Geograph - photograph every grid square

The link for the centisquare map for the square is labelled "See geographical distribution of pictures". There is also a link to a centisquare coverage map (with other options) for a wider area (10x10km) labelled "Open Interactive OS Map Overlay" below the map extract.

There are several ways to identify empty grid squares depending on whether you prefer a visual map, a list, or a mobile-friendly view:

Using the Interactive Coverage Map:
The main coverage map does not have a dedicated "no photos" filter, but you can identify empty squares visually. Go to the map and enable the 'Coverage - Standard' layer. On this layer, squares with no photographs are shown in Green.

Tip: You can personalize this map to show your own contributions; in the personalized version, non-photographed squares will appear unhighlighted.

Link: https://www.geograph.org.uk/mapper/combined.php

Using the "Nearby Squares" Search (List View):
If you prefer a direct list of empty squares rather than a map, you can use the Squares tool. Simply enter a grid reference, and the tool will generate a list of nearby squares without images. You can also adjust the filters to find squares with "few" images or "no recent" images.

Link: https://www.geograph.org.uk/squares.php

On Mobile Devices:
If you are out in the field, you have two primary options:

Geograph Radar: This mobile app displays your current location and provides a count of images in nearby squares. Note that this tool does not use a map background (intended to minimize data usage).

Link: https://m.geograph.org.uk/radar/

Mobile Browser: The standard Coverage Map (linked above) is designed to work on small screens. Enable the Coverage layer to see the green empty squares while on the go.

For GPS Devices:
If you want to load these locations into a handheld GPS unit, you can generate a downloadable GPX file of squares matching your criteria.

Link: https://www.geograph.org.uk/gpx.php

The quickest way is with our interactive Coverage Maps, click 'Maps' in the sidebar. Can zoom in and will show coverage - including at centisquare (100m square) scale (use the toggle under the map).

Or use the new version: https://www.geograph.org.uk/mapper/combined.php which will change the scale automatically.

There are a number of other coverage maps will find linked around the site, which work slightly differently.


If just want a quick grid view, can use the "See geographical distribution of pictures" on gridsquare pages that provide a non map based view.

If you are looking for squares to obtain a point, try the coverage maps, and look for green squares; also accessible from that page are various printable checksheets for easy reference in print form. More technical users might enjoy GPX, or Memory Map downloads.

Many of the squares have been captured but only have a few photos; check out the depth map, from which you can find under-represented squares. In the same vein we have a number of maps to show the distribution of photos within a square, usually on a centisquare grid, which divides a grid square into 100 squares, each 100m by 100m.

We have also recently introduced a new map, "Recent Only" this shows recent photos. Help us keep the coverage current by photographing squares without any recent photos (orange or green).

Also look out for Red pin icons around the site, click them to take you to the links page for the location. From that page you can access textual lists of squares in need of photos (as well as direct links to many of the maps on the site).)

Certainly - the points system is there to encourage people to make that extra effort to capture squares we don't have photos for yet, but we welcome additional images, perhaps showing a different subject, or a different time of year. You could be gaining yourself a personal point too.

Everyone sees things differently - feel free to give us your take on any square. Some squares have been done in considerable detail, helping to more fully document and add depth to a square. In particular, watch out for things others may have missed - the coverage maps can help with this.

Long term, multiple images taken at different times, even of the same subject, help to document change or the lack thereof.

TPoint or 'Time-gap Point' is a new kind of point. A contributor can gain a TPoint by submitting a contemporary photo to a square that hasn't had a photo for 5 years. The aim is to increase the date range of available photos per square.

Squares available for a recent photo are shown in orange on the Recent Only coverage map,
http://www.geograph.org.uk/map/?recent=1

or purple dots on the 'TPoint Availability' layer on the Draggable OS map.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/mapper/?lat=650000&lon=350000&zoom=0&layers=BFFTFF&recent=1

Also can get listings of squares via this page
http://www.geograph.org.uk/squares.php?distance=5&gridref=SH5050&type=norecent
(change the grid-reference in the box to your area of interest)

· Read more about the various points on the Statistics FAQ
http://www.geograph.org.uk/help/stats_faq