TAG :: Toronto Area Geocachers » Opencaching.com launches

Garmin has launched Opencaching.com, the competitive listing site to Groundspeak’s geocaching.com.  The site promises to work with any GPS or site that uses GPX files. Already there is a mixed reaction from the geocaching community. While some are resistant to the site, it does provide one of the more polished and compelling alternatives to Groundspeak.

What struck me right off the bat was how easy they have made it to search and filter. Punch in a place name like “Toronto, Ontario” and you’re presented with a Google Map like interface and there’s a button on the screen to grab all the caches on the map. This is much easier to communicate to a beginner than the search options at Geocaching.com are.  What I particularly like is that you can bookmark a search result and email the link to other cachers, just like Google Maps.

For seasoned geocachers, there is a procedure to automatically pull over all your finds and all your hides in one quick step. Existing geocaches change from GCXXXX to OMXXXX so there won’t be any confusion with the listing on the Groundspeak site.

Over the next few days I’ll be investigating the site, and sharing any gems I find along the way.