GPX (GPS track)
Also known as: .gpx file, GPS Exchange Format, GPS track file
GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is an XML format for GPS data — recorded tracks, routes, and waypoints. It is the universal way fitness apps, hiking devices, and navigation tools store and share where you went.
- XML format for GPS tracks, routes, and waypoints
- Universal across fitness apps and GPS devices
- Plain text; converts to KML or GeoJSON
What GPX records
A .gpx file is XML holding three kinds of geographic data: waypoints (single marked points), routes (planned sequences of points), and tracks (the actual recorded path, with timestamps and often elevation).
It is the lingua franca of GPS: a run logged in one fitness app exports as GPX and imports into another, and hiking GPS units read and write it directly.
Files and storage
GPX is plain text you can open in any editor, and you can convert it to KML or GeoJSON for mapping tools. A long activity with frequent track points makes a larger file, but it is still small overall.
Because GPX files are tiny, they cost almost no storage. They are easy to archive as a record of routes and activities.