Joe Crowley demonstrates how GPS trackers and smartphones have helped to start and spread a hobby called geocaching.
Geocaching is like a high-tech treasure hunt.
Participants track down 'hidden treasure', in reality low cost rewards, treats and clues by logging on to a number of websites which give the coordinates for geocaches all over the world.
The caches can be hidden in walls or under stones, or even buried underground.
GPS trackers will only take participants to within a few meters.
We see three young people using their initiative and skill to locate the cache once they are in a rough area. It’s an entertaining blend of high tech and the great outdoors.
This clip is from the series Get Lost.
Teacher Notes
This could be used when teaching map reading or prior to fieldwork, explaining how GPS devices work and how GPS trackers and smartphones can be used for navigation.
It also serves as a helpful introduction to the geocaching craze and how it works.
Curriculum Notes
This clip will be relevant for teaching Geography.
This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC KS4/GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 4/5 in Scotland