GPSBabel

GPSBabel: Open Source GPS Coordinate Data Converter

Convert GPS coordinate data between over 100 file formats with GPSBabel, a free and open source software for transferring data between GPS devices, software programs, and web applications.

What is GPSBabel?

GPSBabel is a popular open source software application used to convert GPS coordinate data between a variety of different file formats. It supports over 100 file types, including those used by major GPS manufacturers like Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom as well as geospatial software packages like Google Earth, ArcGIS, and QGIS.

One of the main purposes of GPSBabel is to allow transferring data between different GPS devices or software programs. For example, you can use it to transfer waypoints, tracks, and routes from a Garmin handheld unit to a software package on your computer like Basecamp. It can handle file types like .gpx, .kml, .csv and many more.

In addition to format conversion, GPSBabel can also filter and transform GPS data in various ways during conversion. Some key features include simplifying tracks by removing points, changing timestamp formats, editing names/descriptions of waypoints, and splitting by date/time or distance. This allows adapting datasets to the requirements of different applications.

As an open source program, GPSBabel is free to use and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. It has an active community behind it which has enabled support for new GPS file specifications and software data formats as they emerge over time. The command line interface appeals to more advanced users while a GUI is also available.

GPSBabel Features

Official Links