"Draft" GPS tracks and more

Today I'm introducing two new features. The first one is easier to find -- just go to any track with waypoints and mouseover the waypoint images. The map will automatically "pan" (scroll) to that position (i.e. -- the center of the map will be the position of that waypoint).

The second one is more important. Now you can edit the track before publish it. Every uploaded track is saved with draft status. It is not public until the moment you decide to publish it.

New features

New on Trackprofiler this week:

• "Remove all waypoints" option when editing wpts
• Better layout when editing image
• New icons
• When you download GPX/KML files -- no more random filenames (but filenames are made from the title of the track)

Still in my TO-DO list:

• Better signin procedure
• Subscription to users and/or tags

GPX.py

Trackprofiler uses GPX (GPS exchange format) as its internal file formats for GPS tracks. That means that all uploaded tracks are converted to GPX.

It also means than the application must be able to parse and extract data from GPX files. It is done with a small python library that I opensourced a few weeks ago. It is called GPX.py.

GPX.py is hosted on GitHub. Do try it, ask questions and/or help this small project if you are a python programmer ;)

Internet explorer

Finally started the war with Internet Explorer bugs. For the moment -- the main page works with IE. Now must test the rest. Wish me luck!

Smooth GPS track graph

One of the most used features of the old Trackprofiler was GPS track graph smoothing. Now Trackrofiler2 has it too.

Suppose, for example, that your GPS had it wrong while recording elevations. Your typical graph will have errors like...

Now, all you have to do is click "Smooth" to correct those errors. The lower graph is the result after the "smoothing" process.

Split/join/delete track segments

One of the biggest problem I have with my GPS (better said with the way I use it) is that I forgot to turn it off when finish my mountain/MTB track. I put my things in my car and drive home. The GPS is still turned on and it records all my way home. But I don't want that.

OK, there are ways to edit GPS tracks. There are many offline track editors that let you do that.

But now there is one more online track editor -- the new version Trackprofiler.

The full list of options is now:

• Upload and merge tracks
• Smooth track profile graph
• Upload, automatic position and edit images
• Split parts of track, join track segments, delete parts of track
• Add waypoints
• Change waypoints description and icons
• Show descriptions on map/graph
• Show your location on graph/map

In italic are new and enhanced features from the last upgrade. 

New track layout

New (and better:) layout for track is online:

Waypoints beta

Beta version of waypoints is online:

When on track's page -- go to "Options -> Edit waypoints" to add/remove/move waypoints and/or change icons.

Things to do

Just a quick list on things I plan to add in the near (and not so near) future. First urgent things:

• User profile images,
• Global RSS and user RSS feeds,
• Track description for every track,
• Trackprofiler logo,
• Show all images (at the moment -- only geotagged images are shown),
• Problem geotagging images for KML (which doesn't save timestamps for track points).

"Not so near" future TODO list:

• Basic track editing tools:
• Move entire track (for example "100m north")
• Join/split track segments
• Delete track segments
• Delete track points
• Smooth track graph
• Basic social networking
• "Friends"
• "Followers"
• Tag RSS
• Email or RSS Subscriptions on TAGS and/or geographic locations
• Geo search
• Import images from photosharing sites

Position on graph - position on map

A friend of mine asked a good question. How to know where some location on the track profile graph is on the map?

After few hours of thinking and few more on programming ;) here's the answer... Move over the graph and a little pointer will move on the map. Now you can see where the peaks on the graphs are on the map and vice-versa:

By the way. This feature is still in beta. I works in Firefox, Opera and Chrome. Not sure for Internet explorer.

Trackprofiler2 beta out

There still is lot to be done. But anyway I decided to make it public. Hope you enjoy it.

Here are two screenshots of the first beta version of Trackprofiler:

 

Trackprofiler2 goals

My main goal with this site isn't to create (yet another) traveler and/or hiking site. It is much simpler:

• It is, simply, a place where I plan to upload and store all my GPS tracks. Nothing more, nothing less.
• It is a place where anybody can, i 5 minutes create a visual representation of his GPS track. With photos, waypoints, track profile graph.
• It will have a basic social network functionality. For example, anybody will be able to "follow" his friends and receive notifications when they upload new tracks.
• Trackprofiler must have have a basic track editor.

Trackprofiler

Working on version 2.0 of trackprofiler.

(Version < 1.0 here)