GPSBabel
software that converts waypoints, tracks, and routes between popular GPS receivers
GPSBabel is a cross-platform, free software to transfer routes, tracks, and waypoint data to and from consumer GPS units, and to convert between GPS data formats. It has a command-line interface and a graphical interface for Windows, macOS, and Linux users.
GPSBabel is part of many Linux distributions including Debian and Fedora, and also part of the Fink and Homebrew systems for getting Unix software on macOS.
Applications
Many contributors to OpenStreetMap use GPSBabel to convert GPS track data from proprietary formats to the GPX format OpenStreetMap requires.
GPSBabel is popular in the Geocaching community because it enables people with incompatible GPS units to share data.
Geographic information system (GIS) applications such as QGIS and Grass use GPSBabel for many import and export operations and processing.
Photographers frequently use GPSBabel for geotagging images, associating location with photographs. This relies on GPS data loggers, either external or internal to the camera.
GPSBabel enables owners of many different brands of GPS units to view their GPS data in several popular consumer map programs, such as Google Earth and Microsoft Streets & Trips.
Notes
References
"GPS Running Log", Make Magazine, vol. 7, pp.
The public source identifies “GPSBabel” as software that converts waypoints, tracks, and routes between popular GPS receivers. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around GPSBabel, software and converts.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “GPSBabel”, the useful work is to connect “software that converts waypoints, tracks, and routes between popular GPS receivers” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 28, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1486544. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “GPSBabel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.