Elevation gain tracking

[Ioffy]

I cant work out how to view elevation gained during a tracked hike/run. It is an important bit of information for these activities and it seems strange they don't display it on the dashboard or app. When importing fitbit data into Strave it calculates the elevation gained but it doesnt seem to be availabile on the fitbit app/dashboard? I know the device has no altimeter so I assume this is calculated based on GPS/map data

[Rich_Laue]

You can see elevation under the exercise record through fitbit.com

[Ioffy]

I only have pace, heart rate, elevation and impact beneath the run/hike map on the fitbit.com dashboard, no elevation?

[VeganDan]

Elevation gain is gone with the Charge 5.  

[Rich_Laue]

@VeganDan floor counting, which is monitored by air pressure, has been removed from the Charge. 6. 

@Ioffy altitude changes during a run/walk/hike/bike is measured by GPS, and requires a lock on 4 satilites.

The fitbit app has never displayed this info in a GPS recorded event. This info has/had always been availible through the web. 

[t.parker · Accepted solution]

@Rich_Laue the elevation gain is purely taken from the altimeter, not from GPS data. I can't speak for Charge 5 (I will get to it yet) but see this:

Both lines show the same run but orange (Fitbit Sense, so it has an altimeter) is very jagged and there is a huge drop of elevation towards the end which indicates an increase in the air pressure (Fitbit doesn't calibrate altimeter, another important feature never considered to be added). Also, the orange line starts on the wrong level. The blue line is GPS/DEM (Digital Elevation Model) elevation. Do they look alike? No, because Fitbit uses no elevation correction. Fitbit platform has no support for it. If Fitbit would have such a thing just for Charge 5 to compensate for lack of altimeter then I'd ask, why all the devices can't have it? Elevation correction is a crucial feature for people who track the elevation gain (especially mountain hikers as the weather in mountains changes rapidly and this affects altimeters a lot).

@Ioffy lack of elevation gain is probably caused by a) no altimeter in Charge 5, and b) no fallback to compensate for it (like using DEM). In Strava, you are getting elevation correction applied based on the coordinates but Fitbit has no such feature.

[Rich_Laue]

During a run, altitude is determined by GPS. The altimeter is only used for stair counting.

As for the altimeter, any wind will affect the reading. 

Try taking the same walk without GPS and see what altitude changes are recorded. 

[t.parker]

@Rich_Laue you are wrong. Elevation from GPS run on the orange graph (Fitbit) is not coming from GPS, the blue one does but clearly you see no difference. You need to start talking more about things that you really know and understand and less about things you clearly have no idea and stop feeding people with misinformation.

[Ioffy]

Thanks, it seems strange they don't implement the GPS coordinates backup, I guess il stick to importing into Strava to see the details