- Organizer creates an online reg on Webscorer with "GPS tracking & timing = Yes"

- Organizer specifies the frequency at which the GPS coordinates are updated

- Organizer uploads a GPX file containing the course map
- Organizer defines (at minimum) the start line and finish line on the course map
- If you're not interested in the GPS timing data, set "GPS timing visibility = Organizer only"

 

- Participants register for the event at Webscorer website

- Participants install the (free) Webscorer app to their iPhone or Android phone

- Participants sign in to the app with the same Webscorer account created at registration


ON RACE DAY

 

- Participants must carry their phone during the race

- Participants start the Webscorer app and select “GPS self-tracking”
- Participants tap "My upcoming GPS races" and then tap the race name

- Participants tap “Start GPS tracking” at any time before the start of the race

- Participants can then turn the phone screen off and put the phone in their pocket

- The app keeps sending the location at the interval specified in reg setup (e.g. once per minute)
- Tracking starts when participant crosses the start line and ends after crossing the finish line

- The GPS tracking page is accessible in multiple ways:
   - Via reg admin page (for the organizer only)
   - Via reg confirmation page
   - Via GPS results page
   - Via LIVE results page (if same reg is used for timing with Webscorer PRO app)
   - Organizer can post the tracking page link before the event
      Example: https://www.webscorer.com/racemap/viewracersel?raceid=371181
- There are 3 GPS tracking views:
   VIEW #1:  All participants are shown with their most recent location on the course map

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1: What is the cost of the GPS tracking feature?

The cost is USD 1 per participant, payable after the event.  If you're already using Webscorer online registration and you're collecting entry fees, there's no extra cost for GPS tracking - it is included in the standard reg fee of USD $1 per participant.  You can make the registration free for the participants, and pay the fee after the reg closes.

Q2. I have my online reg on another platform, can I still use GPS tracking on Webscorer?
Yes, but your participants will effectively have to register twice - once to pay the entry fee on the other reg platform, and then to register for the GPS tracking on Webscorer.  This additional registration is required to uniquely connect each cell phone transmitting the GPS coordinates to the correct participant.  Participants create a Webscorer account at registration, and enter their first name & last name.  This account is then used to sign in on the app to connect the participant's phone with the event.  The GPS-only registration can be short & simple - you'll need to ask only for first name & last name and the race distance (if it is a multi-distance race).

Q3: Is there a fee for testing this feature?
You can create the GPS online reg for free and test it with up to 5 participants before the fee payment is triggered (in other words, only events with 6 or more registrations require payment).  There is no requirement to have a Webscorer PRO timing subscription - in fact no Webscorer app timing is required / assumed for this feature to work.

 

Q4: How can I create a GPX file for the race course?
The Webscorer app has an option to "Create GPX file for course".  You'd take your phone along, tap "Start GPS tracking" at the start line, traverse the course - and then tap "Stop GPS tracking" at the finish line.  If your event offers multiple distances, then a separate GPX file is required for each.  Once recorded, you'd transfer the GPX file from the app to your laptop via GPS self-tracking / GPS archive and upload to your event by clicking on the "Course map" menu button in reg setup.  If you already have a GPX file from Strava or similar tracking app, you can use that file instead.

 

Q5. Can I block others from viewing the location tracking page - for privacy reasons?
In reg setup, you can select "Racers on map visibility = Organizer only" which then hides the tracking page menu button from the registration and results pages.  The only way to access the GPS tracking page is from the reg admin page which is accessible only by the signed-in organizer account.  If you want your participants to be able to access the page, but block anyone else searching for your event, use "Event visibility = Private" in reg setup which then requires knowing the URL to find your event and the GPS tracking page.

Q6: If someone does not want to carry their phone during the race, will this be a problem?
Not a problem, it simply means that that racer's name will not appear on the tracking page to be selected. The tracking page has a note that it is "Showing racers who use the Webscorer app for GPS tracking on their phone".  In fact, one usage scenario is where only a small subset of racers want to be tracked to allow their support crew know when to expect them at the finish - whereas self-supported racers don't have the same need.

Q7: Why would I set the GPS update interval to once every 15 seconds vs. once every 10 minutes?
This is primarily used to save the battery on the racers' phones.  While the amount of data transmitted by the phone is small, a higher frequency will consume more power.  This is important especially in a longer race.  It is also easier to view the racer's progress on the map with time stamps if they're not clustered too closely together (see Q19 for a counter-argument).  Note that racers cannot alter this frequency themselves, it is set to be the same for all racers by the organizer.  Once the race is underway, the frequency cannot be changed.

