The role of community and groupware in geocache creation and maintenance

Applications that provide location-based experiences are an increasingly viable design space given the proliferation of GPS-enabled mobile devices. However, these applications are in their infancy, and we do not yet know what design factors will contribute to their success. For this reason, we have studied the well-established location-based experience of geocaching. We report on the results of a survey of geocachers along with observations from our own in-depth geocaching activities. Our findings illustrate that geocaching permits users to create a range of experiences for others within a permeable yet restricted culture of norms. Once created, geocaches are maintained by the community of geocachers through a well-designed groupware system. Here maintenance acts can be performed “in the small, ” given their lightweight and well-defined nature, and become less about maintenance and more about personal participation. These findings provide insight into how community and groupware can be leveraged to support applications for location-based experiences

Factors driving the decline in the publication of geocaches

Geocaching is a popular outdoor recreational pastime that uses GPS to navigate to specific coordinates where the geocacher usually has to find a hidden container. Geocaching has many benefits including promoting exercise and learning. The number of new geocaches being published has started to decline. Here I present the first analysis of what factors might be contributing to that decline. Data on the geocache placement patterns of 116 geocachers were derived using the geocaching statistics analytical tool, Project GC. Two generalised linear mixed models were conducted on the resulting dataset. The study suggested that more active participants in the game are more likely to hide geocaches. The rate of hiding of geocaches declines over time. A quadratic relationship was identified with number of caches owned which suggests that individual geocachers have limits to the number of geocaches they can maintain. Perhaps, surprisingly the study suggested that cache saturation was only having a relatively small impact compared to these other potential drivers of the decline. Individual limits on geocaches owned and reduced activity over time appear to be the key drivers of the decline. Consequently the study suggests that a continuing influx of new participants to the pastime is required to maintain high levels of geocache placements. A range of measures to make geocaching more attractive to both current and future participants is suggested, for example increasing efforts to remove abandoned geocaches, making it easier for geocachers to identify the locations of high quality geocaches and increasing the variety of geocache types by the introduction of Citizen Science geocaches. By contrast, the study suggests that relaxing the rules on cache saturation is not likely to have much of an impact upon future levels of geocache placement. Management implications This study has identified keys factors associated with the current decline in geocache placements and has identified alterations to the management of the game that could mediate some of these effects. It remains to be seen whether or not the planet will ever have 4,000,000 active geocaches. The current trajectory suggests not, however actions could be taken which could alter this trajectory. In particular this study suggests key to continue to attract new participants to the pastime. This could be done by increasing cache type variety and improving the quality of existing geocaches and the ability of geocachers to identify their locations

What is Queer Heritage? Queercache and the Epistemology of the Closet

The present article explores the possibility of queer heritage. In 2017, artists Kalle Hamm and Dzamil Kamanger organised a community art project called Queercache in Helsinki, and I use it as a case study on the heritagisation of queer pasts. Queercache borrowed its form from geocaching, presenting twelve caches with urban stories and memories. It asked whether phenomena which deviate from norms – the rejected past – can be recognised as heritage. As a means of analysing heritage discourse, i.e., the process of identifying and treating something as heritage, I use the concept of the epistemology of the closet. It describes and questions heteronormatively conditioned ways of knowing. The epistemology, and heritage discourse have commonalities, since both are processes of signification characteristic of modernity, the core of which are identification, valuation and knowing. However, Queercache nurtured queer memories without the stories necessarily meeting criteria associated with heritage such as continuity, authenticity and expertise.publishedVersio

Assessing urban recreation ecosystem services through the use of geocache visitation and preference data: a case-study from an urbanised island environment

Recreation is an important cultural ecosystem service and is one way in which communities experience the direct and indirect benefits arising from the experiential use of their environment. The recent rise in popularity of Global Positioning System (GPS) game applications, which combine information technology with an activity that increases mobility and encourages outdoor enjoyment, provides ecosystem service practitioners with an opportunity to make use of this georeferenced data to assess recreational ecosystem services. Geocaching is one such worldwide outdoor game. It has fixed points of incursion where people can hide and look for caches. This study explores the possibility of using geocaching data as a proxy for recreational ecosystems services in the Maltese Islands. A quantitative analysis of the georeferenced caches was used together with their visit rates and number of favourite points. This was supplemented by two questionnaires that investigated the preferences and experiences of both geocache placers (n=39) and hunters (n=21). Results show that the highest number of caches were placed and searched for in urban areas and that geocaching is strongly associated with the presence and accessibility of urban green infrastructure. The number of geocachers who stated preference for experiences in nature did not translate into high visit rates to sites of high conservation value (protected areas) but landscape value was significantly associated with recreational ecosystem services flow. The results presented here provide evidence that geocaching spatial data can act as an indicator for assessing and mapping recreational ecosystem services in urban environments and in cultural landscapes

