Evaluating cumulative ascent: Mountain biking meets Mandelbrot
arXiv:1011.4778 · doi:10.1142/S0129183111016257
Abstract
The problem of determining total distance ascended during a mountain bike trip is addressed. Altitude measurements are obtained from GPS receivers utilizing both GPS-based and barometric altitude data, with data averaging used to reduce fluctuations. The estimation process is sensitive to the degree of averaging, and is related to the well-known question of determining coastline length. Barometric-based measurements prove more reliable, due to their insensitivity to GPS altitude fluctuations.
10 pages, 9 figures (v.2: minor revisions)