Most people who track outdoor activities with a GPS app or device look at the map view and the summary statistics (distance, time, elevation) and stop there. The data in a GPS track contains significantly more information than that, and over multiple activities it becomes a genuinely powerful planning and program management resource. This is how to get more out of it.
What a GPS Track Actually Contains
A GPS track is a series of data points recorded at regular intervals. Each point contains latitude, longitude, elevation (from the GPS or from a barometric altimeter if the device has one), and the time of recording. From these data points, a good tracking app calculates: total distance, moving time and stopped time, average and maximum speed, total elevation gain and loss, and the elevation profile of the route. The raw track file (usually GPX format) contains all of this data and can be imported into mapping platforms for analysis.
Pace Analysis
Looking at your pace (time per kilometre or km/h) across the duration of a walk or paddle tells you where the activity was hard. Sections where pace dropped significantly correspond to steep terrain, difficult ground, strong headwinds, or points where the group needed to rest or regroup. Comparing pace data for the same route done at different times of year or in different conditions shows you how conditions affect performance. A walk you have done three times with the same group will show consistent slow spots in the same places, which tells you something real about that terrain for your group.
Elevation Data and Route Planning
The elevation profile from a completed walk is one of the most useful inputs to future planning for similar routes. If you walked a route with 780m of total elevation gain and it took the group seven and a half hours including breaks, you have a specific data point for planning future routes with similar elevation profiles. Generic planning tools use Naismith's Rule (one hour per 600m elevation gain added to the flat pace estimate) as a starting point. Your own group's data, calibrated to their actual performance over multiple activities, is more accurate for your specific group in typical conditions.
The LogsKeptSimple App
The LogsKeptSimple app tracks GPS on your phone using the device's built-in GPS receiver. It works offline and does not require mobile coverage during the activity. The track is recorded continuously and can be uploaded to the LogsKeptSimple platform after the activity when coverage is available. The platform then presents the data with distance, elevation profile, pace analysis, and the track on a map. Multiple tracks can be overlaid and compared, which is useful for comparing the same route under different conditions or tracking how a group's performance on a standard route changes over a program.
Sharing Tracks for Planning
A recorded GPS track of a route gives future leaders who are planning the same activity a more accurate baseline than a map-derived distance estimate. If the track from a previous activity shows a 14.2km actual distance with 850m elevation gain and a group time of 6.5 hours, a leader planning the same route with a similar group has a specific and reliable starting point. Sharing tracks within an organisation through LogsKeptSimple builds a library of route data that is far more useful for planning than commercial trail guides.
Tracking in Different Activity Types
GPS tracking is directly applicable to walking, hiking, cycling, and paddling. For vertical activities (abseiling, canyoning), the GPS track is less useful as a primary record because the horizontal distance covered is small and the significant data is the vertical component, timing of specific sections, and notes on conditions and gear. For these activities, the GPS track supplements a more detailed manual log entry. For aquatic activities, phone GPS is limited by the need to keep the device dry, but a GPS device in a sealed case can track a paddling session effectively.
