Can You Upload Waypoints in Basecamp as Decimal Degrees

What is a GPX File?

A GPX file, also known as a GPS Exchange Format file, is but a text file with geographic information such as waypoints, tracks, and routes saved in information technology. Y'all tin utilise GPX files to transfer that information between GPS units and computers. In this article, I'grand going to demystify the GPX file in non-tech linguistic communication so that you lot tin can use them effectively. I'll also reply some common questions such as "what is the difference between a road and a track?"

What is a GPX File Video

What's in a GPX File?

Here'south what a GPX file looks like if you open it upwards. It might look crazy now, merely if you know what to wait for, you'll be able to decode it and sympathise what you lot're looking at.

If you open upward a GPX file, you'll encounter that information technology'due south but a text file. Yous tin can open a GPX file with whatever text editor or word processor. There are too more sophisticated tools that offer mapping and are easier to work with, and I'll talk near those later. The GPX file was specified in the text format then that any type of device could hands open and read it without a fuss.

Think of the GPX file similar a bulleted outline containing your GPS information. Information that is indented belongs to the higher level bullet signal.

Instead of plain text like the last image, the GPX file is written in XML (eXtensible Markup Language). The XML data is indented just like our bulleted list is, and has the aforementioned information, but just in the XML format.

If you open a GPX file with a text editor and it's not formatted nicely like this or is all on ane line, just cut and past it into a tool like and XML formatter, process information technology, and then paste it back to your file. Sometimes programs remove all the white space from the GPX file to reduce the file size. GPS Units just await for the XML language in the file and don't care most the whitespace, although most programs will save it with the indentations to make information technology easier for humans to work with.

Each piece of information in a GPX file is surrounded past tags. The tags tell the reader (whether a GPS unit or reckoner) what data is contained betwixt information technology. The tags e'er are between a "<" and ">".

• Some tags, similar <name> in a higher place, have the data between an opening and endmost tag:<name> and</proper noun>
• Other tags, like <trkpt> higher up, take the latitude and longitude information inside them equally attributes, and simply have a closing / at the terminate.

GPX Tag Naming Standards

The tag names in your GPX file are all predefined and documented online. These are some of the naming standards for a waypoint (more than later). If y'all don't use the tags the way they are specified hither (east.m. using <waypoint> instead of <wpt>) it volition non work.

The GPX file format is chosen an "open standard" significant that it can exist used on whatever device for costless regardless of brand. In order for that to work, at that place has to exist standard tag names within the GPX file. Those standard tag names were kickoff established in 2002, and so updated in 2004 with the latest version of GPX, GPX 1.1.

Save GPX files in the latest version, GPX 1.1, if you are given an option.

You lot tin can take a look at (the very dry) dissimilar types of information that a GPX file can have hither, but there are only a few big ones that you demand to know about: waypoints, routes, and tracks.

Understanding Breadth and Longitude in Your GPX File

When I expect at this position set up on my GPS, it's proverb that the accuracy is 17ft. But if I crevice open the actual GPX file from here, information technology volition likely bespeak that my position is accurate down to an cantlet or electron, which is plainly wrong. Since your position is the building cake of all the geographic data in the GPX file, it'southward important to understand the numbers that you're looking at.

Before I testify you the GPX file data for a waypoint, we need to talk about latitude and longitude. In a GPX file they are stored in WGS 84 format, which is a mapping reference organization created by the U.S. Department of Defense force for GPS. Y'all tin can simplistically think of it equally a decimal equivalent of the latitude and longitude that you learned nearly in school (and you catechumen betwixt them with this tool). For instance, a coordinate in WGS 84 is -77.508333, and in traditional latitude would exist S 77° thirty′ 29.9988″  (degrees minutes seconds).  Whatsoever unit that uses the GPS satellites volition look the GPX information in this WGS 84 format.

The Russian GPS organisation, GLONASS, uses a different mapping system, PZ-xc. The European GPS organization, Galileo, uses one called GTRF. Fifty-fifty if your GPS unit supports receiving those signals, your GPX file will still utilise the WGS 84 decimal units.

