Extract and analyze GPS data with Go

Programming Snapshot – GPS Analysis with Go

Article from Issue 256/2022
Author(s):

For running statistics on his recorded hiking trails, Mike Schilli turns to Go to extract the GPS data while relying on plotters and APIs for a bit of geoanalysis.

The GPX data of my hiking trails, which I recorded with the help of geotrackers and apps like Komoot [1], hold some potential for statistical analysis. On which days was I on the move, and when was I lazy? Which regions were my favorites for hiking, and in which regions on the world map did I cover the most miles?

No matter where the GPX files come from – whether recorded by a Garmin tracker or by an app like Komoot that lets you download the data from its website [2] – the recorded data just screams to be put through more or less intelligent analysis programs. For each hike or bike ride, the tours/ directory (Figure 1) contains one file in XML format (Figure 2). Each of these GPX files consists of a series of geodata recorded with timestamps. In each case, the data shows the longitude and latitude determined using GPS, from which, in turn, you can determine a point on the Earth's surface, visited at a given time.

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