Different distance when saving an activity as a route

tomasllorens

Hello, I see that when I save an activity as a route in Suunto App, almost always the distance is different in the saved route from the one in the activity… It can be as different as 57.12km instead of 59.76km (https://www.suunto.com/move/mexique2010/5f78bbc139d5b01c0db3ec2d). What’s the reason for this happening? What’s the correct distance?

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@tomasllorens the route uses gps based distance while the watch not only.

Imagine a tunnel with zig zag. The watch might nail it but not the track.

Prenj

It’s probably due to route simplifying. The route has much less points (2.000?) than the recorded track.

tomasllorens

Hello Dimitrios, thanks for your reply. I understand what you mean, however in the specific activity that I posted it is too much a difference of 2.64km, I really don’t understand. Next day, for an activity of 51.2km when saving the route, it is 50.8km which actually makes sense.
I am a trail-runnning race organizer and we sometimes have problems with the distances we say and the ones recorded in watches… What is your recommendation to have the most accurate distance and elevation possible?

tomasllorens

@Prenj thanks for your comment. I have downloaded the created route and I have 3713 points, so it’s more than 2000. However, I don’t know if there might be some kind of simplification when saving the route from an activity.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@tomasllorens are you on IOS or Android ? I could help nailing those numbers as I understand your problem

tomasllorens

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos I am on Android. Thanks for your help!

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@tomasllorens I ll come back to you. I need some time to finish with work etc while also probably having Covid-19 A little tired here.

But there is a solution.

Additionally:

Do you create a route from a workout?
Do you get the GPX file and share it ?
Do you upload the GPX file to some online service like tracedetrail etc?

tomasllorens

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos thanks for your help, I’m sure it will be very useful. I hope you get well soon both if it’s COVID or not!
I usually create a route from a workout, then I get the GPX file and sometimes I have to adjust it in order to have a “clean” GPX file, or if I have to add or cut the track at some point (I use BaseCamp for that). Once I have the final track we usually upload it to Wikiloc or directly share the GPX file to the participants.

However, the problem is that when I have the final file I analyze it in order to give the participants the detailed km/uphill between food stations/finish line. This is where we have found sometimes big differences and we never know how to solve it and have the real distance/uphill!

I think I answered the 3 questions you asked.
Thanks again for your help!

tomasllorens

Hello @Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos, I hope that you are ok from COVID, if you had it. I answered your 3 questions, and you told me that there was a solution for my problem (differences in the km that I have in the tracks and the real ones that the runners get when running our races).
Thanks for your help.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@tomasllorens Hey sorry I missed this.

So this is what I suggest.

Record the route with the watch.
Create a route from the workout via exporting the GPX file.
Upload it to some service and verify the difference.

Now depending on how much the difference is I would just leave it as it is. Most GNSS watches will show pretty much that distance.

Now this is a very opinionated wording. This distance issue has todo with how much GPS was lost / bad etc.

Since your runners are going to follow the GNSS distance pretty much I d go with what the GPX says. Be that be 2km less.

tomasllorens

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos Thanks!
Any special software you would recommend to work with GPX tracks? (Check distances, cut and merge, etc…). I usually work with BaseCamp.

Fenr1r

@tomasllorens said in Different distance when saving an activity as a route:

cut and merge

For that, particularly, you might give Xpedition2 a go. It’s a bit dated in many other ways but quite good for mucking around with multiple routes, tracks, etc., simultaneously.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@tomasllorens on OSX I use ADZE. With this I have done modifications to routes etc. I trust this

tomasllorens

Thank you very much @Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos for your comments and suggestion on ADZE, looks like a great tool.

tomasllorens

Thanks @Fenr1r for your suggestion on Xpedition I didn’t know about this website and it looks great!

Brad_Olwin

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Different distance when saving an activity as a route:

@tomasllorens on OSX I use ADZE. With this I have done modifications to routes etc. I trust this

If you add waypoints with ADZE and import into SA are the waypoints and names retained? If so, I am likely going to purchase.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Brad_Olwin no it doesnt

Brad_Olwin

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos Well that sucks, would love to have a good site that does this…