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Hiking time calculation
Matic K.
16.2.2025 v 18:46
Now that Mapy Premium introduced Custom Speed Settings, I wonder if you are also working on improving the hiking time calculation when planning a route?
I've noticed that the hiking time calculations especially for steeper mountain peaks are often quite inaccurate for an average hiker and suggesting a total hike time that only a PRO hiker might realistically achieve.
For example, a tour that is officially labeled as 3h30min on the guidepost is calculated as 2h17min by Mapy: https://en.mapy.cz/s/cobusomola. The time of 2h17min as calculated by Mapy is totally unrealistic an average hiker and will be difficult to achieve even for one in good shape.
Is your team aware of this issue and working on improving it? One of the competitor apps includes a very useful option when planning routes, where you can choose your level of fitness and the calculations are then done according to that (Untrained, Average, In Good Shape, Athletic, Pro). Please consider something similar.
Regards
Matic K.
2.3.2025 v 19:10
For example:
- https://en.mapy.cz/s/cobusomola
This is the hike I mentioned in my first post, officially labeled on the guidepost as taking 3 h 30 min for an average hiker. Previously, Mapy inaccurately calculated the time at 2 hours and 17 minutes, implying that one would need to almost run to reach the summit.
Now, Mapy estimates the hiking time at 4 h and 17 min, which again seems excessive in another way: overestimating the hiking time. It seems that Mapy now calculates the hiking time as per almost unfit (below average) hikers?
I think the timing calculation would still need to be further adjusted to be closer to average hiking times.
Yes, I'm sure there are also quite a few "untrained/unfit" people who use Mapy to calculate hiking times but for a greater number of users the average time would make more sense here.
Matic K.
dnes 14:02
Apparently, if you are a Premium user and set a custom walking speed, it also impacts the hiking time calculations. This is despite the description stating that custom Walking etc. speed reflects the average speed on a FLAT surface. Clearly, that's not the case, as I just noticed it also affects hiking time calculations. I believe this should be explained more clearly!
Still, for the Non-Premium users who cannot set custom speeds, the new algorithm seems to grossly overestimate hiking time duration in many cases and should be tweaked to present a more realistic estimation for average users! Unless this was intentially done so to force users into paying for Premium? If so, then that's not cool. ;)
Matic K.
dnes 14:53
In addition, it also seems to introduce some SERIOUS errors!
I tried setting my Walking speed to 5.5 km/h to calculate a random hike.
Example: https://en.mapy.cz/s/munudavope (Mapy: 6 km / 3:28 h)
(This hiking time estimation od 3:28 h with custom speed 5.5 km/h now seems somewhat close to what it says on the guidepost (3 h 45 min).)
However, Mapy also offers an alternative route: https://en.mapy.cz/s/bofonobupe
This alternative route is slightly longer (6.4 km), but Mapy now estimates 5:15 h, which is totally off!
(See attached screenshot: https://ibb.co/bj2YNDLF)
There's only 400 m difference in length, the elevation gain remains the same, yet Mapy overestimates almost 2h longer walking time!
However, the funny thing is that when you click on the alternative route link I provided above (https://en.mapy.cz/s/bofonobupe), Mapy will actually provide more correct timing of 3:30 h instead of 5:15 h, so it seems the error appears only when planning (where Mapy offers an alternative route).
Please can you look into this and fix it?
