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CUCC Expo Prospecting Handbook Issues
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<h2 id="tophead">CUCC Expedition Handbook</h2>
<h1>Cave Numbering</h1>

<p>First, look at the <a href="../../indxal.htm">index list of cave numbers</a>. Under the <b>1623</b> heading you will see a lot of caves numbered with 2 or 3 digits, e.g. <a href="/1623/115.htm"><b>115</b> Schnellzughöhle</a> and many more labelled with a year number and some letters and numbers, e.g. <a href="/1623/2015-DL-02"><b>2015-DL-02</b> Chossy Death Slope Höhle</a>. The former are the Austrian kataster official numbers, the latter are CUCC Expo numbers which are either for caves too insignificant to be issued an official number, or where we have not yet got around to doing the paperwork.

<h3>Tags</h3>
<p>There is now a prohibition on <em>painting</em> numbers
on entrances within the Naturschutzgebiet (Nature Reserve) area. You may see faded
remenants of such numbers still. Since the early 1990s the
Austrians have been marking caves with a numbered alloy
tag bolted to the cave entrance. This also has the advantage of a definite
fixed point to take the survey to.</p>
<p>We still (2023) use numbered alloy tags, but there is a move to replace this
with a properly-managed and accessible GPS system. However the accuracy and
difficulty of accessing the entrance locations online, on the plateau, mean that we are still
using tags.

<h3>Austrian Kataster Requirments</h3>
<p>From 1996, we have had to abandon the system (which we believed
worked pretty well) whereby we had a block of numbers allocated from the
<a href="/katast.htm">Austrian Cave Kataster</a>, which we could use to number newly found caves. 
<p>Nowadays
we have to produce documentation before we get an 'official' number, which
usually means an extra visit with someone who knows the cave's location in
the year following exploration. Such a someone will not necessarily exist,
which is a recipe for the number of "missing" caves increasing rather than
decreasing. However, it is the Austrians' kataster, and we have to work with
their system.</p>

<figure class="onleft">
  <img src="../i/9602tg.jpg" alt="Example tag">
  <figcaption>An example tag - CUCC 96/02</figcaption>
</figure> 

<p>To overcome this limitation, and try to stop losing caves in which we have 
invested effort, CUCC now applies its own unique number to each new cave, 
ideally at the time of discovery, using a rock anchor and a tag which can be 
replaced when an 'official' number tag is available. 

<p>As of 2000, the 
standard practice has been to allocate initial numbers of the form "year-nn", 
e.g. 2003-01. This means that the cave can be identified when refound, even 
if no-one who knew where it was came out in subsequent years. Clearly, a good 
record of the surface location is also pretty essential. 

<p>There are also a 
number of caves tagged with numbers of the form "year-xx-nn" where xx are the 
initials of the discoverer (eg 2002-AD-01). Although this discoverer naming 
system has been vaguely deprecated, it does at least mean that there is no 
duplication during an expo with many people prospecting at the same time.</p>

<h3>Recording Cave Entrances</h3>
<div  class="onright">
<figure>
<a href="../l/new-cave-form.html">
<img src="../t/new-cave-form.jpg"></a>
<figcaption style="text-align: center">
<em>New Cave Data Sheet<br>(click for instructions)</em>
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p>Anything longer than 10m needs a number, a survey of appropriate
accuracy, and location information (<a href="../findit.htm">bearings from
entrance to known points</a>, entrance photos and description of route to entrance as a
minimum - <a href="ontop.htm">surface surveys</a> are really required
for caves within a reasonable distance of existing known points, a <a
href="gps.htm">GPS fix</a> is essential but insufficient on its own. 
<p>
If a cave is not readily apparent from the immediate area, bearings or a GPS 
fix will be inadequate to refind it, and a good sketch or photographs of the 
entrance and its surroundings will be necessary.  Record all these in the <a 
href="../logbooks.html">logbook writeup</a> of your prospecting trip 
and put the original copies of your notes in the <a href=
"newwallet.html">survey wallet</a>.</p>

<p>Eventually you will need <a href="newcave.html">to record the existance of a new cave</a> and its entrance(s)
in the Expo online system. Before you do this though, fill out a paper 
<a href="../l/new-cave-form.html">New Cave Data Sheet</a> so that 
we don't lose vital information.
<p>The Austrian caving organisations have a standard <a href="/katast.htm#grades">cave grade categorisation</a> which is worth writing down as soon as you have explored enough of the cave. So, for instance, Kaninchenhöhle, 1623/161, gets the code "5/S/E ×", because it is 22 km long and just over 500m deep (both rate a "5"), is principally a vertical cave ('S' for schacht), but also has passages with ice ('E'), and been extensively explored, but there are still many leads to push (x).