The number of decimal units (to the correct of the decimal point) determines the accuracy of the waypoint. When yous are recording a waypoint in the field on your GPS device, the accuracy is based on your GPS set. This tabular array will let you decode the decimal points in your waypoint and determine how precise it is (merely if the GPS is not that accurate, it tin also be an incorrect GPS fix while even so appearing to exist precise).

Decimal Places	Example	Precision
4	0.0001	Private street or state parcel
5	0.00001	Individual trees
half-dozen	0.000001	Private Person
7	0.0000001	Practical limit of commercial surveying
eight	0.00000001	Specialized surveying such as tectonic plate mapping

According to my Garmin GPS, I tin can position myself downwardly to the electron in an atom.

But wait! If yous've looked at the values in your GPX file, you'll notice that the decimal value is much longer than that, often greater than 13 decimals on Garmin units. xiii decimals of breadth precision would exist about the width of a row of 100 silicon atoms. I'grand not privy to Garmin'southward engineering secrets but I doubtable it'due south based on a partition adding done in the unit to generate the latitude and longitude. They just dump all decimals from the mathematical functioning in at that place instead of rounding upward to a practical precision point such every bit 5 or half dozen decimal places.

So the takeaway here is that in the GPX file you are looking for 5-half dozen decimal places of latitude and longitude accuracy to make certain that you're on a trail. Anything more than is waste and anything less is not authentic enough.

Most consumer GPS units are accurate from 10-50 anxiety depending on the set up. You can also spend thousands of dollars and get a professional person GPS that is accurate to a few centimeters. If you really need a skillful waypoint set, try waypoint averaging (as seen on the GPSMAP 66i here).

If you really demand a good position set and don't want to invest thousands on a professional GPS, expect for a waypoint averaging function on your GPS that takes multiple fixes and so averages the position based on them.

Waypoints

Waypoints are the most basic piece of geographic information in the GPX file. The minimum information that you demand to have for a waypoint is latitude and longitude. Every piece of geographic information (waypoints, routes, and tracks) in your GPX file is based on a latitude and longitude coordinate.

You lot tin pick waypoints out in your GPX file by looking for data between the <wpt> and </wpt> tags.

While the minimum information for a waypoint is latitude and longitude, y'all need a few more pieces of information if a waypoint is really going to exist useful. Most GPS units will allow yous to additionally specify these fields:

• Proper noun
• Symbol
• Date and time information technology was created  (in UTC)
• Clarification (<desc> in the epitome above)
• Annotate (<cmt> in the image above)
• Acme (in meters)
• Type (category)

Custom waypoint images usually don't transfer between brands and sometimes even units. Here's some options for waypoint markers on my GPSMAP 66i.

There are a total of nineteen data backdrop that you can add together to a waypoint. Most of the ones I oasis't mentioned are not used much and include technical elements like magnetic variation and satellite fix type.

Extensions

This is a good fourth dimension to mention a group of tags that you might run across in a GPX file called "extensions." When the GPX format was specified, they realized that in that location might be actress data specific to a GPS unit or manufacturer that needed to be stored. So they created a freeform section called "extensions" where everything between the <extension> and </extension> tag can be anything.

Here are some rail bespeak extensions (temperature and center charge per unit) added by my Garmin Fenix watch.

Extensions are normally simply read by the manufacturer who put them in. Then if yous accept a TomTom GPS, it probably doesn't read Garmin GPX extensions, and vice-versa. Y'all can see a (very dry) listing of all of the Garmin GPX extensions here to go an idea of what'south available. Extensions can be used with any entity in a GPX file including waypoints, tracks, and routes.

Here are some examples of extensions from Garmin:

• Temperature
• Street Address
• Line colour

And to make information technology even trickier, there are some extensions that are device-specific and are non documented. Just know that annihilation you lot see under "extensions" volition be brand and/or device-specific and probably won't transfer well between dissimilar brands or devices.

Tracks

Most GPS units volition record your rails by getting a GPS fix (like a waypoint) every few seconds.

The easiest fashion to think of a track is like a chronological breadcrumb trail of waypoints. Betwixt each track bespeak is merely a straight line. Generally tracks are created when you record your activity on a GPS. Some GPS units let yous specify how often it should take a track point. The more track points y'all have, the more authentic your runway (and also the more you drain your battery).

