How to use the COT Shape tab and controls

Use this tab when you want to review or refine the cost-of-transport shape in calibration.

This is usually not the first calibration step.

Most users should come here only after:

• ingesting a FIT folder
• confirming the dataset is usable enough to continue
• reviewing the earlier shape work first

What this tab is for

The COT Shape tab helps you answer this question:

Does the modeled energy-cost shape look directionally consistent with the FIT-derived proxy across grade?

In practice, that means:

• looking at whether the modeled curve and FIT proxy broadly agree
• using the advisor as a reality check
• changing controls only when the mismatch is specific and believable

If you cannot clearly explain why a change should improve realism, leave it alone.

Step 1: Open the COT Shape tab

From the Calibration Workspace, click COT Shape.

The tab has two main parts:

• the chart and advisor on the left
• the controls on the right

Step 2: Read the chart before touching anything

Start with the chart, not the controls.

What you want to know first:

• does the overall shape look directionally similar?
• is the mismatch mostly uphill, mostly downhill, or broad across the curve?
• does the difference look real, or does it mostly look noisy?

If the overall shape already looks believable, that is a strong reason not to keep editing.

Step 3: Check the advisor

Use the advisor as a decision aid, not as a command.

Pay attention to:

• overall score
• agreement state
• coverage
• mismatch region notes

Use it like this:

• if coverage is weak, be conservative
• if the mismatch is concentrated in one region, make only a small targeted adjustment
• if the chart looks believable but the score is imperfect, do not assume you must keep editing

The advisor is most helpful when it confirms a visual mismatch you can already explain.

Step 4: Make small, targeted adjustments only after the baseline looks believable

The controls are there to help you adjust the shape, but they should be used carefully.

Before changing anything:

• make sure the baseline heart-rate anchors already look believable
• make sure the mismatch is clear enough to describe in plain language

Examples of a good reason to adjust:

• the modeled uphill shape is broadly too weak or too strong
• the downhill side looks consistently off in one direction

Examples of a bad reason to adjust:

• one noisy bin looks odd
• the score is not perfect
• the controls are available and you feel like you should use them

Step 5: Recheck the chart after every small change

Do not make a pile of edits and only review at the end.

The safest rhythm is:

1. identify the mismatch
2. make one small change
3. recheck the chart
4. recheck the advisor
5. stop if the result is now believable

If one change helps one part of the curve but makes the rest less believable, back out and reconsider.

Step 6: Reset when you lose the thread

Use Reset on an individual control, or Reset All, when the tab stops making sense.

That is the right move when:

• you changed several things and can no longer explain which one helped
• the curve improved in one region but got worse elsewhere
• you are trying to rescue weak data by hand

This tab works best when each change has a clear reason.

A safe order of operations

For most users, the safest sequence is:

1. Review the chart.
2. Read the advisor.
3. Confirm the baseline anchors already look believable.
4. Make only a small targeted change if the mismatch is obvious.
5. Recheck the chart and advisor after every change.
6. Stop as soon as the result looks believable enough for planning.

When not to use this tab much

Do not spend much time here if:

• FIT coverage is weak
• the advisor suggests the data is insufficient
• earlier calibration steps are still obviously unresolved
• you are still building your first believable route plans

In those cases, the right move is usually to improve the dataset or return to earlier tabs first.

What to do next

After the COT shape looks believable, continue with:

• Review calibration outputs
• Saved calibration profiles versus preview
• Apply calibration to a route