Caracterização da atividade de Geocaching no Parque Natural da Arrábida

Tese de mestrado. Biologia (Ecologia e Gestão Ambiental). Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2014O geocaching é uma atividade recreativa em pleno crescimento, contando nos dias de hoje com mais de 6 milhões de praticantes a nível global. Este jogo, uma espécie de caça ao tesouro moderna, usa as novas tecnologias para ligar o espaço real ao virtual, estando os dados referentes à atividade organizados e atualizados no website oficial. No entanto, a fase de busca dos tesouros decorre ao ar-livre, tendo uma forte componente geográfica em íntima ligação com os valores existentes. Sendo as Áreas Protegidas uma dos principais meios de conservação no presente, concentrando valores naturais e culturais, estes dois mundos sobrepõem-se, não havendo no entanto estudos científicos nesse âmbito. Por outro lado, sendo o turismo de natureza um produto-chave para Portugal, escasseiam meios para o desenvolver, promover e monitorizar devidamente, havendo muito por onde melhorar a nível da gestão das Áreas Protegidas. Assim, estando disponíveis todos os dados relativos à prática de geocaching em áreas protegidas, estes podem ser um meio para compreender melhor o que se passa nestas áreas. O presente trabalho olha para a atividade geocaching no Parque Natural da Arrábida, tentando compreender como este se comporta numa área protegida, a nível temporal e espacial, procurando perceber se esta atividade pode ser uma ferramenta útil de interpretação, promoção e monitorização, ajudando à sua gestão. Temporalmente, o geocaching apresenta um comportamento comum a outras atividades de lazer e ar-livre, sendo preferencialmente praticado em períodos de descanso e de clima favorável. As geocaches distribuem-se muito em função dos valores da área protegida, concentrando-se em clusters juntos dos mais emblemáticos. A atividade de geocaching no Parque Natural da Arrábida reflete adequadamente o valor da área em que se encontra e fornece informação nova relativa à sua visitação, podendo ser uma ajuda na gestão da área protegida.Geocaching is a rapidly growing recreational activity, involving today more than 6 million players worldwide. This game, a modern-time treasure-hunting makes use of new technologies to connect the real and virtual spaces, all the data being organized, up-to-date and available on the official website. Nonetheless, the treasure-hunting phase occurs outdoors, having a strong geographic component and being deeply connected to the values of the area where it occurs. Protected areas being one of today’s main environment conservation tools and gathering many natural and cultural values, this two worlds overlap, although there are not any scientific studies in that scope. Though ecotourism is a key-product to our country, we fall short in ways of develop it, promote it and monitorize it as it should be and there is a lot to improve about the management of protected areas. This way, with all the data about geocaching in protected areas available from the player community, this game can be used as a mean to a better understanding about what is happening in this areas. This work looks at geocaching activity in Arrábida Natural Park, trying to perceive how it behaves in a protected area, time-wise and space-wise, and trying to understand if it can be a useful interpretation, promotion and monitoring tool, helping the managing of the area. Time-wise, geocaching behaves accordingly with other leisure outdoor activities, being practiced more on rest-days and periods of better environment conditions. The distribution of geocaches follow the values of the protected area, being clustered around the more emblematic ones. Geocaching activity in Arrábida Natural Park reflects de values of the area where it occurs and gives us some new visitation data and may be of great help in protected area management

ArtMaps: interpreting the spatial footprints of artworks

Creating and utilizing simple links between items and locations in map-based systems has become a mainstream component of modern computing. In this paper, we explore support for ‘art mapping’, an activity that requires consideration of more complex interpretations of spatial relationships as users engage with identifying locations of relevance to artworks. Through a user study of the ArtMaps platform, and an exploratory study with professional artists, we identify diverse interpretations of spatial meaning in relation to art. We find that art mapping highlights potential for more active engagement with art through technology, but challenges existing systems for spatial representation. Through connecting our findings with work on designing for interpretation, and on space and place in HCI, we contribute new understanding of creating engagement through the spatial interpretation of art, and define potential characteristics and uses of holistic ‘footprints’ for artworks

Sustainability challenges and drivers of cross-border greenway tourism in rural areas

Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by the BA School of Business and Finance (Latvia), internal grant number “BA 2019/1” under the research project “Management of circular business models and projects within economy of Latvia”. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 by the authors.This article provides a practical example of the development of cross-border tourism and its link to achieving sustainable development goals. Greenways (GWs) are successful and recognized initiatives in Western Europe, but have recently also shown development trends in Eastern Europe, notably, in the Baltic Sea Region and Russia. These initiatives improve the quality of life and provide opportunities for sustainable economic activities for the local communities, especially in rural areas, adding value to their natural, cultural, historical and human heritage. The authors studied examples of best practice in scientific literature and practice, encouraging the development of cross-border tourism and GWs in Europe and Russia, in order to further adapt it to other continents. Analyzing the environmental, economic, social and institutional factors in the region and their role in sustainable development, the need for institutional regulation that would allow the development of a wider development of GWs is identified. Research results reveal sustainable development dilemmas of positive socioeconomic effects of GWs and negative environmental effects of increased flows of tourists. Focus groups and expert interviews allowed us to assess the level of various factors contributing to sustainable development and clarify the directions of the future research.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Uma Análise de Currículo de Mídias Sociais para Cursos de Ensino e Aprendizagem

