y’ourself Control Station Bilby Tower erected over “Benchmark” Control Station Why BILBY Geotrail Name? • Jasper Sherman Bilby “J.S.” • Born July 16, 1864 in Rush County, IN • Joined US C&GS in September, 1884 • Married Luella Cox in 1891 • Designed Steel Tower in December, 1926 • Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce, Commendation in 1927 • Savings of $3,072,000 from 1927 – 1937 Inspired by the steel (Over $44,000,000 in 2018 dollars) farm windmills he would see during his • Position of “Chief Signalman” was created surveying trips, he for him in 1930 thought of how he could use them to • Bilby Towers were used in France, replace their costly Australia, Belgium, Denmark and England wooden towers. • Last Bilby tower erected in US – 1984 BILBY Geotrail Jasper S.