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Is there anything that modern GPS devices do to accurately measure distance travelled?

 

To clarify: I might have this wrong but, as far as I understand things, a GPS can only measure where it thinks it is each x seconds. On each of those reading there is going to be some inaccuracy. If you're walking down a straight track then that inaccuracy is going to mean that sometimes it thinks you're to the left of the track, sometimes to the right, and sometimes on. If the 'distance travelled' function just simply measures distance between those points then effectively it's going to be measuring your general route, but with a lot of zigzagging from one side to the other. That's going to lead to a measurement that is too high.

 

Do devices have some adjustment built in to the software that takes account of that? Does that change depending on what device you have?

 

Or I am I missing something obvious?

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So it adds distance to the left or right. But it would also not count for distance you traveled left or right of the trail between measurements.

 

Anything can have some form of error. The best thing would probably be several gps units, and average the total distance of each.

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