GPSDump 4.3.4. Distance Calculations

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  • #78
    nxcl
    Participant

    <p>Can anyone advise on the method/algorithm(s) used by GPSDump 4.3.4 to calculate distances in its flight optimisations from .IGC data and output to its .kml file?</p>
    <p>In particular, how it derives distance for ‘Out-and-return distance’, ‘Flat tiangle’ and ‘FAI triangle’. Is it using 400m radius Cylinders, or other similar mechanism, in determining ‘Closed’ flight distances? If so, EXACTLY, how is final distance determined?</p>
    <p>Any info appreciated.
    </p>

    #372
    SteinS
    Participant

    I have used the rules at http://www.pgcomps.org.uk/. Note that for the FAI and flat triangle the direct distance between TP1 and TP3 is used, not the sum of the dotted lines. GpsDump does not calculate any scoring, just the distance. For the loop flights the gap distance is listed at the end of position C for the out-and-return and position E for the triangles in the statistics section.

    #373
    nxcl
    Participant

    Stein, Many thanks. I think that clarifies and confirms what I needed to know

    #379
    nxcl
    Participant

    Sorry, but another question on GPSDumps distance calculations.

    Could you clarify how GPSDump calculates distance between waypoints it reports in .kml output?

    Is it correct to assume GPSDump reports Great Circle Distances between waypoints using FAI Earth Radius of 6371kms?

    I use GSPTools to derive such GC distances, using the FAI’s radius of 6371kms but seem UNABLE to arrive at the exact same distances as GPSDump

    As an example between the following waypoints….

    Lat 51.742433 Lon -3.250483
    Lat 51.574400 Lon -2.229950

    GPSDump reports a distance of 73.05kms
    Where as GPSTools reports GC Distance of 72.8327 kms

    I’m unsure which is actually the correct answer, I suppose GPSDump is more likely to be correct, but I’m not sure why?

    Any thoughts you may have to shed light on this discepancy would be greatly appreciated

    Regards

    #380
    SteinS
    Participant

    I use Redfearn’s formulae with WGS84 values (semi major axis 6378.137kms, inverse flattening 298.257223563).

    #381
    nxcl
    Participant

    OK Stein, Thanks for that, I’ll check it out

    #386
    ste
    Member

    In FS Haversine is used with FAI’s radius.

    In FsFlight under Tools > Calc. dist it can be tried.

    For the above mentioned coordinates FsFlight get same dist as nxcl.

    Note that the various instrument makers (GPS or flight instruments) does not all use the same methods so what a pilot see in the display will more often than not be different from what FS or GpsDump reports.

    FS use a default errormargin of 0.5% (can be changed under Tools > Options) which should cover for any differences.

    Stein-Tore

    #387
    nxcl
    Participant

    OK Stein, thanks for the extra info.

    Regards
    TS

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