Many Garmin GPS units offer "smart recording" or "every 2nd recording" (or some variation of those). "Smart recording" only drops a track bespeak when you change direction, speed, elevation, or heart rate. "Every second recording" does what it says. Unless I'm in a situation where I am really trying to conserve battery, I always apply "every second recording" to get a track with more allegiance.

You an also create tracks using unlike mapping software such equally CalTopo and Garmin Basecamp. The track volition not be "real" in the sense that information technology did non actually record you on the path, only from a technical perspective, it will be (basically) the same.

You lot tin find tracks in your GPX file by looking for everything betwixt the <trk> and </trk> tags. Inside the track you lot'll find many <trkpt> tags with the private track points, which you can call up of every bit waypoints. That's a track at it's nigh basic.

Although at a minimum a track (<trk>) needs track points (<trkpt>), although in that location is often much more information in in that location.

Most GPS units and mapping software will add optional track data tags to a track in club to brand it more descriptive. In that location are 21 optional tags for runway points, and some common tags that you lot'll encounter are:

• Rail Segment – <trkseg> – This is a logical grouping of runway points. For example, if you have a GPS that you turn on and off every day on a multi-mean solar day trip, each twenty-four hour period will be contained in a separate runway segment. Inside rails segments you'll encounter runway points.
• Proper noun –<proper noun> – The proper name of the runway. Sometimes you can specify this and other times the GPS will proper name it automatically for you.
• Type –<type> – The category of the rails bespeak. On Garmin units this is usually your activity blazon (hiking, running, biking, etc.)
• Time –<time> – The fourth dimension that the point was recorded. This is important when figuring out your speed.
• Elevation –<ele> – Top of the track point in meters.
• And so tracks, track segments, and track points tin can all have extensions (as we described earlier) every bit well.

Y'all don't demand a map to follow a track. Y'all're either on the line or you're not.

Active Tracks & Saved Tracks

Many GPS units work similar a trip odometer on a motorcar. You need to reset them between each trip. Unlike a auto, you tin can usually salvage your information every bit a rail that you can then transfer back to your computer.

Many Garmin outdoor GPS units have two types of tracks: agile and saved. An active track is the rails points for your current activity, unremarkably seen and tracked on the trip computer screen. If you want to save the rail and get it off your device as a GPX file, you have to save the track. Each GPS unit is different, only generally if you lot don't save it, it won't be available to transfer off a device as a GPX file.

Routes

GPX routes are calculated by and on your GPS device or estimator.

If yous think of tracks as detailed breadcrumb trails between betoken A and point B, a route is only point A and betoken B, without any information in between. You can as well recall of it as an itinerary of waypoints. First I want to visit the Eiffel Tower, then the Louvre, and and so the Arc de Triomphe. Those points are in the road, merely it's upwards to my GPS device to get me from one attraction to the next. Generally a GPS will alert y'all when you arrive at each point along the road and when in that location is a significant navigation change such as a plow or intersection.

My GPS is alerting me that I should plough right at this intersection. The intersection was not 1 of the points on my route, only the GPS knows from the maps that there is a turn worth alerting me nearly.

Routes generally accept far less information in them because the GPS or calculator is filling in the blanks in between route points. Everything between the <rte> and </rte> tags specifies the route. In this case I'thousand starting at the Ortega Oaks Candy Shop, heading to the San Juan Trail, and ending up at Sugarloaf Peak. It'due south up to my GPS to route me between each one of those points.

If you look at a road in your GPX file, these are the tags:

• Route –<rte>– Everything betwixt these tags describes the route.
• Road Point –<rtept> – Route points are the waypoints along the route.
• All the usual descriptors such equally name, comments, description, symbol, etc.

Routes can take extensions just like waypoints and tracks. Here's some custom extension data from a Garmin road. In this example, all of the additional<gpxx:rpt> Garmin extension tags are shaping points, which help the Garmin GPS stick to the route that I had planned out in Garmin Basecamp.  So in some means Garmin is creating pseudo-track points to brand sure that when my route transfers to the device, the GPS routing doesn't mess upwardly by sending me on the interstate.

