Mapping Software and Websites

PC-based mapping software e.g. Memory-Map, Anquet, Tracklogs Digital Mapping (not to be confused with GPS tracklogs)

Web-based mapping software e.g. Google Maps, bikehike, RideWithGPS, GPSies, MapMyRide, BikeRouteToaster etc.

These can be useful and easy-to-use tools for drawing routes. Most calculate a climbing figure too.

Some are useful for contour-counting because you can display an OS map and zoom in closely on tricky bits.

The climbing figures produced by the various software products can differ quite markedly from each other and can be significantly higher or lower than a contour count-based figure. Routes going through steep-sided valleys (e.g. Wales, the Pennines, the South West) or woodland seem particularly prone to variation. See my comments below. Any such climbing figures should be referred to the AAA Man for verification before using them for AAA purposes.

A preferred alternative having drawn the route is to export it as a gpx file and forward it to the AAA Man for assessment.

Routes drawn in Google Maps can be converted to gpx files via the GPS Visualiser website. Use the "Convert a File" page, copy and paste the Google Maps url into the box labelled "Or provide the URL of a file on the Web:", select the GPX Output File format, then click on "Convert".

From 2017 onwards, two websites are being standardised on for assessing climbing. These are in the public domain, freely accessible to all members planning a DIY by GPS, or wanting to check their tracklog from a ride, or organisers planning calendar events and perms. And if we all use them, climbing figures will be consistent for all events and DIYs

Use Bikehike.co.uk for GB routes and tracklogs. Load routes and tracklogs in the form of gpx files on the Course Creator page. Then click on the option to Resample Elevation Data. This is essential to get an acceptable figure. The resampled elevation figure has generally been found to give results similar to a contour count. Note that loading a gpx file to bikehike that’s bigger than 2 MB results in an “Upload Error: 1” message, and the file isn’t processed, so it may be necessary to reduce its size first. Memory Map and Garmin Basecamp will both do this, as no doubt will other app’s.

Use RidewithGPS.com for non-GB tracklogs. Load them in the form of gpx file by clicking on the Upload button. Do NOT click on the “Replace Elevation Data” button. The elevations in the tracklog give reasonable results for all but poor quality tracklogs, of which there are a couple of examples lower down the page.

There may also be an occasional need for a climbing figure for a non-GB route. The best website found for this is GPSies.com, which generally produces an acceptable figure. Click on the Create button, and either draw the route or upload it. A variety of formats are acceptable.

Websites that Give Good Climbing Figures

I sometimes get asked if I can recommend a website that gives good climbing figures.

As it happens, I’ve been looking at websites and one piece of Windows software on and off since 2014.

I’ve drawn routes and loaded tracklogs of actual rides to see if I get a climbing figure that’s suitable for AAA. ‘Suitable’ means a little more or less than the figure I’ve worked out by contour-counting, by using the AUK tracklog validation software, and/or by applying a bit of practical experience gained from staring at the profiles of hundreds of events and thousands of DIYs over the last ten years or so.

There is of course no such thing as an accurate climbing figure, it’s all a matter of interpretation, not to mention fractals – “the amount of climbing depends on the method used to measure it”. So my AAA climbing figures are as right or as wrong as any other climbing figures, but hopefully they are consistently right or wrong.

Here are some comments, which I’ll add to as and when.

So far I’ve ignored websites which charge money to provide a climbing figure, although you do have to buy an OS map to use the Windows software I looked at.

One word of warning. I’ve found out the hard way that a website’s climbing calculations can change over time. For example, GPSies changed completely in late 2015, and Strava “are always working on improving our elevation data sets and algorithms”. These assessments were all checked out in August and September 2016, but by the time you read them, they may well be out of date.

In these comments:
“Slightly more/less” means within 4% of the AAA figure
“A little more/less” means within 8%
“Higher/lower” means within 25%
“Much higher/ lower” means within 50%
“A lot higher/lower” means not within 50%

Conclusions

So far I’ve not found a website whose climbing figures I can recommend without reservation. These are the best:

GB routes: bikehike and GPSies, but see the comments below.

Rest of Europe routes: GPSies.

GB tracklogs: bikehike, with the ‘Resample Elevation Data’ option selected, or GPSies, but see the comments below.

Rest of Europe tracklogs: RideWithGPS, but see the comments below.

Tracklogs Digital Mapping

This software runs on Windows PC’s, and you have to buy OS mapping to use if after the free trial has expired, which can be expensive. It uses the OS digital elevation model.

GB routes: it’s no good for drawing routes because there’s no follow-road option. But I imported routes drawn on the bikehike website, and with the ‘GPS Recorded Data’ option selected it gives a climbing figure that is slightly more or less than the AAA figure and is good enough for AAA.

Rest of Europe routes: using the above method, the climbing figure is too high for AAA.

GB and Rest of Europe tracklogs: with the ‘GPS Recorded Data’ option selected, it gives climbing figures that are a little more or less than the AAA figure, but acceptable, except where the data in the tracklog is very poor quality (see below).

