View source for Geohashing

{{Short description|Outdoor recreational activity}}
{{about|the game|the system for encoding geographic coordinates|Geohash}}
{{Primary sources|date=September 2023}}
{{infobox sport
 | name       = <!--geohashing-->
 | image      = Geohashing Today.jpg
 | imagesize  = 
 | alt        = 
 | caption    = A geohashing app, converting the day's date and the Dow Jones Industrial Average into a set of coordinates
 | union      = geohashing wiki
 | nickname   = Hashing
 | first      = {{start date and age|2008}}
 | firstlabel = 
 | registered = 800
 | clubs      = 
 | contact    = No (except where two hashers agree to a local variant)
 | team       = Varies, usually solo
 | mgender    = Yes
 | type       = Outdoor or indoor, aquatic
 | equipment  = [[Satellite navigation device]] or [[map]] with latitude/longitude or other grid markings and compass; [https://geohashing.site/geohashing/what_to_bring other] equipment may be useful
 | venue      = 
 | glossary   = [https://geohashing.site/geohashing/category:definitions glossary]
 | region     = Worldwide
 | olympic    = No
 | world      = No
 | paralympic = No
 | obsolete   = 
 | IWGA       = No
 }}

'''Geohashing''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|iː|oʊ|ˌ|h|æ|ʃ|ɪ|ŋ}} is an outdoor recreational activity inspired by the webcomic ''[[xkcd]]'', in which participants have to reach a random location (chosen by a [[algorithm|computer algorithm]]), prove their achievement by taking a picture of a [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) [[GPS navigation device|receiver]] or another mobile device and then tell the story of their trip online. Proof based on non-electronic navigation is also acceptable.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Solivellas|first1=Benoit|title=Geohashing, les rencontres par GPS|url=http://www.cnetfrance.fr/news/geohashing-39382080.htm|access-date=16 August 2015|work=CNET France|date=June 1, 2008|language=fr}}</ref>

The geohashing community and culture is extremely tongue-in-cheek, supporting any kind of humorous behavior during the practice of geohashing and resulting in a parody of traditional outdoor activities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Cover_Stories|title=Cover stories - Geohashing|website=geohashing.site}}</ref> Navigating to a random point is sometimes done with a goal in mind. Some geohashers document new mapping features they find on the [[OpenStreetMap]] project, clean up litter, or create art to commemorate the trip, among other activities.

A variation on [[geocaching]], known as [[geodashing]], features a closely comparable principle, with participants racing between coordinate points.

== Invention and spread ==

{{infobox sport governing body
 |name               = geohashing wiki
 |abbrev             = gh wiki
 |logo               = geohashing.png
 |logosize           = 
 |sport              = geohashing
 |category           = 
 |image              = 
 |caption            = 
 |jurisdiction       = worldwide
 |membership         = 
 |founded            = {{Start date|2008}}
 |replaced           = <!--old wiki and new wiki have continuity-->
 |prevfounded        = 
 |url                = geohashing.site
 |more               = using the wiki is optional to being a geohasher
 }}

On May 21, 2008, the [https://xkcd.com/426 426th ''xkcd'' comic] was published. Titled "Geohashing", it described a way for a [[computer]] to create an algorithm that could generate random [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) coordinates each day based on the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]] and the current date.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://xkcd.com/426/|title=Geohashing|website=xkcd}}</ref> The algorithm was quickly seized by the ''xkcd'' community, which used it as intended by ''xkcd'' creator [[Randall Munroe]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Geohashing_wiki_history|title=Geohashing wiki history - Geohashing|website=geohashing.site}}</ref>

Originally a stub where people willing to try the algorithm in real life were to issue their reports, the geohashing official wiki expanded in the following weeks and was a working website as early as June 2008.<ref name="auto"/> The current expedition protocol was then established during the following years, with the creation of humorous awards, regional meetups and a hall of amazingness for the various geohasher achievements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Hall_of_Amazingness|title=Hall of amazingness - Geohashing|website=geohashing.site}}</ref>

Over time, geohashing gained fame across the [[internet]] and now counts more than 15,000 expedition reports.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Category:Expeditions - Geohashing |url=https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Category:Expeditions |website=geohashing.site}}</ref> Over a thousand users are registered on the geohashing wiki, though not all are currently active.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Special:Statistics|title=Statistics - Geohashing|website=geohashing.site}}</ref> Geohashing has spread mostly in North America, Europe and Australia, especially around cities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Maps_and_statistics|title=Maps and statistics - Geohashing|website=geohashing.site}}</ref>

== Geohash ==

[[File:Geohash 2014-01-13 Location.jpg|thumb|A [[trespass to land#United States|sign]] forbids trespassing, making it both unlawful and against the rules of geohashing to reach the location set by the algorithm. The geohasher's expedition must end there, with only a consolation prize as the result.]]

Geohashing divides the earth into a grid made up of graticules which are one degree wide in latitude and longitude. Inside these graticules, a random location is set. Geohashers then have the opportunity to go at the chosen location, either inside their own graticule or in a nearby one. If the location is inaccessible or in a private area, geohashers are advised not to try to reach it, although seemingly-inaccessible locations have been reached several times. In addition to the repeating location in each graticule, each day there is a single global hashpoint, much more challenging to reach.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Hall_of_Amazingness#Conquering_Nature.2C_Technology_and_Bodily_Weakness|title=Hall of amazingness - Geohashing|website=geohashing.site}}</ref>

== See also ==

* {{annotated link|Benchmarking (geolocating)}}
* {{annotated link|Degree Confluence Project}}
* {{annotated link|Letterboxing (hobby)}}
* {{annotated link|Location-based game}}
* {{annotated link|Orienteering}}

== References ==

{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category|geohashing}}
* [https://geohashing.site Geohashing official wiki]

{{adventure travel}}
{{Randall Munroe}}

[[category:Global Positioning System]]
[[category:hobbies]]
[[category:outdoor locating games]]