What is a waypoint
A waypoint represents a geographic position to which one or more pieces of information are associated. The coordinates identify the point on the ground, while the other data describe it and make it recognizable.
A waypoint can therefore represent any element that is significant for navigation or for analyzing the terrain: a summit, a pass, a shelter, a spring, a crossroads, a parking area, a viewpoint, or even a point where particular attention is required.
The value of a waypoint therefore depends not only on its coordinates, but also on the associated information. A point simply named "Point 1" is much less useful than a waypoint that clearly identifies the location and describes its characteristics.
Waypoints and POIs: what is the difference?
POI means Point of Interest, that is, a point of interest. The term is mainly used to indicate places or geographic features of interest, such as shelters, restaurants, stations, monuments, parking areas, or viewpoints.
The term waypoint is instead frequently used to indicate a point stored or created for a specific purpose during navigation. For example, a hiker can create a waypoint at a trail junction to use it as a reference during the route.
In practice, however, there is no absolute distinction: a POI can be used as a waypoint and a waypoint can represent a POI. Different software and devices may also use the two terms with slightly different meanings.
Which waypoints are useful to create
It is not necessary to record every feature found in the terrain. A good set of waypoints should mainly contain points that can be useful for orientation, route planning, or decision-making.
During a hike, summits, passes, cols, shelters, springs, parking areas, viewpoints, and trail junctions can be particularly useful.
It is also useful to create waypoints at points where it is easy to take the wrong direction, at delicate passages, or at possible escape routes. In this case, the waypoint does not necessarily represent an interesting place, but rather a useful reference for navigation and safety.
The choice of points therefore depends on the purpose of the collection: waypoints used for simple planning can be very different from those used to document a hike that has already been completed.
Information associated with a waypoint
In addition to coordinates and elevation, a waypoint can contain several descriptive fields. In the GPX format, these include the name, description, comment, source, links, symbol, and type.
These fields make it possible to separate the identification of the point from information describing its characteristics and any additional notes.
Name, description, and comment
The name should identify the waypoint quickly and unambiguously. The description can contain more detailed information about the location, while the comment can be used for additional notes, such as personal directions or information useful during planning.
A consistent structure makes it much easier to manage large collections of waypoints. For example, a point can have a short name to make it recognizable on the GPS and a description with more details to preserve information about the location.
How to choose waypoint names
An effective name should be short, clear, and consistent. Names such as "Point 1", "Point 2", or "WP003" can become difficult to interpret as the number of waypoints increases.
It is preferable to use names that make it immediately clear what the point represents or what its purpose is, such as "XYZ Shelter", "Trail junction", or "Spring".
When waypoints need to be transferred to different GPS devices, it is also advisable to consider any limitations on name length. Some devices may display only a limited number of characters.
Waypoints and hike planning
Waypoints can be created before setting out, during the planning phase. In this case, they are used to identify important points along the route in advance.
A GPS track describes where the route goes, while waypoints make it possible to describe what is located along the route or in its vicinity.
For example, a track can follow a trail for several kilometers while some waypoints identify junctions, springs, shelters, and viewpoints encountered along the route.
This distinction makes it possible to keep the route and the information accompanying it separate, making the data easier to reuse.
Creating Waypoints During a Hike
Waypoints do not necessarily have to be prepared before departure. During a hike, you can save the location of a feature that you consider interesting or useful for future reference.
A spring, a new trail junction, a viewpoint, an obstacle, or a particularly significant passage can be recorded directly on the ground.
In this way, a collection of waypoints can grow over time and become a personal archive of geographic information that can be used to plan new hikes.
Waypoints and Navigation in the Field
Waypoints can also be used as references during navigation. Their position can be compared with the map and with what you actually observe on the ground.
This approach is particularly useful when using a topographic map and GPS together. Characteristic points can provide additional information for checking your position and better understanding the terrain.
To learn more about using a map, compass, and GPS together, see the article How to Navigate with a Map and GPS.
