I was expecting more from the new GPS Export feature

I have been using Street & Trips since 2002 and with the GPX export was hoping for more. Microsoft Streets and Trips 2010 export GPX will only export route points and no voids and no GPS tracks. Reading the help will only import tracks and will not export tracks. The Voids are much better than waypoints because this confuses people and think this is a stop or a point of interest. Voids also solve the problem of the GPS showing the next stop as a waypoint.

Conclusion: Import GPX in most cases will not be the route planned or traveled.

The tips was interesting about route and blank “Bogus” Stops.

Looks like the GPX format does not support the time duration at a stop. All you stops times and overnight stays no longer exist.

This first cut at it is pretty basic, for sure. But it's a start and it is already providing a lot of value for many users. We can only hope that Microsoft listens to the requests and extends what the GPX import and export can do in subsequent versions. At least now we have an alternative to having to try to convert .EST files through products like GPS Babel which are also useful but also have their limitations.

...ken...

Without doubt, some of the richness of a route thoughtfully compiled in S&T 2010 using many of the app's features gets lost in a GPX export. It is still best just to save the *.est file.

*.est is by far the best. Someday GPX standard will be enhanced to support what S&T has.

Yes, that works if you are the only one to use it. The problem comes up when you want to share it with someone who may only have a personal navigation device. That's the main reason people like the GPX export function so they can share routes with others who may not have Streets&Trips.

Given that sharing routes and waypoints is the most likely use of GPX export/import I can understand why Microsoft is being careful how much detail to convert, just in case the receiving unit doesn't know how to deal with some of the stuff that S&T does.

For instance, Garmin units would have no idea how to deal with stop durations. Garmin doesn't even treat them as "stops". They are just routepoints, eg. points along the way that force the direction of the route to go through them. Garmin planning software and GPS devices have no concept of stopping at points along a route.

...ken...

GPX standard could have attributes for stop durations and the Garmin would just through that attribute away because it did not understand. I am thinking this is what the XML standard is about.
I sure more attribute will be added in the future when the parties agree on the attributes.

Good point.

No need to guess about what is in and what is not in GPX. Refer to the GPX standard: GPX 1.1 Schema Documentation

The GPX file format is only at version 1.1. That's because it was developed in 2002, and the last modification was in 2004. The main problem is that GPX is a de facto standard, and even worse, a standard created by a single company. There's no standards body meeting regularly to decide on improvements, as there is for, say, HTML.

To see any improvements in GPX, we would need one of these companies to take the initiative and get the interested parties together.

That having been said, GPX 1.1 is sufficient for the application mentioned (stopping over). No changes to the standard are required. You simply list the waypoint/point twice, with two different times. The fact that you haven't moved between those two time points indicates that you've stopped over.

Thanks very much for the insight of what going on and history! I hope that a standards body is formed. I like this about waypoint/point twice.
The only thing I was able discover was web location of the schema documentation but devices only support some of the types like S&T 2010 will import trkTYPE but does not export the GPS tracks. I need to make sure to stay with the lowest supported functions.

I am trying to make group road trips more enjoyable for everyone with so many people today purchasing GPS navigations systems.

What are 'voids'?

If you create a route in Garmin's Mapsource planning program and save it as a GPX file, there will be all the routepoints ("stops"), just as in the same file saved from Streets&Trips. But Mapsource will have a load of additional entries to cover all of the turns between the stops. Those are the "voids" bj is refering to.

I've attached a sample GPX file of a really simple route between to stops created in Mapsource so you can see what a full route file contains, if you're interested.

...ken...

Attached Files

TEST.gpx (4.9 KB, 278 views)

I should of used the word avoid area (S&T) not voids.
Example is the before and after gif pictures: Say you are traveling from Chilliwack to Kelowna Canada and you like to travel by way of the E. C. Manning Provincial Park. You are required to put another stop (waypoint) or you can in S&T put avoids area (for Hwy 5).

Sometimes S&T require a number of stops (waypoints) to travel the route desired but a void (S&T avoid area) will not show on the route.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Ah, I see, Ken. S&T ignores all those voids and forces one to create a route from the menu of Stops only.

I would like to see S&T move towards a more complete Import/Export regime for GPX so that all these sorts of things are dealt with to create a true import/export functionality.

Coincidentally, I was amused to see the map that pops up in S&T from this GPX file was centered (more or less) on the Sandman Hotel where I stayed over night last year!

Thanks!