Israel

From Geohashing
Revision as of 13:51, 1 July 2009 by imported>Yerushalmi (Most recent hashes from the standard graticules)

Israel is a small country, divided between nine graticules from (29,34) to (33,35). The graticules that encompass its major population centers each have their own problems: some are almost entirely in the Mediterranean Sea, others include much of the disputed territories, and still others contain a truly staggering amount of desert. Some even contain all three. Almost all of them include some area in neighboring countries of varying degrees of unfriendliness.

As a result, finding a hash that is reachable and safe can be difficult. It is literally impossible for all four of Israeli's major graticules to come up with reachable hashes on the same day, and virtually impossible for three. There's about a 50/50 chance there will be two reachable hashes, and a 50/50 chance there'll be only one -- though once in a long while, all four graticules are unreachable.

In summary, geohashing in Israel is tough, and all points should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for political safety. This page will chronicle the politically safe hashes for Israelis on any given day.


Most recent hashes from the standard graticules

  • June 30: The Beersheba point is just outside of Haruvit Forest.
  • July 1: The Beersheba point is in the middle of the desert across from the Egyptian border. The Haifa point is in a field south of Fatsa'el junction, but it's unclear as to whom the field belongs.
  • July 2: The Haifa point is in a field west of Makr. The Jerusalem point is between Talmon and the Palestinian town of al-Janiya, so it may not be safe.

The Alternative Graticule

The alternative graticule map as of 04/04/2009. The implementation can be found here

Some Israelis may prefer to use an alternative algorithm, which defines a polygon that hugs the borders of the state of Israel. An implementation of the algorithm can be found here; red zones define areas that are deemed too dangerous to access. (Geohashers are encouraged to edit the red zones to help other geohashers avoid IDF fire zones, hostile settlements, etc.) In order to calculate safe points that fall within the green zone, but outside of the red zones, the algorithm uses the previous day's exchange rates, as issued by the Bank of Israel. However, even this algorithm has its problems, because many hashes end up in desert areas, and because the standard borders of Israel leave out many areas that are actually safe.

Important:

  • You cannot claim achievements for reaching the alternative algorithm's point. It is solely used for the purpose of arranging meetups.
  • If you are planning an expedition, make sure you announce it well in advance so that other geohashers will know where you are going. It's not very helpful if one geohasher is attending a standard graticule point while another is attending the alternate graticule point, especially if both are reachable on a given day!

Past expeditions in Israel

Graticules and Participants

Those are the geohash graticules in Israel, plus current users:

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!