<h4>Caves tagged - or +</h4>
<p>Caves which require further exploration should be marked "-". Caves which
have been fully explored and surveyed marked "|+|". This includes minor
holes less than 10m in length. (Note that prior to 1996, completely explored
caves were marked "+". Any un-numbered caves found so marked need to be
explored again and documented (in the "Noted" list, as a start). A number as
above should be allocated if they exceed 10m in length).</p>

<p>There are <b>many</b> other caves marked just with a "+" symbol and a few
which just have bolts and no numbers. In the past, any cave which could not
be seen not to go just from a surface look has been marked with a "+" to show
that it has been looked at but didn't go anywhere significant. We are
supposed to record these for the Austrians, so if you find one, please mark
it with a unique identifier and record where it is, <b>even if you don't have
time to re-explore it at the time</b>. This will help us to assess how many
of these caves there are, and to target areas where there are lots first.
Overall, this should reduce the amount of work needed to "catch up".</p>

<h3>Previously explored caves</h3>

<p>Having come upon a known cave, and decided on the action needed from the
tables, you can find out more about the cave by looking at online
cave descriptions e.g. at  <a href="/1623/291/291"><b>291</b> Gl&uuml;ckliche Schmetterlingsh&ouml;hle</a>. Look in the <a href="../../indxal.htm">Index</a> to all caves. 
<p>For caves being currently explored, a more complete view of the raw data can be seen in the <a href="/cave/scans/1623-291">current wallet status</a> of the cave.
<p>
This all exists mainly to ensure
that <b>anyone</b> (not just CUCC) finding a cave marked or previously
explored by CUCC can find out all we know about it.</p>

<p>For CUCC's caves, we must supply at least a certain minimum of information
to the Austrians, which includes an accurate location, state of exploration,
name/marking, description and some sort of survey. Obviously for significant
caves, we will want a proper drawn up survey, and the aim should be to do a
survey right from the first exploration - if the cave ends, this saves having
to go back again later ! If you find a cave for which adequate information
is not in the database, then at worst document the lack, and at best, go
out and create the missing documentation!</p>

<p>As other groups also work in adjacent areas to ours, it is clearly
important that the information is widely available, to avoid clashes of
interest or duplication of effort. All CUCC's finds are documented here,
together with any other caves which we have information on, which we are
permitted to publish. 

<h4>Restricted cave data publication</h4>
<p>We are always very pleased to receive any information on
other caves in the area, to make the database more complete. It is in no-one's
interest to reexplore known cave, or to intrude on someone else's ongoing
project ! There is a limited amount of information in the database on caves
not explored by CUCC, for which we are not permitted to make the data
publicly available - none of this information has been checked in the field
and is likely to be out of date, if not just plain wrong. The data are
included for completeness and should help CUCC during expeditions. We may be
able to make the data available (through password-protected access to those
net pages) to other groups with a bona fide need.
<p>The non-public data is available to logged-in users, using the 'Log in' menu item at the top-right of all the handbook pages and using our usual 'cavey:beery' password.
</p>

<hr />
[This page originally written by AERW in 1996]
<!--
<h3>Revision history</h3>
<p>(but only revisions to content, not typos and link bugs...)</p>

<dl>
<dt>1996.04.23</dt>
<dd>AJD: First attempt, missing most of the +/- and surface survey info. Also,
haven't marked any caves with asterisks yet AJD</dd>

<dt>1996.06.11</dt>
<dd>AERW: Integrated existing prospecting page with Anthony's "what to do if
you find..." tables from his RTF file. Formatting is currently crap. Links need
putting in to save using the index.</dd>

<dt>1996.07.25</dt>
<dd>AERW: Added section on taking bearings - more views identifying peaks still
needed.</dd>

<dt>1996.11.28</dt>
<dd>AERW: split file up, so tables are in separate pages. Added more info (and
picture) on numbering/tagging scheme. Some rewrite of politically sensitive
points.</dd>

<dt>1997.01.01</dt>
<dd>AERW: finished tidying and linking tables, split off section on taking
bearings, with its pictures of peaks - linked with surveying document.</dd>

<dt>2004.04.21</dt>
<dd>DL: Fiddled formatting slightly, and also updated the section on
provisional tagging of caves in accordance with current practice (those who
disagree with current practice are asked not to shoot the messenger).</dd>  
</dl>
-->
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