GPX viewer

On Track

© Lead Image © sermax55, 123RF.com

© Lead Image © sermax55, 123RF.com

Article from Issue 227/2019
Author(s):

With GPX Viewer you can map GPX tracks and view GPS data in a web browser. It's a simple way to revisit a recent vacation, organize your photos, or map your favorite bike routes.

Tracking and storing your movements using a dedicated GPS logger or an Android application can come in handy in many situations. As a photographer, you can use the saved tracks in the GPX format to geo-correlate your photos. If you are into biking or hiking, you can analyze the route. And when you travel, you can have a record of the places you've visited. Besides a device or an app that lets you record tracks in the GPX format, you also need a tool to view and analyze the recorded tracks. There are several applications that can do the job. But if you want to publish the mapped tracks on the web, or you just want to use the browser as your preferred tool, then GPX Viewer [1] is just the ticket. This JavaScript library makes it possible to create a read-to-publish map and plot GPX tracks on it. Better still, the library allows you to extract and display the data stored in the GPX tracks as well as map geotagged photos. More importantly, GPX Viewer greatly simplifies the process of creating simple and advanced maps, and you only need a text editor and a working knowledge of HTML to create sophisticated maps with GPX tracks.

GPX Viewer Basics

Being a regular JavaScript library, GPX Viewer does not require installation or configuration. Grab the latest version from the project's website, unpack the downloaded ZIP archive, and you can start working on your first GPX Viewer project. To keep things tidy, create a separate directory on your web server for your first project, and move the GM_Utils folder into it. This folder contains the JavaScript files that power GPX Viewer. Place the desired GPX track in the project folder, create an HTML file, open it for editing, and paste the code in Listing 1 into it.

The code is rather straightforward, and there are only a couple of points that require a brief explanation. The <html lang="en"> line is important, because GPX Viewer uses it to determine which language to use. If not specified, GPX Viewer defaults to German. In addition to English, GPX Viewer also supports French. The class and the style attributes in

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