Contents
What does GPX file contain?
GPS Exchange Format file
Fundamentally, GPX files contain GPS data that can be read and used by applications, GPS units, computer software and on the web. GPX stands for GPS Exchange Format file. If you open a raw GPX file, you will see lots of lines of code (written in a coding language known as xml) full of GPS coordinates and data points.
How does a GPX file look like?
Here’s what a GPX file looks like if you open it up. 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 same information, but just in the XML format.
How is a GPX file structured?
A GPX file consists of latitude and longitude location data, elevation values and other possibly other descriptive information. Location data is expressed as decimal degrees and elevation is expressed in meters. Time in a GPX file is are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) using ISO 8601 format.
What do you need to know about a GPX file?
You can take a look at (the very dry) different types of information that a GPX file can have here, but there are only a few big ones that you need to know about: waypoints, routes, and tracks. When I look at this position fix on my GPS, it’s saying that the accuracy is 17ft.
How is information indented in a GPX file?
Information that is indented belongs to the higher level bullet point. 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 same information, but just in the XML format.
How is a GPX route calculated on a computer?
GPX routes are calculated by and on your GPS device or computer. If you think of tracks as detailed breadcrumb trails between point A and point B, a route is simply point A and point B, without any information in between. You can also think of it as an itinerary of waypoints.
Where are GPS coordinates stored in a GPX file?
In a GPX file they are stored in WGS 84 format, which is a mapping reference system created by the U.S. Department of Defense for GPS. You can simplistically think of it as a decimal equivalent of the latitude and longitude that you learned about in school ( and you convert between them with this tool ).