GIS Day: Geocaches Treasure Hunt Launched

In celebration of this year’s GIS Day, the Bermuda Government’s Geographic Information System (GIS) Committee and the Department of Conservation Services is launching a series of GIS themed Geocaches as part of a real world treasure hunting game.

Held each year on the Wednesday of National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week (Nov 12-17), GIS Day serves to make people aware of GIS technology and the important contributions it is making in the fields of science, technology, information and the humanities. This global event is a reflection of the enthusiasm and commitment of individual GIS users everywhere.

With the help of Bermuda Island Geocachers founder Darlene Fortin, the Department of Conservation Services have hidden a series of caches, each with a particular GIS related theme.

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game where participants use a GPS enabled device to hide and seek containers, called ‘geocaches’ or ‘caches’. A typical cache is a small waterproof container with a logbook, where geocachers can put their name, the date and any other information they wish to share about their experience finding the cache.

“This is a great outdoor activity for both kids and adults. If you have a sense of adventure, this is the game for you!,” GIS Mapping Analyst Mandy Shailer said.

The GIS Committee is a team of representatives from multiple Government departments and private companies dedicated to the development of GIS technologies in Bermuda. They encourage the development and use of quality geospatial information resources, coordinate GIS activities to avoid duplication of effort, and provide GIS advice and implementation assistance, for the benefit of the Government and the people of Bermuda.

“The public is invited to take part in this outdoor adventure. The coordinates to our well hidden geocaches are listed at the official geocaching website,” Ms Shailer said.

“Log onto the site, load the coordinates into your GPS device or smart phone and begin your search. There is no end date to this game (except for when you’ve found them all!). These caches will be out there for as long as we maintain them.”

How to play:

• Step 1: Go to www.geocaching.com
• Step 2: Create an account
• Step 3: Enter ‘Bermuda’ into the search bar
• Step 4: Find the GIS series by ConservationBda
• Step 5: Click on the link to get the coordinates and read the description
• Step 6: Load the coordinates into your GPS enabled device or smart phone (find an app for your phone at www.geocaching.com/live/)

Within each of the GIS themed caches you will find some information about how GIS is used in Bermuda.. For more information on GIS Day – go to www.gisday.com and for more information on Geocaching in Bermuda visit: www.bermudaislandgeocachers.com or find the Bermuda Island Geocachers group on Facebook. For any other questions contact Mandy Shailer at 299-2329 ex 2139 or email mlshailer@gov.bm

Category: All, Environment