Israel

Israel is a small country, divided between nine graticules from (29,34) to (33,35). In order to unite the few Israeli xkcd fans, a different algorithm was taken. Instead of the regular graticule, a rectangle of 67,000 square kilometers that bounds the entire state of Israel is used so that all Israelis share the same meeting point. In addition, instead of the Dow Jones the algorithm uses the USD to NIS exchange rate, to align with Israel's time zone and week days.

Since Google Maps does not show any map details inside Israel, it is recommended to also work with Walla Maps or Mapa, when both maps are on the 'hybrid' setting, until the geohash point can be positively identified. This step can be finalized by using the website Amud Anan, which has topographical maps of Israel.

A better option might be just looking up the exact coordinates on a map, but where's the fun in that?

Upcoming Geohashes

• June 7th 2008 - Appears to be, while not inaccessible, pretty much out of the question for anyone who is not a seasoned hiker. A cross-check of the above-mentioned sites resulted in identifying this Saturday's point in a small wadi off the nameless summit 569, near Mitzpe HaMeshar in the Arabah (Paran area). If anyone actually makes it there, take pictures.
• June 8th 2008 - Somewhere west of Amman.
• June 12th 2008 - Once again, not inaccessible but also not very practical; the spot appears to be somewhere along the Nahal Og bike trail, halfway between Mishor Adumim and Almog. Seems like a nice area to hike in, but not very easy as a meetup spot. Other geohash spots today are in the Mishor Adumim industrial zone (for the Jerusalem graticule), and near a dirt road between Beit Rimon and Uzayr (for the Haifa East graticule), which also seem quite impractical. Better luck next time?
• June 13th 2008 - The all-Israel geohash spot is up in Lebanon, so that looks like a no-go... Other geohash spots for today: The Jerusalem graticule's spot is near Nahal Tze'elim, in the Judaean Desert. One again, nice hike, but not much chance of anyone actually getting there. Tel Aviv graticule's spot is in the sea, Haifa East graticule's is outside the Green Line (somewhere near Sebastye), and so is Be'er Sheva's - it's somewhere in the southern part of the Gaza strip, so really it's best to just stay the hell away from there...

Sub-graticules and Participants

Those are the original geohash graticules, plus current users:

• Jerusalem, Israel
  • Lady Pennywhistle lives in French Hill, Jerusalem
• Tel-Aviv (Goosh Dan), Israel
  • Dor
  • Vyath
  • Improbable
  • Eyal
  • Bryan A (Moving to this graticule in July)
• Haifa East, Israel
  • Ynor
  • Pr0nto

Any other users: Don't just lurk! Add yourselves to the wiki pages, so we can know who's participating and try to arrange meetups!

---

• An implementation of the algorithm
• Hebrew explanation