At present to add a contraction into that, routes tin include significant turns and landmarks on the mode. These are chosen "shaping points" in the Garmin globe and are treated only like points along the route to keep y'all on a planned route, but the GPS volition not alert y'all when you laissez passer along a shaping point. Shaping Points are an extension within the GPX file. Regardless of how many via points or stops you lot accept betwixt the start of the route and the finish, it's up to the device to get you from each landmark on the route.

If you programme a route in Garmin Basecamp, you tin can specify whether you want a signal on a route to be a stop (you'll get an alert that you've arrived), or a "via point" with no alert, which basically means you want to travel by passing over that indicate.

Shaping points and via points are the same matter.

How GPX Routing Works

GPS units will commonly allow you lot to specify how you'd like information technology to calculate the route.

I mentioned earlier that the device (whether GPS, smartphone, or computer) volition "fill in the blanks" between the different route points to give you directions. And since there are usually multiple means to go from A to B, GPS units ordinarily have options on how to route you. If you lot always use Google Maps or Waze for driving directions, you see this routing concept in action all the time every bit they (automatically) route you from A to B around traffic and deadening-ups.

One of the simplest routing options offered by almost every GPS is "straight line" which is what it says. Information technology volition road you across land, water, lava, any betwixt A and B. On the water it's great, just if you're using a road anywhere else, not ever the best option.

Other options include things like "shortest distance," "shortest time," and "most popular." They all will route you on roads or trails, but they depend on having those (routable) roads and trails on the actual GPS unit. Routable roads and trails are usually found on maps that yous can load on the device (or ones that have been preloaded). Merely it'due south of import to not that non all maps are routable. If yous are loading new or custom maps onto a GPS, you must make certain they are labeled as "routable" if y'all want to employ them in route calculations. Otherwise the unit volition default to straight lines.

Adept news – loftier-quality routable topographic maps are bachelor for free courtesy of the Open Street Maps project.

Most GPS units come with some sort of routable maps on them. For case, Garmin TopoActive maps which come bundled on units like the Fenix 6x, GPSMAP 66i, and eTrex 32x are all routable. Yous can also download free routable Open up Street Maps (OSM) for your GPS. OSM maps  are community-sourced and generally accept more trails (including small and overgrown) on them.

If you are a Garmin user, I wouldn't buy maps from them if they didn't come complimentary with your GPS unit already. Garmin TopoActive maps are based on the OSM map data. They're a niggling prettier, simply otherwise non worth your money.

Should I Utilize a GPX Route or Rail?

Start off, just a reminder that this is a hiking website so I'm going to focus on using routes and tracks on the trails here. If y'all are navigating in a car, walking streets, or on the h2o, just utilise a route (as you would when you use something like Google Maps).

• If you are planning a hike on the computer before you hitting the trail (recommended), then use a runway so that y'all tin precisely position yourself on the trails that you want to have.
• If you need to simply navigate without whatever planning (I'm frowning at you now…) and don't intendance which way you become somewhere, then use a road.

Note that routes don't take anything similar beauty or current trail weather condition into account when plotting the course between route points. Information technology's just a cold, hard, computer calculation. I mostly utilize routes when:

• I'k on a hike, am unfamiliar with the area, and demand to bail out to a road or civilization.
• When I'm in a new city and I want to plan a run on the fly using popular routes (using popularity routing on my GPS watch).
• If I'thou planning a run or wheel ride in advance on the computer with Garmin Connect and desire to use shaping points to ensure my route avoids whatever undesirable roads or trails.

When you navigate by GPX track, you lot're either on the rails, or yous're not. Some GPS units will alert you when you are not on the rail.

When you follow a GPX road, you lot will get plow-by-plough prompts at trail junctions and major management changes, only similar you lot would when driving. For hiking I find this is a bit too much. But if I'g running and don't necessarily want to focus on navigation, having the GPS tell me what to do is okay.

FYI When hiking in the backcountry I always use GPX files in conjunction with paper maps. Generally my workflow is to plan out a hike on the calculator and paper map by researching the expanse, landmarks, and weather condition. And so I create a GPX and ship to my GPS unit(s). When I'm actually on the trail, I utilize the paper map and my knowledge of the route (from planning) to make navigation decisions. If I am ever unsure of my location, I consult my GPS with the GPX track and run into where I am in relation to my planned GPX track.

How Do I Open a GPX File?

