GPS Measuring and Mapping

In the past decade or so, GPS technology has become an eminently useful tool for the distance runner. I (Ross) got involved with the technology a year or two after taking over co-administration of the series in 1994. I wanted to make maps of our routes with reasonably accurate distance and climb estimates. Part of this was to validate the estimates we had been using since the original routes were laid out by Ken Young. However, as the series has evolved, we’ve added a number of new routes, often on trails that have been built within the past few years. I should explain that the “bible” for outdoor enthusiasts in Southern Arizona is the series of 4 maps created for the Santa Catalinas, the Rincons, the Santa Ritas, and the Chiricahuas. Pioneers led by Eber Glendening of the Southern Arizona Hiking Club put together the topographic maps for each range and marked the trails in red with distance estimates. These are the maps Ken used when he created the series in the 1970s. Although the maps are still being updated and republished, there are trails not yet on the maps. And if you’re using the computer mapping software I use that’s based on digitized US Geological Survey topo maps, none of the newer trails are shown, and the old routes have often been changed.

The easiest way to make a map of a route is to run it with a good GPS tracking your movements, then import it into your favorite computer mapping software. In these pages I’ll explain what I’ve learned and share useful tools and tricks. I’m not a geographer or GPS technical expert, but I have some professional background in measuring and monitoring. I’ll try and keep the focus on the practical with some gory detail where appropriate. I should also mention my bias is toward getting reasonable estimates of distance and climb that are useful to runners planning a to attempt a route, not course certification. I’ll still try to shed some light on accuracy issues that can help would-be course certifiers.

This page has the following sub pages.

• GPS Accuracy–It’s all guesswork!
• What the heck is a GPS?
• GPS–Making Maps
• GPS Accuracy–Where’s Your GPS Been?