 

Q8: What are the requirements for app permissions on the racers' phones?
The racers must allow the Webscorer app to use the phone's precise location.  There's no requirement to enable the Webscorer app to run in the background - but obviously the app must be left running (and not be "swiped up") after starting the tracking.  The phone screen can be turned off / the phone placed in "standby", similar to when using other tracking apps such as Strava.  See Q23-Q25 for notes about some Android phones that do not work reliably when the screen is turned off.

Q9: What happens if there's no cell coverage in some sections of the race course?
Obviously, there will be a gap in getting the GPS location from the app during this time.  However, the app keeps recording the locations at the frequency specified, and will send all missed GPS updates when the cell coverage resumes.  The racer does not need to do anything, these steps are fully automated.  If the finish line has no cell coverage, the final GPS coordinates may not be sent to the website.  The racer can resend the coordinates by navigating to GPS archive on the app - and tap "Post results" to upload the tracking data.

Q10: Can the GPS feature be used for self-timing?
Yes, if fact each GPS tracking race is automatically GPS-timed.  See the separate BLOG article about GPS timing at https://www.webscorer.com/blog/post/GPS-TIMING-OF-RACE.  If you want to use just GPS tracking and don't care about GPS timing, set "GPS timing visibility = Organizer only" in reg setup.

Q11: What if a racer forgets to tap "Stop GPS tracking" at the finish, and leaves the race site?
The GPS tracking on the app will stop automatically when the racer crosses the finish line.  If someone decides to DNF and does not come through the finish line, then the tracking will continue until the racer taps "Stop tracking" the app.  If the racer forgets to do this, then tracking will stop automatically when the time is past the "Event end time" defined in reg setup. 

Q12: I only have a few who want GPS tracking, how can I prevent the $1 fee to apply to all?
If you're collecting entry fees already through Webscorer, the GPS tracking feature costs you nothing extra.  If your Webscorer reqistration is free to the participants, and you turn on GPS tracking, then all participants who register will be subject to the $1 fee.  If your main event reg is on another site, you can setup a separate GPS-only registration on Webscorer - and advise that only those who want the GPS tracking to register.

Q13: Will the GPS tracking data be visible / accessible after the race?
Yes, the GPS tracking page will stay visible unless you decide to hide it by selecting "GPS tracking visibility = Organizer only" in reg setup.  This step can be done after the event is over.  The "Latest location of all racers" view becomes automatically unavalable after the event end time has passed.  You can replay the race with all participants, or select one or multiple participants using the "Replay tracking" tab.

 

Q14: If I am renting GPS devices for tracking my event already, why would I want to use this feature?
Satellite-specific trackers (such as Garmin InReach) have the advantage of working without any requirement for cell signals.  But if you have a large race, the cost of renting and the logistics of handling the devices for all racers may be prohibitive.  Depending on the circumstances, you may consider renting the satellite trackers for the elite racers only - and use the Webscorer GPS tracking as a low-cost alternative for the rest of the racers.  The elite racers could carry both the satellite tracker and their cell phone, so you'd still get the full roster shown on the map when there's cell coverage on course.

Q15: Can relay teams use this feature to check when to expect a team member to arrive at exchange?
Yes, the organizer would setup a registration where each team member registers as an individual (Webscorer flexible relay registration works this way).  Each team member would then sign into the app as if they were a solo racer and start the tracking as usual.  Team members can then check the GPS location of their fellow racer while others are resting at the exchange area (and their location is shown to be there).

Q16: Is it practical to use personal phones for tracking in a long race - will the batteries last?
Modern phones consume remarkably little power when in standby mode while still having the location services and cell network active.  According to various independent tests, the battery drain in standby mode is 1-2% per hour, suggesting that a fully charged phone would last 50-100 hours when just used for tracking purposes.  To maximize the battery life in a long race, it's a good idea to close all other apps besides Webscorer - and set the location update frequency in reg setup to once every 5 or 10 minutes.

Q17: When is phone-based location tracking not recommended?
If your race course has no cell coverage anywhere, then the only tracking devices that work are pure GPS trackers that use GPS satellites to transmit the location updates.  If there are gaps in cell coverage, the pure GPS trackers will have an advantage in updating the locations without interruptions, whereas phone-based tracking will catch up only after the racer's phone regains a cell signal. 

