Re: Checker Request: GC7BMTJ The Astronaut Challenge

Requirement for this challenge is to have a cumulative elevation equal to or greater than 328,084 feet or 100,000 meters.

As CO, I meet this requirement as of 8/30/17 with a cumulative elevation of 606,768.

Thanks for your help. You guys are awesome!

Jim "FloridaJim" Stratford
Melbourne, FL

Here's a checker for you:

https://project-gc.com/Challenges/GC7BMTJ/28424

Please test and let us know.

PS: this checker computed the following for you: Total altitude = 795821m, which is a bit more than your total?

Does this challenge meet challenge cache criteria requirements?

Quote

must come from information broadly available on Geocaching.com such as on the statistics page, cache placement dates, types, attributes, souvenirs, etc.
must be verifiable through information on Geocaching.com.

I've seen other similar recent tags, so I'm sure it's acceptable. Besides, the reviewers could still reject it if it doesn't meet the criteria.

I know that the reviewer says the last word, but I found that someone has a different thoughts B)

Yes, that checker works, but I only need it to tally a total cumulative elevation, not list every found geocache. -- FloridaJim

Yes, I noticed that too when I tested it. I have asked the developer of the script to give an option to not list them. Will let you know once I get feedback. Either way, the checker still works. It's just a bit too verbose at present. :)

Thanks!

I've made the modify of the checker, so now it does not list all caches found, only the total (and the total of countries).
However, I thing that this challenge does not make the right sense. The sum of altitude makes sense when the number of caches are limited. The checker was originally written for challenge like "gain 30km of altitude with 10 caches in 5 countries", so you should have found 10 caches at 3000+. However your challenge is reachable finding 1000 caches at 100m of altitude without make any climb. Anyone with 1000+ finds will have fulfill it.

Consider to modify the rules, something like my challenge "Stairway to heaven challenge" https://coord.info/GC74X6Y - Sum of the positive differences between altitude of consecutive founds must be greater than 100km. In this case someone must have climb for 100km. It's not so simple, however 26% of the cachers have fulfilled it.
The log of the FTFinder was very nice:
Led Zeppelin ask me if I have found some cache in the mountains? Of course! With a thought to the poor geocachers who have plains within 300km, I'm checking the safe shot and ...
I have traveled for 146716 meters of elevation

However, the checker and the tag is now ok, reports only the sum of elevation.
Thank you for using my checker.

Works great! Thanks. However, would it be possible to list altitude in meters and feet?

I'd like to keep the challenge available for all caches a player has found. I live in Florida where it is very flat. However, most local cachers explore other areas of the country, where there are higher caches. So I'd like to keep the sum of all a player's finds.

Ok, I've add the possibility to configure an alternative unit.
However, are you sure that you want the elevation if feet? The number is very large. I suggest to use megafeet or miles [:)].
This is my output with feet:
You have found 1646 caches in 14 countries:Total altitude = 935767m (3070102ft)
otherwise in megafeet:
You have found 1646 caches in 14 countries:Total altitude = 935767m (3.07Mft)

you can config either the unit name and the ratio, so you are free to use any unit. The output is rounded to integer, only when the value is less than 100 it's rounded to 1/100.

{ "sumAltitude": 100000, "brief":true, "alternative_unit":{"name":"ft", "ratio":3.28084} }

I think that there is no SI-prefixes in imperial system. (:P)
Instead of "megafeet" you should consider using yards or miles.

I'm fine with just using meters/feet. The qualification to achieve astronaut wings is based in meters/feet and rounded to include Km/Mi. I could change the cache page to read Km/Mi, but the accuracy is better with meters/feet.

I am concerned with the total number of meters/feet that show up when I run the checker on my own stats. It says, "You have found 5533 caches in 10 countries:Total altitude = 853668m (2800748ft)," but when I look at my stats on ProjectGC, it says, "Traveled elevation: 620,568 ft." Why the difference? If the accumulation of each caches altitude equals the higher number, I could do a "Have you made it to the International Space Station Challenge?"

Is the "traveled elevation" the accumulation of distance between each cache as one travels between each one?

FloridaJim

Hi!
I grabbed your elevation data to Excel and made some calculations.
You have 5534 items in the table and total elevation is 853 655 m.
Your total differential elevation is 189 725 m.

The script may be tagged currently for total calculations.
There is also option for differential mode but it is not used - yet.

Elevation is calculated as full meters so there is no significant rounding error if the final result is converted to kilometers and miles.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2017 08:38PM by arisoft. (view changes)

Let's leave it as total elevation. I'll explain that on the cache page. But I'd like to change it to Km/Mi instead of m/ft. I'll also adjust the cache page to reflect that.

Using the elevation this way may have some problems with guidelines.

1. Criteria must come from information broadly available on Geocaching.com. ((td) No elevation in gc.com)
2. Must be verifiable through information on Geocaching.com. ((td) You can't verify)
3. Challenge criteria must be positive. ((td) Some elevations are negative)

Anyway, the challenge is interesting and may be your reviewer is no strict as usual. ;)
Now you have to wait until pieterix has set up new units.

I thing that it's not great problem.
ad 1. elevation is available on the map. Select 'open cycle map' and you can see the elevations.

ad 2. see the point 1
the only problem is, that the elevations on the map, either on the project-gc.com are not precise. I've found a cache on peak 3545m, but the project-gc says that my highest found is at 3490.

ad 3. yes. This can be problem. With the rule 'sum of elevations' you discourage the cacher to find caches with negative elevation. I repeat my previous note - sum of elevation is nonsense as rule of challenge. Sum of differences makes more sense. The checker can do it in two modes - sum of absolute differences between consecutive caches or sum of positive differences (climbing only). In these 2 modes the cacher is welcome to find either positive and negative elevations as any find adds more meters (or yards if you like the yards) to the result. Obviously, in the climbing only mode the negative elevation does not add nothing, but the next found will add greater difference. However no found can subtract anything from the result.

I confirm that all calculating is done with meters, only the result is printed also in strange units, so there is no cumulative error of rounding.

I think considering elevations below sea level as negative criteria is silly. Let's agree most caches are above sea level, so most players will have those finds. I have found most of the caches in the U.S. that are below sea level and my stats easily qualify me for this challenge.

To make the challenge qualification available to more players, I would choose the sum of absolute difference between consecutive caches.

try it for few cachers in your area to see if the challenge may be usable.

sum of abs differences:
https://project-gc.com/Challenges/GC7BMTJ/28648

sum of only positive differences (climbing only):
https://project-gc.com/Challenges/GC7BMTJ/28647

the 'climbing only' makes more sense, however the sum will be about a half for everyone.

The problem with climbing only is I don't qualify, so that's not going to work. I checked the sum of abs differences and a fair number qualify.

So, if I've understand it well, the checker
https://project-gc.com/Challenges/GC7BMTJ/28648
is ok, other two can be deleted.
OK?

Yes, thank you.

Thank you all for your help. I have added the checker to the cache page and am ready to submit it to my reviewer.

FloridaJim
Melbourne, Florida

BTW, my house survived Hurricane Irma just fine.