Bikehike

You can draw routes on bikehike and load tracklogs. There’s an option to show elevation data.

• GB Routes: a little more or less than the AAA figure, especially in the north of Scotland, and SW and SE England, but acceptable.
• Rest of Europe routes: much higher than the AAA figure, and not acceptable.

GB tracklogs

Using elevation data from the GPX file, results were too variable for AAA. With the ‘Resample Elevation Data’ option, results can be a little more or less than AAA figures, but near enough to be acceptable. There appears to be a 2MB limit on uploads to the website, so tracklogs may need to have extraneous data removed before uploading.

Rest of Europe tracklogs

Too variable for AAA (the ‘Resample Elevation Data’ option didn’t appear to work).

Garmin Connect

You can draw routes on the Garmin Connect website (‘courses’ in Garmin-speak) and load Garmin tracklogs (‘activities’) but not other brands of tracklog.

• GB and Rest of Europe routes: Annoyingly, the website shows a nice gradient profile but doesn’t give a climbing figure (‘it wouldn’t be accurate’, according to Garmin’s comments on various user forums).
• GB and Rest of Europe tracklogs: generally lower than the AAA figure, sometimes much lower, and occasionally much higher (with or without elevation corrections enabled). No obvious pattern to the variations. Too variable for AAA.

Strava

You can draw routes and load tracklogs, and get an elevation profile and climbing figure (‘elevation’ according to Strava).

• GB routes: generally a little more than AAA figures, but acceptable if adjusted down by 5%.
• Rest of Europe routes: much more than AAA figures and not acceptable.
• GB tracklogs: Generally lower than AAA figures, sometimes much lower, and occasionally slightly higher. No obvious pattern. Too variable for AAA.
• Rest of Europe tracklogs: Generally higher than AAA figures, and occasionally much higher. Too variable for AAA.

RideWithGPS

• GB routes: generally a little less than AAA figures, occasionally lower, but acceptable if adjusted up by 5%.
• Rest of Europe routes: lower or higher than AAA figures. Too variable for AAA.
• GB and Rest of Europe tracklogs: generally a little more or less than AAA figures, except where the data in the tracklog is very poor quality (see below), and rather bizarrely for Devon and Cornwall where results are higher or lower than the AAA figures. Acceptable for AAA, except for Devon and Cornwall. The option to Replace Elevation Data generally gave worse results and is not acceptable.

GPSies

You can draw routes and load tracklogs, and get a basic altitude profile and a total climb figure. The option to recalculate altitude made little or no difference.

• GB and Rest of Europe routes: generally slightly more or less than AAA figures, sometimes a little more or less, and acceptable for AAA.
• GB tracklogs: generally a little more or less than AAA figures, apart from two which were higher for no obvious reason. Acceptable for AAA, but if the climbing figure looks high, then check it some other way.
• Rest of Europe tracklogs: either a little more than AAA figures or higher, with no obvious pattern. Too variable for AAA.

MapMyRide

You can draw routes and load tracklogs, and get a basic elevation profile and a “gain” figure. Both are saved as routes. Gain is recalculated when a route is edited, usually being reduced.

• GB and Rest of Europe routes: can be a little higher or lower than AAA figures, and too variable to be acceptable.
• GB tracklogs: a little less or lower than AAA figures, occasionally higher, and too variable to be acceptable.
  Rest of Europe tracklogs: higher or much higher than AAA figures, and too variable to be acceptable, even after editing.

BikeRouteToaster

• GB and Rest of Europe routes: In 2015 I managed to draw a couple of routes with difficulty before giving up, and the climbing figures were much lower than AAA. In 2016 I could only draw a route with the “follow road” option unchecked, so I gave up.
• GB and Rest of Europe tracklogs: In 2015 I could import tracklogs, and there was an “adjust height” option, and also an option to smooth elevation data by a variable amount. Results were very variable compared to AAA figures. In 2016 I could still import tracklogs, still with very variable results, but could not get the “adjust height” and smooth options to work.
  There is a note on the website to say that as of July 2016, direct tile access to MapQuest (where it gets its routing and elevation information from) has been discontinued.

routevalidator.com

This is the new AUK website for validating DIY by GPS events. It accepts an ‘intended GPX’ and an ‘actual GPX/TCX’, and gives a climbing figure for both (it says based on a contour count for the intended GPX, and using elevations from the tracklog for the actual GPX).

You can’t draw a route on the website, but I loaded routes drawn on bikehike in order to get a climbing figure (loaded as both intended and actual GPX files to get the Intended climbing figure). Actual tracklogs were processed the same way, to get the actual Total Recorded climb.

The website uses the same algorithm for actual tracklogs that the AUK ValidateGPX software uses, which was developed for DIY by GPS validation in 2010, and so shares the same weaknesses.

• GB routes: In all but three cases, higher than AAA figures. The three exceptions were much higher. Not acceptable for AAA.
• Rest of Europe routes: No climbing figure given.
• GB and Rest of Europe tracklogs: Two-thirds of tracklogs a little more or less than AAA figures. Half of the remainder higher or lower, the other half much higher. Too variable for AAA.