This page is used to visualize and convert tracks, routes, and waypoints in the GPX, KML, Top50 OVL and PathAway format. Many GPS devices may record the covered track and store it into a file. This is interesting for people who carry a recording GPS device during their outdoor activities.

Upload your GPX-, KML-, Garmin PCX5, Top50 OVL- or PathAway PWTRK-files using the form or select one of my favorite tracks from the list. The browser displays than the tracks and points on the map. It is possible to zoom and move the map with the buttons or the mouse. Additional information about the track, like elevation profile, length, and duration are computed and displayed as well.

Features:

• Track optimization
• Pause detection
• Elevation profile
• DEM data

Click at Browse and select a file with tracks, routes, and/or waypoints. Following formats are supported:

• GPX: Mostly all GPS software support this format. It allows to store waypoints, tracks, and routes with virtually any meta data (like time, pluse rate, links to images, ...). Specification.
• KML: The format to exchange data with Google Earth. More information.
• PCX5: Garmin PCX5 format.
• Top50 ASCII OVL: Simple format to define map-«overlays» like lines and points. It is used in the Top50 maps of the German Landesvermessungsämter. There is a binary and an ASCII-flavor of this format, trekka supports only tje ASCII one.
• PathAway: Export format of the Moving Map navigation program PathAway for the PDA. It allows the representation of tracks (pwtrk), points (pwpts), and routes (pwrte) in a comma-separated ASCII-format. Points are described by coordinates, elevation, time, symbol, and text.
• Triton ActiveTrk: Binary format used by devices of the Triton series from Magellan. See Read-out ActivTrk

The internal file ActivTrk.Trk exists at all GPS devices of the Magellan Triton series. It contains the track log of the active track. There are two methods to read-out this file from the device:

• Set the device into mass-storage mode by pressing the keys Light + Up + Power simultaneously and connect it to a PC via USB. The file ActivTrk.Trk exists in the directory \APP\OutdoorNav\. To switch-off the device press ESC + Enter + Power.
• Or modify the Triton as described at MAGELLANBOARD.DE. This causes the Triton to copy the file ActivTrk.Trk to the SD-card at each power-on. There you may read it using any SD-card reader.

Select a track from the list. The tracks are sorted according to regions which can be choosed in the upper part of the list.

The information of a track contain:

• The name of the track from the track file.
• The number of points in the track log. The two numbers indicate the number of points in the original track log and after track optimization.
• The description of the track from the track file.
• The length and the duration of the track. This information is computed from the track log. The computation of the duration works of course only if the track log contains time stamps. In this case the software also tries to detect pauses and displays the total duration of all pauses.
• The software computes ascent and descent from the elevation data that was recorded by the GPS device or from the DEM data. The usage of DEM data results in more accurate data in most cases.
• The average speed is computed from the total length and duration, optionally adjusted for recognized pauses.

If this information is missing or incomplete, then it can't be determined from the data. If for example the track file contains only waypoints, but no track, the the track information box is totally empty.

GPS receivers write the actial postion into the track log at regular intervals. This is normally triggered by time or destination, i.e. a coordinate is recorded for example every 10 seconds or once per 100 meter. If the receiver is now moved along a straight line, then the track log contains more than enough points, because a straight line may be described by only two points.

Trekka contains an algorithm to solve this issue as it tries to identify straight lines and remove needless points. The efficiency of this algorithm can be identified by looking at the Track info. Here the number of points before and after the track optimization is displayed.

If the track log contains time stamps, then Trekka may compute the actual speed at each part of the track. A pause is detected if the actual speed is less than 0.5 km/h for at least 5 minutes. This place is marked at the map and the Track info shows then the total duration of all pauses and the average speed adjusted for pauses.

If the track log contains elevation data, then an elevation profile is computed and displayed.

Alternative DEM data is available for some regions of the world. It can be used to compute the profile as well.

If a track covers a region for which digital elevation data is available, then the menu contains the text Additional elevation data is available. After clicking the link Use it! the elevation profile as well as the values for ascent and descent are computed again using that data.

Therefore it is possible to create elevation profiles for tracks which contain no elevation data itself. Of course the downloadable GPX-/KML-file contains the DEM data as well.

DEM: Digital elevation model.

The menu is used to control all further actions:

• Upload new track file: The form Upload Track is opened to upload a new track file.
• List of tracks: The Track list is displayed to select a track from the database. The data of the track currently displayed is discarded.
• Overview map: An overview map is shown in addition to the Track list.
• Download GPX / KML file with with optimized track log: To download the track that is currently displayed in GPX- or KML- format (description of formats). The track log is provided in the optimized form, pauses are contained as waypoints.
• Additional elevation data: See DEM data.