2024-01-13 13:08:00
And why not share your GPS tracks for the preservation and development of outdoor sports sites? This is, for example, the vocation of Outdoorvision, an application that the federation of Catalan nature reserves will now use.
“Share GPS tracks to preserve biodiversity!” The National Resource Center for Nature Sports (which developed the application) has given managers of Catalan nature reserves temporary access to Outdoorvision, “time to formalize an agreement with Natural Reserves of France (RNF) which will guarantee us permanent access”, specifies Rémi Laffitte, Ranger-technician for the Mantet nature reserve and responsible for “control of outdoor activities”. The objective of the Outdoorvision digital platform is to collect as much “field” data as possible in partnership with territories, natural area managers, sports federations, connected watch brands and applications or reference sites for outdoor sports .
Data provided voluntarily and anonymously
“This cartographic solution allows local authorities as well as natural area managers to better intervene in the territory by giving them better knowledge of the practice of outdoor sports.” Hiking, trail, mountain biking, orienteering, road cycling or even ski touring, the most numerous partners are undoubtedly the practitioners themselves who participate in this data collection. On its Outdoorvision site, the main functionalities are listed: the view of user flows (general or by activity family); counting practitioners within a defined geographical area; measuring attendance on a defined route; visualization of departure, break and arrival areas; temporal comparison of flows of practitioners (by month, day, year, etc.); the distribution of the most used routes for each activity (…).
“Outdoorvision is an online platform which aggregates thousands of geolocated data from connected objects, in particular GPS, provided voluntarily and anonymously by practitioners of outdoor sports and leisure activities. It provides the possibility, upon payment of a membership, to securely access this activity data on a territory”, explains the technician. Reveal sporting uses in order to better integrate them into local policies, “make the right decisions in terms of monitoring and management of attendance, development and security of sites, reception of the public, tourist offer, evaluation of the impact of attendance on the environments and species and preservation of biodiversity. The Pyrénées-Orientales departmental council and the Catalan Pyrenees regional natural park have also signed a partnership agreement with the PRNSN (National resource center for nature sports) to promote the use of Outdoorvision in the region.”
For training obviously
For Marc Vila, physical trainer for many trail runners, “connected watches are very useful, especially for remote planning. There are obviously the mileage and the elevation but also the heart rate, the power developed, the cadence… So many elements which aggregate and which allow someone who knows how to interpret them to be able to derive great benefits from them. This allows you not to start with an ordinary training but with a plan really adapted to the person.” Data that is increasingly easy to obtain thanks to the various applications developed by each brand but which only has value if the user knows how to read it. “A trainer will know which physical or physiological channel to activate to help the athlete progress. For example, if a runner’s cardio levels skyrocket as soon as he approaches a hill, it is perhaps because he has more ability on the flat. If he wants to improve on this type of course he will eventually have to develop his power and strengthen his lower bodys. In addition, understanding the result sometimes allows you to know that you need to rest in order to go faster later.” However, the specialist warns against applications where everyone compares themselves to everyone, “we must be careful when there are comparisons on certain sections or segments. There is no interest, especially because we do not know in what conditions the other performances were achieved.”
Very useful for emergency units
GPS location has an essential virtue for those practicing outdoor sports: safety. “Devices like connected watches can also be used by emergency units”confirms Captain Simon Egler, head of the CRS Montagne in the Pyrénes-Orientales. “It’s a big plus for safety. If a person has a problem, locating it is much easier. But we only intervene at their request, when they call for help.” Because that is the whole point, there is no policing, as some might think, but rather an intervention by authorized authorities only on request. At the request of the person in danger or the family if the potential victim does not respond and their loved ones tell the emergency services that they have a connected device. Also beware of outdoor sports enthusiasts who download routes in places they don’t know at all and rely only on their GPS. A breakdown and they find themselves totally lost. It is better to have a well-charged watch and above all remember to look up from time to time to get your bearings just in case.
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