Q18: Is it possible to embed the GPS registration and GPS tracking pages on my own website?
Yes, you can embed both in an iFrame on your own website without any Webscorer insignia.  Instructions how to do this are included in another article on our BLOG.  Results pages can also be embedded - although there is no requirement to embed results if you're only interested in the GPS tracking feature.  You will also be able to get the real time GPS location data using the Webscorer JSON API which is documented in this article: https://www.webscorer.com/blog/post/how-to-access-race-data-via-json-api

Q19: Is it practical to follow who's leading the race with the map view "Latest location of all racers"?
Yes with some caveats.  Each racer's app will then send its GPS coordinates to the website with the frequency specified in reg setup, e.g. once every 15 seconds.  These location update times are synchronized - each device will send its update at 0, 15, 30 and 45 seconds past each minute.  To get these coordinates to appear at the same time on the tracking page assumes that the device clocks are in sync.  This is typically the case, but there may be a slight delay sending or receiving the update.  The website map will auto-update the locations every 15 seconds (in this case) - so the racer locations will "jump" along accordingly.

 

Q20: Why don't the racers appear to move along the course smoothly in the map view? 
The GPS coordinates are sent by the app at intervals set by the organizer.  Most rentable GPS tracking devices send the coordinates once per minute, or less frequently to save in the messaging rates, save the device battery, and to not overload the server receiving the coordinates.  If the racers on the map are moving along smoothly (vs. jumping ahead), such tracking sites are estimating the racer's current GPS position based on calculated speed and previous known location.  The racer may have stopped, veered off course, or even turned around.  Our objective is to present the actual location data vs. attempting to do a race simulation which is prone to errors.

Q21: Can I add GPS tracking to an existing reg if some racers have already registered?
Yes, if your existing reg was setup to require a Webscorer account when registering.  If not, turning on the GPS tracking feature in reg setup will require anyone registering thereafter to sign in / create account - as that's how the tracking data sent by the app will be identified as coming from the signed in racer's phone.  Anyone who registered without an account would need to re-register to gain access to the GPS tracking on the app.

Q22: Why did you combine GPS tracking & GPS timing - earlier they were separate functions to choose?
The main motivation was to automate when the tracking starts and when the tracking ends.  Previously, the racer was responsible for tapping "Stop GPS tracking" and if you forgot to do so, the tracking page could potentially follow that participant all the way back home.  Additionally, some organizers wanted the ability to define the start line, finish line and other check points (e.g. water & feed stations) on the course map - these can now be done with the GPS setup, even if the timings are not relevant or required.

Q23: We've had some Android phones that don't appear to work for GPS tracking - what can we do?
In the new version 7.7 of the app, there is a checkbox option just before the "Start GPS tracking" button to keep the screen on during the race.  This will prevent the phone from going to sleep, similar to how Google Maps navigation works.  To save battery, you can turn the screen brightness down (screen is the biggest consumer of phone battery).  The setting to keep the screen on will automatically be stopped when you cross the finish line.

Q24: How can I identify which Android phones work while asleep, and which ones have issues?
The easiest way is as follows:
- Open the Webscorer app
- Tap "GPS self-tracking"
- Tap "Create GPX file for course"

- Tap "Start GPS tracking"
- Go traverse a course with the screen off that lasts at least 15 minutes
- Turn the screen back on
- Tap "Stop GPS tracking"
- Tap "My GPS archive"
- Tap the topmost item
- Select "Email as GPX" and send the file to yourself
- Open the GPX file using TextEdit (or equivalent app)
- The coordinates are recorded once every second

- Check if there are any gaps in the recorded coordinates
- We've seen some Android phone that record for 3 minutes, then stop
- Then the recorded starts again when the phone is awaken from sleep

Q25: What is the reason some Android phones work with screen on, and others do not?
Some Android phone makers appear to struggle with battery life - and have decided to allow only system apps to work in the background (e.g. Mail, Messages) while putting all other apps to permanent sleep until the screen is turned on again.  Or the GPS chip functionality is slowed down or turned off.  Unfortunately, this is no documented anywhere so you'll need to do the test in Q24 to determine whether a specific phone has this issue.  If unsure, you can always use the checkbox option to keep the screen on while GPS tracking.

IMAGE 1:  Organizer view of registration setup