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This page contains information specific to Geocaching Australia. |
Contents
Earth Science cache
An Earth Science Caches must be educational and provide the visitor with a learning experience as to why they have been asked to visit the location. The Earth Science Cache description should provide accurate information but at the same time use simple explanations of what the visitor will experience at the site. The description, including any additional logging requirements should not assume that the visitor has any prior knowledge or understanding of this particular branch of Earth Science.
Earth Science Caches must highlight a unique feature and experience at the location. i.e. Avoid copying someone's Earth Science Cache description. The experience and learning opportunity should be unique to this location.
When selecting a location for an Earth Science Cache, please ensure that access to the area is legally permitted and do not list Earth Science Caches on private or restricted entry property.
An Earth Science Cache should by accessible from a single location or locations that are easily accessible from the published co-ordinates. Multi-cache style Earth Science Caches are discouraged. When gathering information for your Earth Science Cache description it should come from first hand experience. Avoid using the internet, encyclopedia or expert second hand knowledge to create your description. When you write what you see, you are providing an opportunity for the visitor to experience the wonder of the location through your eyes. You must provide accurate co-ordinates for the location where your visitors are expected to gather information or specific, short, directions to where they can gather additional information. Directions should allow the visitor to travel via established pathways to other areas of interest and avoid leaving the pathways.
Mandatory Questions and Answers will form part of the Earth Science Cache description. While Geocaching Australia offer a separate form for the completion of the Q&A by the visitor to gain the appropriate codeword for logging, you must ensure that the same questions and answers are available in your Earth Science Cache description so those who are using offline devices can still access the questions to be answered.
Your questions and answers should be factual and relate directly to what the visitor will observe and learn at the Earth Science Cache location. Questions that only serve to prove a visitor was at the site without being related to the Earth Science Cache are highly discouraged. Try and make your questions only answerable by learning and experiences at the site.
You may request that a visitor confirm their presence at the Earth Science Cache location as a request over and above the codeword from the Questions and Answers, but this should not be mandated.
There is currently no formal set of regulations that cover Geocaching Australia expectations or activities. In general we ask you to subscribe to the concept of [Leave No Trace] - https://lnt.org/ and leave no geocaching container behind at an Earth Science Cache location.
Please respect the environment and the indigenous people's rights to their land.
Earth science generally recognizes four spheres, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere; these correspond to rocks, water, air and life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_science#Earth%27s_spheres
The outline of the Earth Science's breakup may assist you in determining what area your Earth Science Cache falls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_science#Earth_science_breakup is a sub type of Virtual cache.
Earth Science Caches must be educational and provide the visitor with a learning experience as to why they have been asked to visit the location. The Earth Science Cache description should provide accurate information but at the same time use simple explanations of what the visitor will experience at the site. The description, including any additional logging requirements should not assume that the visitor has any prior knowledge or understanding of this particular branch of Earth Science.
Earth Science Caches must highlight a unique feature and experience at the location. i.e. Avoid copying someone's Earth Science Cache description. The experience and learning opportunity should be unique to this location.
When selecting a location for an Earth Science Cache, please ensure that access to the area is legally permitted and do not list Earth Science Caches on private or restricted entry property.
An Earth Science Cache should by accessible from a single location or locations that are easily accessible from the published co-ordinates. Multi-cache style Earth Science Caches are discouraged. When gathering information for your Earth Science Cache description it should come from first hand experience. Avoid using the internet, encyclopedia or expert second hand knowledge to create your description. When you write what you see, you are providing an opportunity for the visitor to experience the wonder of the location through your eyes. You must provide accurate co-ordinates for the location where your visitors are expected to gather information or specific, short, directions to where they can gather additional information. Directions should allow the visitor to travel via established pathways to other areas of interest and avoid leaving the pathways.
Mandatory Questions and Answers will form part of the Earth Science Cache description. While Geocaching Australia offer a separate form for the completion of the Q&A by the visitor to gain the appropriate codeword for logging, you must ensure that the same questions and answers are available in your Earth Science Cache description so those who are using offline devices can still access the questions to be answered.
Your questions and answers should be factual and relate directly to what the visitor will observe and learn at the Earth Science Cache location. Questions that only serve to prove a visitor was at the site without being related to the Earth Science Cache are highly discouraged. Try and make your questions only answerable by learning and experiences at the site.
You may request that a visitor confirm their presence at the Earth Science Cache location as a request over and above the codeword from the Questions and Answers, but this should not be mandated.
There is currently no formal set of regulations that cover Geocaching Australia expectations or activities. In general we ask you to subscribe to the concept of [Leave No Trace] - https://lnt.org/ and leave no geocaching container behind at an Earth Science Cache location.
Please respect the environment and the indigenous people's rights to their land.
Earth science generally recognizes four spheres, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere; these correspond to rocks, water, air and life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_science#Earth%27s_spheres
The outline of the Earth Science's breakup may assist you in determining what area your Earth Science Cache falls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_science#Earth_science_breakup
Validation
Earth Science Caches are "validated" by the response to a set of Q&A that the CO sets on the cache listing. i.e. You answer 3 or 4 questions with multi-choice answers to prove you were at the location. Of course this sets up a situation where you can brute force the codeword. We do have a rate limiter which is designed to be annoying rather than frustrating, but patience can get past that. There is no perfect solution to this.
