Error in gpx to shp conversion with DNR Garmin

SamanthaKrause

Hello, forum!

I am encountering an error when converting the tracks on my garmin 60CSx to a shapefile and projecting it onto my ArcGIS project.

I download the tracks using MapSource to a .gpx and load them onto DNR Garmin.

I then project them into NAD 83 Zone 13 and save them as a shapefile. I then open ArcGIS 9.3, and load my project in an attempt to overlay this new file.

However, when I add this shapefile to my project to overlay them onto my topo maps and other data, (which is also all projected in NAD 83 Zone 13), the track shapefile projects out in the middle of nowhere. It is also much smaller than the actual tracks that were walked in the field. When I measure the shp, it claims they are less than a meter long, and they should be miles long!

This is not a projection error, and I have nowhere else to turn! Thanks in advance.

-sam

SamanthaKrause

have you tried to download directly into DNRGarmin?

Not yet, but I found a pretty simple solution, turns out the gpx file doesnt like it if you force it into a projection that garmin doesn't want to use. When I reprojected in ArcCatalog right before I load it only ArcMap, rather than reprojecting it in DNR Garmin, the file works beautifully.

I'd never had an error like that before though, one that resizes the actual units of the line file!

Thanks for your help!