How zigmaty works: from browser location to speed and trip statistics
zigmaty is a browser instrument built on the location observations your device makes available. It is not a direct satellite receiver, vehicle diagnostic tool or operator tracking feed. This page explains the current implementation so you can understand both the displayed numbers and the situations in which they are incomplete.
The browser supplies observations after your permission
When you start, the page requests repeated location updates through the browser. An observation can include coordinates, a timestamp, horizontal accuracy and speed when available. The website does not choose or inspect each satellite; the browser and device provide the location result. Requesting high accuracy is a preference, not a guarantee of satellite-only positioning or a fixed update frequency. Without usable observations, rendering a dial cannot create a real measurement.
Speed can arrive directly or be estimated from movement
The filter uses a valid numeric speed supplied by the device. If speed is unavailable, it can estimate from the ground distance between accepted positions and the time separating them. A simple illustrative 30 metres over 3 seconds gives 10 m/s, or 36 km/h, before filtering and noise handling. An unavailable value is not automatically treated as measured zero. Conversely, an actual numeric zero remains a speed observation; a website should not replace it merely because another estimate is larger.
Filtering trades immediate response for a steadier display
The current engine checks position quality, ordering and implausible movement, suppresses small stationary jitter, and applies a short median window followed by smoothing. These steps reduce some distracting fluctuations, but they do not calibrate the receiver or recover missing motion. A smoothed display may lag acceleration or braking. An observation gap longer than fifteen seconds establishes a new position anchor without adding a fictitious connecting distance. The next useful samples rebuild the movement estimate.
Position accuracy and fresh speed are different signals
The accuracy value displayed in metres concerns the horizontal position estimate; it is not a plus-or-minus speed error. Signal labels are simplified categories based on that value, not a count of satellites or a certification. During a running session, more than about ten seconds without an accepted update causes current speed to display zero with a paused-update warning. Previously saved statistics can remain visible. That distinction matters when a tunnel or hidden page interrupts the observations.
Trip statistics use counted distance and active-session time
Distance accumulates conservatively from accepted movement rather than from a map-matched road or rail route. Rejected data and gaps can leave it incomplete. Average speed is counted distance divided by accumulated running-session time; it is not a separate moving-only average. Maximum is taken from the filtered session speed. Changing km/h, mph, m/s or knots converts the same underlying values and does not improve reception. A chart is a sampled session view, not a certified continuous record.
Local summaries are not a cloud route archive
Calculations happen in the page, while settings, recent summaries and a recoverable session draft use browser storage. The draft keeps aggregate values and sampled speed/time points, not a complete coordinate route. Stopping location tracking is different from deleting saved data, and changing browser context can separate the available history. Local GPS processing also does not mean the website makes no network requests: page assets and configured analytics are separate. Consult the privacy guide for storage and service-wide details.
| Condition or factor | What it means |
|---|---|
| Current speed | A processed device reading or position/time estimate, subject to freshness. |
| Accuracy in metres | Horizontal position estimate, not a speed tolerance. |
| Average and maximum | Statistics of this session, not an independent calibration. |
| Saved summary | Local record with possible gaps, not a full cloud-synced route. |
Technical references: W3C: device observations and permission; MDN: unavailable device speed; MDN: horizontal position accuracy.
Questions about the calculation method
Does the browser always calculate speed from two GPS points?
No. This implementation prefers usable device-provided speed and uses position/time estimation when speed is unavailable.
Does the site connect to the car or train sensors?
No. It has no OBD, wheel-sensor or rail-telemetry connection.
Does a smoother number prove higher accuracy?
No. Smoothing changes response and variation; accuracy needs appropriate independent evidence.
Is the same speed converted into every supported unit?
Yes. Switching units changes representation, not the underlying observation source.
Does saving a session guarantee continuous recording?
No. A restored draft or summary can coexist with observation gaps and does not establish screen-off continuity.