Traces are GPS track recordings that capture a path through space — a hike, a drive, a journey on foot. They represent movement as a geographic narrative, showing not just where you were but the route you took to get there.
Traces are uploaded in GPX format, the standard GPS exchange format supported by most tracking apps and GPS devices. To upload a trace, navigate to the Traces section in your admin panel and select your GPX file.
The system parses the track points from the file and stores them as a geographic linestring using PostGIS, preserving the full fidelity of the recorded path.
Once uploaded, traces appear as lines drawn on the Atlas map, showing the exact path recorded. This gives visitors a visual sense of the journey and the terrain covered.
Signals captured along a trace route can be linked to that trace, creating a connection between the path traveled and the media recorded along the way. This transforms a simple GPS track into an annotated journey — a walk illustrated by photographs, audio recordings, or video captured in the moment.
A trace is more than raw GPS data. It tells the story of a journey through a landscape. When combined with signals, places, and AI-generated analysis, traces become rich geographic narratives that preserve not just where you went but what you encountered along the way.