Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Joe Asks. . .
What Is GPX?
GPX stands for GPS Exchange Format. It's a lightweight XML for-
mat for interchanging your GPS data between applications,
both on the desktop and the Web. GPX can handle way-
points, tracks, and routes. Using the GPX format, you can easily
exchange your data between a host of GPS and GIS applica-
tions. QGIS directly supports the GPX format using the GPS data
provider that is included with all versions of QGIS. For a list of
applications that can work with the GPX format, take a look at
the TopoGrafix website.
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Downloading Data from Your GPS
OK, so we assume you have your GPS hooked up to the computer with
your interface cable and the unit is powered on. For now we'll also
assume that it's a Garmin, because the plugin is set up for that already.
Downloading from your GPS is easy. Just click the Download from GPS
tab, and select the port your interface cable is using. The port names
will vary depending on your operating system. Usually you'll find the
appropriate port in the drop-down list.
Since QGIS is feature oriented, you have to specify whether you are
downloading waypoints, routes, or tracks. Just choose what you want
from the drop-down box.
When you download from your GPS, QGIS creates a new layer and also
saves the data in a new GPX file. For it to do that, you have to provide an
output filename and a name for the layer. Keep an eye on the big gray
OK button in the bottom-right corner. Once you fill in all the required
information, it will turn green, meaning you are ready to go.
When you click OK, the data is pulled from the GPS unit and stored
on disk, and a new layer is added to the QGIS map canvas. Repeat
the process to fetch each of the feature types you want to download
can see our GPS data added to the map. To make it more interesting,
we've added the world mosaic raster and the
world_borders
shapefile as
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