Intent and observation
A plan says where someone intends to go. A recording says where positions were observed.
A planned GPX normally begins with choices made on a map: start here, follow this network, finish there. Its geometry may be drawn manually or calculated along mapped paths. A recorded GPX begins with position samples collected during movement and retains the imperfections, stops and gaps of that observation process.
Both can be represented as a GPX track. The official format calls a track an ordered list of points describing a path; it does not require those points to come from a receiver. Likewise, a recorder or converter could write data into a route element.
The element name alone therefore does not prove provenance.
Useful clues
Shape, timing and metadata can suggest an origin without certifying it.
- Point timestampsA changing sequence is consistent with a recording, but a planner can generate times and an export can strip real ones.
- Small lateral noiseA trace wandering around a path can reflect observed GPS positions. Smoothing or map matching can remove that clue.
- Clean path alignmentA line centred neatly on mapped ways often suggests planning or snapping, but recorded data can be snapped after capture.
- Track segmentsBreaks can preserve reception loss or a stopped recorder. Editors and exporters can also create or remove segments.
- Creator and source textThese fields may name the writing software or data source. They are optional text, not a chain of custody.
No single clue is decisive. Editing, converting and re-exporting can make a recorded line look planned or a plan look recorded.
Choose by purpose
Navigation and activity analysis ask different things of the geometry.
A planned route can be easier to follow because it expresses the intended path cleanly and includes deliberate start and finish points. It may still be wrong where the map data, access assumptions or planner choice were wrong.
A recorded track shows where the source device reported positions. That is valuable evidence of a previous passage, but it can include diversions, private stops, GPS drift or an accidental wrong turn. Following it blindly can reproduce all of those.
For analysis, the original recording is usually the richer source when it retains timestamps and elevations. For future navigation, a reviewed planned copy may be clearer. Neither type proves current access or present conditions.
Recorded does not mean recommended. Planned does not mean verified.
Prepare the right copy
Preserve provenance, then make the route fit its next job.
- Keep
Retain the source file with its metadata.
A clean navigation copy should not replace the original record or plan.
- Name
Label plan and recording clearly.
A filename and description can prevent somebody treating an observed detour as the recommended route.
- Overlay
Compare the geometry with a current map.
Review junctions, gaps, wrong turns and places where a recorded trace leaves the intended network.
- Trim
Remove private start and finish detail when sharing.
Work on a copy and check that timestamps or waypoints do not reveal the same location another way.
- Prepare
Import and inspect the final navigation file.
The GPX preparation guide covers the last checks before use.
Sources & scope
What this answer is based on.
The schema defines routes and tracks by structure, not by whether a person planned or recorded them. Provenance judgements therefore remain evidence-based and conditional.