At a lot of locations which would be candidates looking at for an Earth Science Cache there would be no plaque, sign, other specific information available. It would be based on earth sciences which are likely to be rather subjective or even different spelling answers, so the CO will need to be clever with their form of Q&A to allow the right answer to be selected from the options available.
An Earth Science Cache is not about trying to guess what the cache owner was think of. It is about an exciting experience to learn a little more about our Earth Sciences.
Answering all of the questions correctly will generate a Codeword specific to your Geocaching identity. The codeword cannot be shared between geocachers so if you are going to log a Earth_science cache with a child or other family member who has their own account, you or they will need to generate a codeword for their account before they can log their find. There may also be an additional message from the geocache owner like an additional congratulatory message or some clue or hint to a different geocache.
A find log can only be made on an Earth_science cache when accompanied by a codeword. Once you have generated your codeword, when you open the log page, there will be a specific entry point for the codeword. The codeword should be cut and pasted to avoid frustration with mistyping characters or numbers.
Etiquette
If you are going to publish an Earth_science cache, make an effort to make sure the information you present is correct. There is a lot of incorrect information being passed around and as Geocaching Australia caches come up in internet searches and you are essentially publishing information then you have a responsibility not to spread misinformation.
If you are going to include images, please acknowledge where you got them from and the photographer if known.
If you are going to put in information you 'know' but have not been able to verify elsewhere make it clear in your text "local legend says....", "When I grew up here it was believed....", or something like that.
Hints, Tips and Tricks
Questions are not automatically included in your cache description. You should add the questions into your cache description to ensure that anyone who has a GPX file also has the questions. The questions are not automatically included in the GPX file unless you add them to your description. The finder will only see the cache description, so please add them into the description.
History caches are not "set and forget". Information at locations can change or be removed or updated. As with any other geocache the cache owner should check the information in the questions and answers on a regular basis to ensure that the questions can still be answered.
Cut and paste the codeword from the Question and Answer page to avoid mistyping information.
When creating your Earth_science cache avoid using the additional message section of Q&A area unless you need to. Placing a message of "none" is pointless and makes you look silly. If you aren't using it, leave it blank.
Technical
An Earth_science cache should show up on your GPS as a Virtual cache.
The GA Cacher app should show an Earth_science cache up on your device as an Earth Science Cache
Creating Questions and Answers
- After you have created your geocache listing but before you publish the listing you will have the opportunity to create, edit and delete questions and answers. On the right hand side of the geocache listing page look for the section called Owner Actions and underneath that click on Questions and Answers.
- On the page you will have the ability to add a question or update and delete any existing questions. You add more than one question by adding a question, submitting and then adding another question.
- In the question box, enter your question. There is a maximum of 255 characters and HTML or other markup is not permitted. Make your question simple and unambiguous.
- Questions can be sorted by entering a number in the Order# box. If you enter the same number against more than one question both, those entries will be sorted in a random order in that position. e.g. 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4 will order the 3 questions with an order of 3 randomly in positions 3, 4 and 5. It is recommended that you set each order so none are the same. Numbers do not need to be sequential but you cannot have a number > 99.
- Enter up to 4 answers. The answers will appear in the same order as you enter them. Once you have entered the answers, select the radio button for the correct answer. There is a maximum of 255 characters and HTML or other markup is not permitted. Make your answers simple and unambiguous.
- There is also a response section which you can provide for each correct answer that will be displayed to the geocacher when they have answered all of the questions correctly. e.g. If you would like to provide a partial co-ordinate to a different mystery cache or some other note to the geocacher you can use this section to add your text. There is a maximum of 255 characters and HTML or other markup is not permitted. Only use this section if appropriate.
- Questions and Answers which are not valid will be highlighted and will not be displayed on the Question and Answer page. You can view the Questions and Answers by clicking on the Preview link on the data entry page after you have saved them.
- Questions and Answers will NOT appear on the geocache listing page. They are there for verification purposes only. You should incorporate questions into your geocache page and layout as you see fit.
Poor examples of Questions and Answers may be: Q: What colour is the sign at GZ? A: red, scarlet, cherry, rose, etc You would need to be both not colour blind AND type the actual colour that the CO saw.
OR
Q: In the line of trees at GZ, what direction would you be facing if you stood at the first and looked at the last? A: North, N, S, E, South East, etc
Answering Questions and Answers
- To answer the questions look to the right hand side of the geocache listing page. Under Actions there will a link called Questions and Answers Get Codeword. Geocachers looking to answer the questions and get a codeword will click on that link where they will be able to answer the questions.
- A codeword is created when all answers are correct.
- A delay of 120 seconds (2 minutes) per incorrect answer applies in the event of the geocacher getting an answer wrong.
- Copy and paste the codeword into the codeword box on the log page to validate the log.
