Data Hacking

Chapter 12 — GPS Games
The first confluence found was 43 degrees north, 72 degrees west. This spot is in the state of
New Hampshire. Alex bicycled 10 miles and walked an additional mile through woods before
he came to the spot — an isolated place situated next to a swamp. This didn’t deter him from
continuing his pursuit of more points of confluence. It seems that if you provide some people
with a point on the globe and an easy way to navigate there (and there aren’t many easier ways
than using GPS), people will go there — not for gain or greed, but purely out of a sense of
adventure.
The sport is more than it first appears, however. Not only is it about logging points, it is also
about seeing and recording how, over time, those spots change. This means that everyone who
visits a point of confluence, whether it is one previously unlogged or one logged many times, is
charting the changes made over time and contributing to the picture of our changing world.
How many points of confluence are there? A lot! There are 64,442 latitude and longitude degree
intersections in the world (this includes both of the poles as one intersection). However, there’s
no point in logging points of confluence in the oceans, and many more points near the poles
are not worth logging (unless you happen to be there!). Nonetheless, even after subtracting
these, it still leaves us with a massive 16,167 confluences to find, with nearly 13,000 of them
being on land.
Confluences are divided into two categories:
Primary
Secondary
Primary confluences are major intersections that are either on land or within sight of land (if
they are on water or ice) on a clear day. All other confluences are secondary ones. There will be
a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of where you are, anywhere on the surface of the Earth,
so there’s no real reason for you not to visit one!
In the U.S., there are 1,095 primary confluences (with Texas having the most with 66) and
169 secondaries. In the U.K., there are 38 primary confluences and 18 secondary ones.
When heading out to find points of confluence, remember that they are not like geocaches and
that there may not be trails or roads nearby. Follow these simple rules:
Take care — follow sensible hiking rules such as leaving word of where you are going
with someone responsible, taking provisions, maps, a compass, a cell phone, and so on.
Remember that to find and log confluences, you will need a working GPS and camera,
so be sure to take enough batteries with you or an alternative power supply!
Don’t trespass! When in doubt, ask the landowner’s permission. The website www.
confluence.org provides a letter that you can show to landowners to make it all
look official, or at least organized.
Plan your route, both in and out. Do this carefully and have alternatives in case you come
across something you didn’t expect. In addition, have escape routes planned and documented
in case of bad weather.
Respect the environment. Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints
(and make those as soft as possible).
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