There are many ways to open a GPX file but I find that the costless Garmin Basecamp program allows me to work with them in a comprehensive style. In that location'due south no perfect tool though, and then I use a combination of a few.

Since everyone has a different workflow and preferences, and there are dozens of pieces of software and web apps to work with GPX files, merely annotation that these are the tools that piece of work best for me. I encourage you to play effectually with different tools and come across what works best for yous.

• Text Editor – Yous tin open the raw XML data of a GPX file and update it using whatever text editor. On a Mac, there'south the standard TextEdit, and on Windows there's Notepad or Wordpad. Y'all tin can also open up a GPX file with a word processor similar Word or Google Docs; just recollect to save it as a text file. On the Mac, I prefer the complimentary BBEdit text editor which you can arrive the Mac Store.
• Garmin Basecamp (complimentary) – You don't need a Garmin GPS to use Basecamp, information technology volition work with whatsoever GPX file. And while at that place are aspects that are clunky, it allows you to easily plot waypoints, create tracks, and create routes. You tin also exercise things like dissever, opposite, and join tracks. Basecamp doesn't come with any useful maps but you lot can easily install free OSM maps to work with. If you lot accept a Garmin GPS unit, you lot tin can plug information technology into the computer and transfer GPX data back and forth. And if you accept a Garmin GPS with maps, you'll exist able to see them (and plan with them) in Basecamp if you plug the unit of measurement in.
• CalTopo Website (gratuitous) – CalTopo allows you to select from tons of map layers and create tracks, routes and waypoints and so export them equally a GPX file.
• GaiaGPS Website and Apps (gratis and premium memberships available) – Some other site similar to CalTopo with a slicker interface that'southward a chip more user-friendly. Y'all tin can create GPX routes and waypoints and export to your estimator or the Gaia GPS app(s).
• GPSVisualizer Website (free) – This website has many tools for GPX files, including adding elevations and file conversion.
• Google Globe (free) – Load your GPX tracks in here and then pan around in 3D. It's a great style to understand the elevation profile while interacting with the GPX file.
• Garmin Connect Website and Apps (free) – If you want to create routes or courses based on popularity and transfer to your Garmin smartwatch, try the Garmin Connect Form Planner.
• AllTrails Road Converter (gratuitous) – This used to be the website GPSies, which AllTrails caused. With this converter you can transfer GPX files to other formats (and vice versa) and can besides convert routes to tracks (and dorsum).

How to Get GPX Files

If you're eager to get your hands on some GPX files to help you lot on your new hike, there are a few places you tin can look.

• HikingGuy – For all of my hike guides I take a GPX file that yous can download based on my actual experience on the trail. Many other hiking websites have similar GPX files for download too (merely I tin can't vouch for their quality).
• AllTrails Website – You tin scan the community based hike sharing website for GPX files to download. I've found that while AllTrails is a bully resource to see what'southward available, the GPX files sometimes are not that nifty. They tin can include signal dropouts, side trips by the user, etc. so use them later on examining them.
• GaiaGPS – Yous can download other user'south GPX tracks similar you can with AllTrails.

How to Create a GPX File

GaiaGPS is a slick tool for creating GPX routes. In this screenshot I'm overlaying a atmospheric precipitation forecast on meridian of a National Geographic map and creating a route. It likewise has a absurd elevation plot as I create the route.

There are a ton of ways to create GPX files, and you could even theoretically write your ain text file using Notepad, but that would be painful. Here are my tips for creating GPX files before your hike.

• Tracks – I use CalTopo to create tracks and make heavy use of the dissimilar layers to empathise the terrain, weather, and history (like past fire damage, landmarks on old maps, etc.).
• Routes – Right now GaiaGPS has the best "snap to" tool for creating routes on the web in my opinion.  I'll also use Garmin Connect to create routes (called "courses" in that world) for trail runs and sports activities. I capeesh the popularity heat-map when I travel to new areas.
• Waypoints – Either CalTopo or GaiaGPS are effective.

A runner up is Garmin Basecamp, which does tracks, routes, and waypoints well, simply lacks the depth of information layers that the other tools do. I wish I could overlay weather, etc. in Basecamp, simply y'all tin can't.

