Monday, February 7, 2011


As our first hands on lab, we went a Geocaching Adventure. There were eight different containers that had something inside of each container that would help identify that we had made it to that station. This is what was at each site:
#1 - A black magnetic container with a signing scroll
#2 - A clear container with black eyed peas
#3 - A red magnetic container with a signing scroll
#4 - A pill bottle with a small tabasco sauce bottle
#5 - A pill bottle with aluminum pop tops
#6 - A clear container with a piece of chalk
#7 - A clear container with an AA battery
#8 - A pill bottle with a toy police car and 8 round magnets

To get involved with Geocaching you can go to: www.Geocaching.com

Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity that involves people using GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) to find specific coordinates that contain "treasures". This large game of hide and seek, allows people to find these capsules called "caches" or "geocaches". This is a waterproof container that can hold anything from matches to paper inside so to verify that you found the correct location point. The GPS used to find these locations and there is all sorts of geocaching jargon that can be used if you get into this sport, like "muggle" this is a person that is a non-geocacher. There is over 1.2 million geocaching sites all over the world and is popular in over 100 countries.

In the act of geocaching a GPS receiver is used to find the "caches" you are looking for, but this technology can be used for other things as well. In the environmental world, global positioning satellites, using GPS in this way allows for scientists to have a better idea of the terrain in certain areas as well as helping document areas that of interest. For example, GPS can help pin point a certain species migration patterns as well as help discover their homeland, also GPS helps keep an eye on how industry is effecting the environment. With satellites environmentalists can keep watch on mining operations, logging projects and border protection from becoming over zealous in their land use. Outside of it's "big brother" uses GPS can help show future changes in the weather patterns, tides and can help improve the accuracy of weather forecasts. GPS can be a very helpful tool outside of standard navigational aide, this technology helped environmental scientists track the BP oil spill when the news of a broken oil cap, as well as seismologists find areas in the Pacific Rim that are in danger for Earthquakes. Global Positioning Satellites are getting better and better each year and could have the potential to greatly impact how many things are done in the world.

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