Organizing a Waypoint Collection
As the number of waypoints increases, it becomes important to adopt a consistent organizational structure. Points can be grouped by type, geographic area, hike, or purpose.
For example, a personal collection can separately contain shelters, springs, summits, passes, parking areas, and viewpoints. Another option is to maintain separate collections for the different areas where you regularly go hiking.
Good organization makes it possible to reuse waypoints in multiple routes without having to recreate them each time.
Displaying Many Waypoints
When a collection contains many points concentrated in the same area, the display can become cluttered and make the map difficult to read.
Some software uses clustering to temporarily group nearby waypoints. This keeps the map more readable and allows the group to be explored to access individual points.
Clustering is particularly useful when displaying large collections of POIs, for example from geographic databases or services such as OpenStreetMap.
Waypoints and the GPX Format
The GPX format is one of the main formats used for exchanging GPS data and allows waypoints to be transferred between different software and devices.
Fields defined by the GPX standard, such as name, description, comment, link, symbol, and type, generally offer greater interoperability than additional information introduced by individual programs.
This means that a waypoint can be transferred correctly from one software application to another while preserving the main information, but there is no guarantee that every additional piece of information will be recognized or preserved by the destination program.
Additional Information Managed by OkMap
In addition to the fields provided by the GPX format, OkMap supports numerous extensions that allow additional information to be associated with waypoints and their display on the map to be controlled in greater detail.
The most important information includes the position bitmap, the photograph associated with the waypoint, and the label attributes. Information relating to visibility, selection, and the graphical representation of the point is also available.
Symbol and Position Bitmap
It is important to distinguish the symbol from the position bitmap. The symbol is a descriptive value selected from a predefined list, based on the set of symbols used by Garmin devices.
The position bitmap, on the other hand, is an actual image used by OkMap to graphically represent the waypoint on the map. You can use the default bitmap configured under Preferences - Waypoints or associate a different bitmap with an individual waypoint.
The distinction is therefore particularly important when transferring data to other software: the symbol represents waypoint information, while the position bitmap is a graphical element specific to its representation in OkMap.
Photographs
OkMap also allows a photograph to be associated with a waypoint. This feature is particularly useful during hikes because it allows you to store an image of a summit, shelter, viewpoint, trail junction, or any other significant feature together with its location.
A waypoint with a photograph can also be represented on the map using a small photo preview instead of the position bitmap. In this way, the photograph becomes directly part of the representation of the point on the map.
OkMap also retains the reference to the original photograph, which can be displayed at its full size. The preview stored in the waypoint therefore allows immediate visualization on the map, while the original photograph remains available for more detailed viewing.
Label Attributes
OkMap extensions also include label attributes, which allow further control over how waypoint information is represented on the map.
Among other things, it is possible to manage label visibility and customize its graphical characteristics, making the representation clearer even when many waypoints are present.
Proximity Circle
OkMap also allows you to associate a proximity circle with a waypoint, whose display and graphical characteristics can be configured. This can be useful for graphically representing an area of interest around the point.
Compatibility with GPS Devices
To improve compatibility with GPS devices that impose limitations on name length, OkMap allows you to configure the maximum number of characters for the name under Preferences - Waypoints. The default value is 10 characters, a choice also intended to maintain compatibility with some GPS devices, including certain Garmin models.
When waypoints need to be transferred to a specific device, it is therefore advisable to check which fields, symbols, and name lengths are supported by the device itself.
GPS Measurement Technical Information
A waypoint can also contain technical information related to GPS positioning, in addition to the data needed to identify the location. This information can be useful especially for analyzing the conditions under which the point was recorded.
The data managed by OkMap include, for example, magnetic variation, geoid height, the fix type, the number of satellites, and HDOP, VDOP and PDOP values, as well as the DGPS code when available.
This information is more technical and is not normally necessary for simply using a waypoint, but it can be useful when you want to analyze the original GPS data in greater detail.