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Tracks and Routes

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Overviewโ€‹

OsmAnd has many powerful features to display various routes on the map. Routes could be built as part of Navigation, created via Plan Route, imported as GPX tracks, recorded via Trip Recording plugin or browsed and selected from OpenStreetMap data.

Type of routes on the mapโ€‹

OsmAnd can display several different type of routes:

  1. Tracks (GPX) - recorded or planned trip saved in GPX-format. This kind of route could be imported from the external source, created in the application or recorded by user. GPX could contain one of 3 different types of data or all of them:
    • Track as a line - file has <trkpt> points array, each point has location and optionally time, speed, altitude and other attributes. These tracks are displayed on the map as solid lines.
    • Track as a route - file has <rtept> points array, each point described as an intermediate point of the route. It depends on how points within a route should be connected either as small route segments or via straight line. These tracks are displayed on the map as dashed lines.
    • Waypoints - file has <wpt> points with attributes. Waypoints are displayed as circular points on the map. You could click on them to get additional information.
  2. Navigation Route - a route line displayed during navigation. By default this is a solid transparent blue line, though default appearance depends on vector map style, day & night mode. It's also possible to fully customize it on Android.
  3. Routes and route networks on the map - special objects on the map from OpenStreetMap data and provided with standard vector maps. They typically represent popular local routes and could be displayed in many ways (shields, color, thickness, pattern). To use these types of routes you will need to enable them on the map.

Read more about GPX Tracks.

Tracksโ€‹

OsmAnd provides the ability to record and display tracks. This allows you to get location, movement, distance, altitude and travel time data and analyze track data.

Display tracks on the mapโ€‹

OsmAnd allows you to view tracks on a map. Each point on the track corresponds to a specific location and contains information about time, speed and altitude. This allows you to visually assess the route, learn about the places you have visited and estimate the difficulty of the route by changes in altitude.

You can choose which tracks to show on the map and which to hide. You can do this in the My Places menu, the Configure map menu, when saving a track in the Plan a route tool, or with Route Details.

Tracks on the map Android Tracks on the map iOS

Tracks in Configure map menuโ€‹

Menu โ†’ Configure map โ†’ Show โ†’ Tracks

Tracks and Routes Tracks and Routes

Tracks in My Places menuโ€‹

Menu โ†’ My Places โ†’ Tracks โ†’ โ‹ฎ โ†’ Show on map or "Map" button for choosing multiple tracks.

Tracks my places Android

Track Appearanceโ€‹

note
Some parameters you can use only with Pro feature OsmAnd Pro subscribers.

In the OsmAnd application, you can apply some settings by changing the appearance of the tracks, to better identify them on the map.

There are three ways to access the Track Appearance menu:

  • Go to the My Places menu and tap on any available track in the list (Menu โ†’ My Places โ†’ Tracks), select the Appearance icon in the Track Context menu in the Overview section.
  • Tap the needed track on the map and select the Appearance icon in the Overview section.
  • Select Appearance from the track recording context menu.
  • Go to Menu โ†’ Configure map โ†’ Tracks โ†’ โ‹ฎ โ†’ Change appearance for the tracks you have selected to be displayed on the map.

Track menu options Android Track menu Appearance Android

Direction arrows - select the interval at which distance or time stamps are displayed on the track.
Track menu Appearance direction arrows Android
Show start and finish icons - allows you to select whether or not to show the start and end icons of track segments.
Track menu Appearance start and finish icons Android
Color - allows to display the track line in any color and transparency, or select coloring according to the map legend. If necessary data on the track sections are missing, such sections are displayed in gray color.
1. Color: Solid, Speed and Altitude are free color settings. If Speed and Altitude are not active, it means that the track does not contain this data.
2. ย Color: Slope, Road type, Surface, Smoothness, Winter and ice roads, Surface, Difficulty of horse trails are paid color settings. A detailed description of these settings can be found in the Map screen during navigation page, specifically in the Route line appearance section.
Track menu Appearance Track color Android Appearance Track color Android
Width - allows you to select the line width depending on the width of the road or if you want to strongly emphasize the route line on the map, Thin, Medium and Bold. In Custom, you can select the preferred line width using the slider.
Track menu Appearance Track Thickness Android
Split interval - select the interval at which distance or time stamps are displayed on the track.
Track menu Appearance Split interval Split interval
Join gaps - the gaps between segments will be connected.
Reset to original - resets all settings to default values.

Analyze Track on Mapโ€‹

This tool allows you to view track information with graphs and a map.

Tap the track โ†’ Options โ†’ Analyze on map

Track menu analyze on map Android Track menu analize on the map distance Android

Track menu analyze on map 3 Android Track menu analyze on map 5 Android

  • Graph data (Y-axis): Altitude, Slope, Speed or their combinations (if data is available in the track).
  • Graph dimension (X-axis): Distance / Time / Time of day.
  • Tap/Slide: tap to Graph for showing info about track point and moving along Graph highlights point location on the map and displays info about point on the bar.
  • Scale: scale Graph by two fingers gesture.
  • Follow My location: click button My Location, so map view and graph is synchronized with your location. In that case graph scale will stay constant and bar information will be fixed to 1/4 from the left. As you move, graph will slide from left to right displaying information Ahead of your Track. This functionality is useful for hiking & cycling during navigation, though this screen doesn't have other widgets displayed.

Navigation route is a solid line prepared by Route Preparation process. It is displayed during Navigation or during Route preparation step.

Route on the map Android Route on the map iOS

Routes on the mapโ€‹

OsmAnd can highlight routes present on OpenStreetMap. They are selectable by clicking on the route shield or with the right configuration of a visible set of routes, it's possible to follow the route by color & shields. You can create a track on top of the routes using Plan Route functionality.

Android Menu โ†’ Configure map โ†’ Map rendering โ†’ Routes

Configure Map Routes section

Map routes - hiking osmcMap routes - cycle-node-networks

Save as a Trackโ€‹

Hiking / Cycling / Travel routes are clickable. Just tap the route symbol, get full route information and download the GPX file for the selected route. (Routes are marked on the map with OSMC symbols.)

Clicking on a shield (OSMC symbols) proposes to choose the nearest routes.

Routes on the ground

Choosing the route opens Track Context menu:

Routes on the ground

You can view the route, and its relief, download it as a GPX-file, edit it with "Plan route" tool and even start navigation along it:

  • look at Route info (Distance, Uphill, Downhill, Altitude range, Route name, Network, Operator, etc.).

Routes on the ground

  • looking at Altitude Graph, Analyze on map, Share like GPX-file and etc.

Routes on the ground

  • download the route like GPX-file:

By taping to Download button. After that, you can do any actions with this GPX-file (navigation, change viewing, modifying by "Route plan" tool and etc).

Routes on the ground Routes on the ground

Read moreโ€‹