The purpose of this syllabus analysis was to explore the structure of courses focused on social media and geared toward education professionals. Fourteen-course syllabi from institutions located within the United States (U.S.) were analyzed as part of this investigation. The results of the analysis revealed a total of 46 unique topic themes across the different courses. The findings show that the most common course objectives aimed to encourage the application and practice of social media as part of a learning experience and the learners’ professional practice. In total, the syllabi listed 67 unique required readings including non-peer-reviewed publications, peer-reviewed journal articles, and textbooks. Last, the analysis of the assignments listed in the syllabi shows that in these social media courses, there was a mix of traditional and non-traditional assessment methods. These non-traditional assessment methods focused on integrating social media as part of the assessment in which learners were required to create a social media account, become familiar with it, and create learning experiences incorporating a specific social media platform.  Keywords: Teaching and learning. Social media in higher education. Curriculum Analysis.O objetivo desta análise de currículo foi explorar a estrutura de cursos voltados para mídias sociais e voltados para profissionais da Educação. Catorze programas de cursos de instituições localizadas dentro dos Estados Unidos (EUA) foram analisados como parte desta investigação. Os resultados da análise revelaram um total de 46 temas únicos nos diferentes cursos. Os achados mostram que os objetivos do curso mais comuns visavam incentivar a aplicação e a prática das mídias sociais como parte de uma experiência de aprendizagem e da prática profissional dos alunos. No total, o programa listou 67 leituras exclusivas exigidas, incluindo publicações não revisadas por pares, artigos de revistas revisados por pares e livros didáticos. Por último, a análise das atribuições listadas no currículo mostra que, nesses cursos de mídia social, houve uma mistura de métodos de avaliação tradicionais e não tradicionais. Esses métodos de avaliação não tradicionais se concentraram na integração das mídias sociais como parte da avaliação na qual os alunos eram obrigados a criar uma conta de mídia social, familiarizar-se com ela e criar experiências de aprendizagem incorporando uma plataforma específica de mídia social.   Palavras-chave:  Ensino e aprendizagem. Mídias sociais no ensino superior. Análise de Currículo.

Posicionando a localização: um estudo do impacto da comunicação mediada na socialidade e no sentido de espaço

Partindo da admissão em como a adopção das tecnologias da comunicação no quotidiano conduz crescentemente a uma topologia social onde os espaços da informação virtual estão a ser mesclados e engastados nos contextos materiais de tal maneira que potencialmente afectam tanto a forma como construímos, percebemos e interagimos com os nossos selves internos como com os outros, o presente trabalho elege como factor pivô de análise o vector espaço na assunção de que este não é neutro, mas um constructo social que adquire significado pela deslocação, seja material e corpórea, seja crescentemente simbólica, de dados e informação, empreendendo uma investigação teórica e empírica nas diversas escalas de impacto: global, institucional, grupal e individual. Após escrutínio de conceitoschave das discussões passadas sobre a natureza dos universos físico e virtual, demonstra-se a obsolescência da sua clivagem através da análise de um conjunto de práticas empíricas paradigmáticas de como os média móveis locativos, facilitando a introdução da localização na comunicação, deram renovada forma à definição da situação e ao nosso sentido de lugar, tanto em termos da geografia como do posicionamento social, impactando a experiência do mundo vivido e a forma como a socialidade e o diversos tipos de capital são perseguidos no seu seio. Os dados recolhidos, em especial o questionário aplicado aos praticantes do jogo móvel locativo geocaching, remetem para a necessidade de reforçar o estudo das práticas de integração sobre a interacção como fenómenos chave e para o abandono da perspectivação dos espaços tecnologicamente orientados como autónomos, enquadrando-os antes como sendo a prossecução das motivações e interesses pessoais por outros meios.Contrary to the metaphysics of presence under which physical and virtual spaces were once perceived as conflicting in nature, the central tenet pursued in this study rests upon the assumption that current mobile locative media are appropriated by its users as means to reinforce the struggle for social positioning, allowing them to ascertain, communicate and tentatively manipulate their senses of distinction, place and worth through the prosumption of space in collaborative platforms. Vehicles for claiming individuality while exhibiting both taste and motility (the ability to be mobile) as a valorised social asset in line with the glass cage crafted by the connexionist spirit. Our work, therefore, proposes a scalar approach to the impacts of the introduction of location in communication electing power and status mechanisms as pivotal. Relying mostly on Lefebvre’s and Bourdieu’s concepts of spatial and symbolic violence, of space as a threefold historical product, social life as a topology of rank and hybrid tools and practices as harbouring simultaneously structured and structuring potentials, the emergence of digital mass self-communication and the geospatial web, in turn made possible by the converge of GPS, GIS and mobile networks, can be understood as part of an overall spatial fix undertaken under the so called digital network economy. A trend to further abstract space and value and an instrument to commodify the constitution of the self itself. One where, relying on principles not unfamiliar to a Ponzi scheme, the individual is allured to the spectacle and, through the suggestion of personal branding as the natural attitude, the structure of feeling and the technical code of informational, reflexive capitalism permeate culture and individuals, leading to the depiction of its isomorphism in everyday life in unexpected, mostly unconscious, ways. Insuring the homology between the social, technological, economical and domination apparatuses