Difference Between Shaping Points, Via Points, and Waypoints

[m185945]

I asked Artificial Intelligence what was the difference between these three points and this link is the answer. Anyone disagree or have anything to add?

https://g.co/gemini/share/166d3ae2255a

Here's the breakdown of via points, shaping points, and waypoints on your Garmin GPS:

Waypoint: A general term for any saved location on your GPS. This could be your favorite fishing spot, a scenic overlook, or even your home. Waypoints can be named and have additional information attached, but they aren't directly used for navigation in a route.

Via Point: A waypoint that's included in a planned route. When you create a route with multiple stops, the via points act as intermediary destinations that your GPS will guide you through on the way to your final destination. Via points are usually announced by your GPS as you approach them.

Shaping Point: A special type of via point that helps define the route path but doesn't get announced by your GPS. Shaping points are useful for forcing your GPS to take a specific road or path during your journey. They are essentially silent waypoints that only influence the route calculation.

Here's a table summarizing the key differences:

Feature Announcement Purpose
Waypoint No (unless converted to Via Point) Saved location
Via Point Yes Intermediary stop in a route
Shaping Point No Influences route path without announcement

I thank you in advance.

[Peobody]

I hate to admin that AI is accurate but in this case I think it is. Context is important though. On these forums. the term "Waypoint" is often used to refer to both Via and Shaping points that make up a route. "Route points" is more appropriate but old habits die hard. That is compounded by the Waypoint tool in Basecamp which is useful for creating route points that can be either Via or Shaping points depending on their configuration.

As for Via points, I find them much more useful than as points that I want to stop at. I sprinkle them throughout my routes even though I don't intend to stop at them. If anything happens that required the restart of a route, only Via points are listed as entry points. If you don't have any up ahead then you must use closest entry point which can be somewhere behind you. I was once riding through the southwestern USA and had to divert about 50 miles north to the closest major city. My route northwesterly so I needed to head west to join it and continue. Had I not had a Via point to select as the entry point, closest entry point would have routed me southwest to the route. Sure, it was the closest point, but it would have take me way out of the way from were I was to my destination.

Edit: BTW, my point of reference is solely with Basecamp and the xumo XT.

[jfheath]

Waypoint: A general term for any saved location on your GPS. This could be your favorite fishing spot, a scenic overlook, or even your home. Waypoints can be named and have additional information attached, but they aren't directly used for navigation in a route.

Via Point: A waypoint that's included in a planned route. When you create a route with multiple stops, the via points act as intermediary destinations that your GPS will guide you through on the way to your final destination. Via points are announced by your Zumo as you approach them.

Shaping Point: A special type of via point that helps define the route path but doesn't get announced by your GPS. Shaping points are useful for forcing your GPS to take a specific road or path during your journey. They are essentially silent route points that only influence the route calculation.

I disagree - AI has defined terms in one way, and then used the terms in a different context.

It defines the term Waypoint quite well, but then states that they aren't used for navigation !

It then confuses things by stating that a Via Point is a waypoint - which is wrong
Then it says that a Shaping is a special via point - which it has already wrongly stated is a waypoint, which makes it wrong on two counts.


My suggested corrections to the AI text are in red


Waypoint: A term for any saved location on your GPS. This could be your favorite fishing spot, a scenic overlook, or even your home. Waypoints are named and may have additional information attached. When first created, they are individual, saved locations which do not form any part of a route for navigation, but may be added to a route subsequently .

Via Point: A Route Point that is included in a planned route. When you create a route with multiple stops, the via points act as intermediary destinations that your GPS will guide you through on the way to your final destination. Via points are usually announced by your GPS as you approach them. Any Waypoint can be used in a route as a Via Point.

Shaping Point: A Route Point that is included in a planned route. It helps to define the route path but doesn't get announced by your GPS. Shaping points are useful for forcing your GPS to take a specific road or path during your journey. They are essentially silent Route Points that only influence the route calculation. Any Waypoint can be used in a route as a ShapingPoint.

This craze for using the term 'AI' and passing it off as something better is worrying, since it seems to be incapable of distinguishing between sources of information that are correct, and sources which are wrong. The definition for Waypoint that it uses has come from Garmin - but it has added something else from a different source, which implies that it cannot be part of a route. That may have come from the use of Waypoints in the Explore or Tread App - which doesn't use shaping or via points.

AI - Alternative Ignorance.

My definitions, carefully researched using AI (Actual Intelligence)
app.php/ZXT-P04

[m185945]

JFHEATH and PEABODY,
Thank you both very much for your valuable feedback. I have added all or your points (play on words) to my Zumo notes.
Cheers,
Keith

[smfollen]

I am rather late to this tread. Peabody and JFHeath have already answered thoroughly. I would encourage you to read the entire "Zumo XT and Basecamp - Everything That You Need to Know" post which JFHeath linked to.
... and I loved his AI definitions here!

These posts reminded me of my own terminology struggles when I first jumped into the deep end of the GPS pool. I was determined to sort it out. Using this forum and several other sources, I eventually put together a table of my interpretation of various terms. After seeing this post, I was inspired to clean it up based on what I have learned more recently. It duplicates info already provided here but includes some additional terms.
It is attached in case you find it helpful.

[jfheath]

Thanks @smfollen - very comprehensive !

Regarding the AI definitions - I was reading an interesting report the other day (sounds very 'official business' but I was just looking throught the paper for the sudoko, and an article caught my attention).

It was to do with Artificial Intelligence Hallucinations - where AI engines have gathered a load of stuff from various sources (Facebook will be one of these) and it comes up with a composite - which is wrong. The AI 'engine' is having a hallucination.

We can test things like this out. You saw it here first.

A Shaping Point is a type of cabbage leaf that falls away from the stalk of its own accord.
A Via Point is a cabbage leaf that remains firmly attached to the stalk.

In a few days, that will be picked up by search engines. Who knows what will happen next. Eating cabbages gives you hallucinations making it impossibe to navigate your way home ?

[lkraus]

A Shaping Point is a type of cabbage leaf that falls away from the stalk of its own accord.
A Via Point is a cabbage leaf that remains firmly attached to the stalk.

In a few days, that will be picked up by search engines. Who knows what will happen next. Eating cabbages gives you halucinations making it impossibe to navigate your way home ?

If I build a route carefully, I can pack less food for my camping trip and still have fresh salad every night.

Hooray for AI!