gpx.studio/website/src/lib/docs/da/gpx.mdx

---
title: GPX file format
---

<script>
    import DocsNote from '$lib/components/docs/DocsNote.svelte';
    import { Waypoints, Route, MapPin } from '@lucide/svelte';
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# { title }

The <a href="https://www.topografix.com/gpx.asp" target="_blank">GPX file format</a> is an open standard for exchanging GPS data between applications and GPS devices.
It essentially consists of a series of GPS points encoding one or multiple GPS traces, and, optionally, some points of interest.
These traces can be stored either as tracks or as routes.

GPX files may also contain metadata, of which the **name** and **description** fields are the most useful for users.

### <Waypoints size="16" class="inline-block" style="margin-bottom: 2px" /> Tracks, segments, and GPS points

As mentioned above, a GPX file can contain multiple GPS traces.
These are organized in a hierarchical structure, with tracks at the top level.

- A **track** is made of a sequence of disconnected segments.
  Furthermore, it can contain metadata such as a **name**, a **description**, and **appearance properties**.
- A **segment** is a sequence of GPS points that form a continuous path.
- A **GPS point** is a location with a latitude, a longitude, and optionally a timestamp and an altitude.
  Some devices also store additional information such as heart rate, cadence, temperature, and power.

In most cases, GPX files contain a single track with a single segment.
However, the hierarchy described above allows for more advanced use cases, such as planning multi-day trips with several variants for each day.

### <Route size="16" class="inline-block" style="margin-bottom: 2px" /> Routes

A **route** is a single continuous path made of a sequence of **route points**.
These are mandatory checkpoints, which correspond to the anchor points of the [routing tool](./toolbar/routing).
The points in between are only a suggested path connecting the route points.
Like a track, a route can have a **name**, a **description**, and **appearance properties**.

<DocsNote>

Nowadays, most apps and GPS devices work perfectly well with tracks, even for navigation.
However, some of them only work with routes: in that case, you can [convert](./menu/edit) your tracks to routes, or [create](./menu/file) a route file from the start.

</DocsNote>

### <MapPin size="16" class="inline-block" style="margin-bottom: 2px" /> Points of interest

**Points of interest** (technically called _waypoints_) represent locations of interest to show either on a GPS device or on a digital map.

In addition to its coordinates, a point of interest can have a **name** and a **description**.