Now you lot can also record tracks on your GPS route and save them. Each GPS and brand is a little different and it's across the scope of this article to cover them all, but it's easy enough to read the manual and figure it out. I accept a guide to creating hiking routes and sending them to your Garmin GPS here.

GPX FAQ

Hither are some odds and ends about GPX files and GPS that folks have asked me over the years. If yous have a question that I oasis't covered, contact me and I'll do my best to reply it.

Who uses the GPX file format?

Pretty much anyone who offers a GPS unit of measurement, app, or software will support the GPX file format. That includes Garmin, Suunto, TomTom and Magellan.

What is the GeoJSON file format?

You might see options to go tracks in GeoJSON format.  GeoJSON is a new format with these differences:

• Smaller file size
• Larger diverseness of data you tin can include in the file including geographic boundaries.

GeoJSON files are not mostly uniform with or readable by GPS units, especially older ones.

What is the KML file format?

You might also see options to download a KML file, which stands for Keyhole Markup Language, and was developed to salvage Google Earth data. KML can contain the same elements as a GPX file just was intended to store mapping presentation and annotation data. About GPS units don't read KML.

My Garmin Has FIT and TCX Files, should I use them instead of GPX?

TCX and the newer FIT file format are proprietary to Garmin and contain substantially the same data as a GPX file. Unlike a GPX file, which doesn't natively have support for things like heart rate (without using GPX extensions), TCX and FIT files are more sports oriented and do have that type of information. They are often used to share courses for running and cycling.

How many waypoints, tracks, and routes tin can I store on my GPS?

It depends on the GPS unit that you lot're using and you can commonly observe the respond on the back up site for a brand. For case, hither's the limits for the GPSMAP 66 series on the Garmin back up site. If you use a GPS app on your smartphone the limit is unremarkably based on your telephone's storage.

What if my map is not WGS84?

This tin can get a little catchy, but the thing to recall is that in the GPX file, the latitude and longitude should ever exist in WGS 84 format, regardless of what your map is encoded in or what types of units you look at on the screen. For most Garmin units you have these iii settings (usually deep downward in the settings).

• Position Format – This is the way that y'all encounter your position format on the screen. For example, you tin look at information technology in decimals, hours/minutes/seconds, or MGRS (military machine grid). There are usually a ton of choices here. The position format you see on the screen is converted from the internal position format used by the device, which is usually WGS84.
• Map Datum – If yous've loaded a custom map onto a GPS and information technology's based on a different position format, you lot can update the map datum to match information technology. And like position, whatever calculations on information technology need to be converted from WGS 84
• Map Spheroid – The internal position format used on the device. Usually you lot can view this value, but non change it.

Keeping everything in WGS84 format will minimize battery drain and keep things running smoothly.

Who built GPS?

The U.S. Section of Defense launched the GPS system and information technology became fully operational in 1993. It'south free for anyone to use, simply the authorities tin selectively turn off service for regions or dethrone the performance globally. Today GPS is managed by the United states of america Space Force. Since this crucial tool is controlled by the US military, other countries like Bharat have developed their own satellite positions systems. Newer GPS units can receive position signals from some of these newer systems.

• Russia – GLONASS
• Europe – Galileo
• China – BeiDou
• Japan – QZSS
• Bharat – IRNSS

That's a lot of junk in space!

Should I use GPS / GLONASS / Galileo to record my GPX tracks?

People go passionate when it comes to this subject area, and in that location's not a clear respond. For me GPS and Galileo seems to provide the all-time results. Only for others, GPS and GLONASS works well. I recommend just trying out the combinations in your surface area. Not that receiving from multiple satellite networks will bleed your battery about five-x% more than (my experience with various Garmin units), and GPS solitary can work well too.

What is WAAS and should I use that?

WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) is simply stated a information update to address whatsoever GPS satellites that may take slightly changed course or speed. It's some other signal that your GPS unit of measurement can receive from the GPS satellites that contains the correction information. And so your GPS unit takes that correction data and applies information technology to any satellites that demand to exist corrected. If yous want a more precise read, use WAAS. If you desire to salve battery, turn it off.

Bones GPS Concepts in Utilize

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Source: https://hikingguy.com/how-to-hike/what-is-a-gpx-file/

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