How to use the GPX viewer
- Load the recording: drop the .gpx exported from your watch, bike computer or app on the box above, or select it with the button.
- Look at the map. Tracks, routes and waypoints from the file are drawn on it.
- Read the figures and the elevation profile chart, and use the unit switch to change between kilometres and miles.
The file is read by JavaScript in your browser. The background map images come from OpenFreeMap, which uses OpenStreetMap data, but the contents of your file are not sent anywhere.
What is a GPX file?
A GPX file stores GPS data: a list of positions, each with a latitude and longitude and often a height and a time. GPX stands for GPS Exchange Format. It is an open XML format, which is why almost every GPS device, sports watch and outdoor app can export or import it.
You get one when you export an activity from a service such as Strava or Garmin Connect, download a route someone has shared, or copy a recording off a handheld GPS. Opened in a text editor it is readable but not helpful: thousands of lines of coordinates. A viewer turns them into a line on a map.
What is the difference between tracks, routes and waypoints?
A track is where someone went, a route is where you plan to go, and a waypoint is a single marked spot.
| Type | What it holds | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Track | Many closely spaced points, often with time and elevation | A recorded ride, run or hike |
| Route | A shorter list of points to pass through in order | A route planner |
| Waypoint | One named location | A summit, a car park, a water source |
One file can contain any mix of the three. The viewer draws all of them.
What do the distance and elevation numbers mean?
They are worked out from the points in the file, and they appear only when the file has the data they need.
Distance
Distance is the total of the gaps between each point and the next. It can differ a little from the figure on your device, which may have used a wheel sensor or its own filtering.
Elevation gain and loss
Elevation gain is the total of all the climbing along the way, and loss is the total of all the descending. They are not the height difference between start and finish: a loop that ends where it began has equal gain and loss, even though the net change is zero.
The lowest and highest points are the smallest and largest elevation values in the file. The elevation profile plots height against distance, so you can see where the climbs are.
Duration and start time
Both are read from the timestamps on the points. The start time is the earliest time in the file.
To see the same track in Google Earth, use the GPX to KML converter.