Strava rolls out updates to the Heatmaps feature for subscribers
The activity logging and social sharing tool adds enhancements to how users' activities are displayed on maps.
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Strava quietly rolled out improvements to the personal heatmaps feature for subscribers this week.
Subscribers can view their heatmaps on the desktop version of Strava by selecting the Heatmap option, nested under the Dashboard menu item.
The biggest improvement to the heatmaps feature is the auto-update functionality which no longer requires users to specify a time period to see what activities occurred where. What this means is that any time you view your heatmap, it’s up-to-date, and requires no time-frame parameters set to display activities. However, a newly-added filter allows users to display all activities for a given year, or for all time — since they started logging activities in Strava.
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Another enhancement to heatmaps for subscribers is they can now filter what activities can be displayed on heatmaps.
If you’ve logged rowing or cross-country skiing activities these activities for example — just a few of the 31 options — they will now be aggregated under the “all activities” option. At this time, Strava only offers specific filters for rides and runs; water sports and winter sports are grouped into categories that can be displayed. Specific activities not specified are aggregated under the “all activities” option. Previously, only running and cycling activities could be displayed on heatmaps.
The heatmap update now provides controls for heatmap appearance, so that subscribers can change heatmap color (orange, red, blue-red, purple, or gray), change map type (standard, hybrid, satellite, winter, light or dark options), and also display street labels and region names.
When displaying heatmaps in a “zoomed out” view, activity totals for a geographic area are shown in bubbles which indicate activity clusters. Activity clusters are displayed so that subscribers can view where their most-frequent activities took place, as well as in the context of where other Strava users logged activities.
Strava subscribers who have not yet seen an update to their heatmaps with the new features should see one by January 28th.