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Just curious.
I've been looking at Strava for help locating tracks locally. I have been riding some new-to-me tracks and looking for connections to other tracks. Using the heat map to see where others have been, I have noticed that some tracks I have ridden and posted on Strava don't show up on the heat map. So my question - what is the minimum number of times a track needs to be ridden before it shows on the heat map?
I'd guess it needs multiple different people to ride it as that way it avoids people riding on their own private land showing up as a track on the heatmap.
If you zoom right in you can see that the lines are made of points. I assume these are the individual GPS points recorded by devices. It also scales the brightness of lines depending on what else is on the screen.
This means that if you are zoomed out in a busy area then the quieter tracks aren't very visible, they are overwhelmed by the busy ones and roads; however if you zoom right in you can see pretty much everything.
There has to be some grading of how many people regularly use those routes or every road and trail in the country would show up on the heat map rendering it useless.
When you zoom right in it does appear to show individual passes but I guess this may just be a quirk of the algorithm.
It must just be showing a subset of traces, popular routes will have had 1000s of traces over them.
Once. I can see some tracks on the heat map that I know I’m probably the only person who’s been that way.
It's possible that you're not contributing to the heatmaps (Settings -> Privacy Controls -> Metro and Heatmap).
There has to be some grading of how many people regularly use those routes or every road and trail in the country would show up on the heat map rendering it useless.
Er, there is grading. It's a heat map!
Thanks for the replies guys. I guess only Strava could provide a definitive answer. I'm just trying to get some idea of how much any given track has been used judging from the heat map. As it only represents those who use Strava, it's only ever going to be a sample, but it would show me whether or not a track is/has been used, which is pretty much what I'm looking for.
I’m just trying to get some idea of how much any given track has been used judging from the heat map
Thats exactly what a heat map does. They count the number of times a cell has been passed through and assign a heat value. If you can pick out individual tracks, it’s really not very much…
but it would show me whether or not a track is/has been used,
The heat map only shows you where people have been. If you see a line, then that someone's ride, therefore someone must've been on it.
Once.
I know of tracks on the heatmap that are mine, and mine alone.
I know of tracks on the heatmap that are mine, and mine alone.
I do hope some poor souls have been tempted onto my heatmap lines across trackless bog somewhere above Nidderdale.
LOL Much the same here. I explore so others don't have to 😆
There are some very decent looking tracks on the map even here, with lots of bikers and people, that have no heat map trace. Noone has even tried, at least not with Strava on. Beware of these 🙂
OP I think the heat map is regenerated more slowly than you might think. Looks like monthly. So it maybe your efforts will show on the future. Also looks like it's just the last year
One of my neighbours has a clear heat map leading around his house and into his back garden. Presumably he hasn't got any privacy controls turned on!
Also I suspect there is a fair bit of running/cycling overlap where people forget to change the type of activity.
I was trying to confirm that there is a way to connect between two other tracks. I found a rough path on the ground and looking at the heat map showed that others had been that way, so job done. I could see a few lines passing through so not well used, just curious as to how many it might represent. All probably walkers not bikes.
Change to satellite view as well, individual lines show up clearer than on the plain map. There are loads of single lines around here that always look intriguing on the map, then when you get there there's no way a bike would have gone down it. It would be interesting to know what the refresh cycle was (monthly, yearly etc.) But otherwise, heat map, does what it says on't tin.
All probably walkers not bikes
Walkers don't usually Strava. Runners do sometimes but in far lower numbers than cyclists. I see plenty of runners locally but low numbers on all my local running segments.
All probably walkers not bikes
Walkers don’t usually Strava
Dont be too hasty there, I wouldn't be surprised if a fair percentage was walkers. If folks record a walk in garmin connect or some such fitness app and it's linked to and automatically uploads activities to Strava then there might be quite a few.
Caught me out a few times, tracked a new dog walk or such and it's auto uploaded to Strava at the same time.
The heat map clearly shows that devices are reporting the wrong activity. If you set it to cycling there are still lots of lines in the sea.
The map updates monthly and shows activity over the previous 12 months
I wouldn’t really use a faint heat map trail as being suitable ie someone has done it, therefore it must be ok.
I did a run last year on defined paths, and then a section from heat map to join to the next path. It was horrible spent 30 minutes getting brambled and nettled to death to go about 500m
I've done the same reading footpaths (down towards Kimmeridge bay) off OS maps so not a unique problem there.