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Table of Contents
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People Involved
Introduction
The Google Earth Real Time Tracking System (GERTTS for short) is a highly customizable add-on to Google's popular cross platform and free mapping product, Google Earth (aka GE). GE's ability to display custom geographical data points and overlays (known as kml/kmz files) allows for an easy way to create highly customized representations of our data.
Current Status
GERTTS Dependent Projects
GERTTS is under active development. We are currently working on developing the hardware for sharing the tracking/telemetry recording equipment. Another area we will be spending time on before fully concentrating on GERTTS itself is backwards compatibility with the mapping/data collection software we have been using for years. Currently this a combination of the Mobile Mesh Network project, and the GPSD & GPSD2Com software packages.
GERTTS Specifically
Proof of Concept Code
We currently have the following tools which are pretty rough around the edges. (But they're a start and they work)
- GPSD2KML - Connects directly to a GPSD server & creates a GoogeEarth KML.
- APRS2KML - Converts APRS packets received via a Kenwood D7 or D700's TNC connection and creates a KML marking the launch/burst/landing site.
- APRS-hefi2kml - Creates a GE KML based on packets received by http://aprs.he.fi.
- NMEA2KML - Creates a KML from NMEA data. (This project has been stopped because the NMEA standard is so difficult to parse and doesn't seem to be a followed standard by GPS manufactures. Besides that the GPSD developers have already done this work for us, and it allows us to share the data between multiple applications and/or across a network.)
Rewrite of the code/ideas above
Currently I'm rewriting the code and functionality I've obtained from the quick & dirty proof of concepts above. The plan for this rewrite is to create what will be our alpha release of the project. The alpha should be usable by an end user who knows nothing about the code or internals of the project.
These 2 pages will give more details: API, and GUI Design.
Goals and Plans
Data that we want to track and/or display.
Please feel free to add the needs/interest/required data for your team (add your name too please)/
Keep track of the following events
* Trip start (aka Departure from home [Moscow])
* Arrival at launch site
* Balloon launch
* Departure from the launch site
* Balloon burst
* Balloon landing
* Arrival at landing site / Time of recovery
* Departure from landing site
* Trip End (aka Arrival home [Moscow])
* Absolute start (No estimation, this is absolutely every packet logged)
* Absolute end (No estimation, this is absolutely every packet logged)
Trace Path (Appears as a continuous line)
- Define Start & Stop Events in Time
- Limit the # of points
- ex1. 200 points max/total
- ex2. keep packes spaced no closer than 100 seconds apart
- ex3. Remove groups/clusters of points. If their are 50 points all in one location only the first & last need to be there.
- Path Style:
- Line Width
- Solid vs Dashed vs Dotted?
- GoogleEarth has Tessellated vs UnTessellated paths
- GoogleEarth has Extruded vs UnExtruded paths
- Color:
- Solid
- Ascent vs Decent vs Const-Altitude Color
- Faded color varied by altitude? (useful for the balloon paths)
- Faded color varied by time? (useful for vehicle paths)
- Faded color varied by ascent/decent rate?
- Misc:
- Tie path to the ground (To plot the balloon's path right on top of the ground)
- Path as the crow flies strait from Point A to Point B??
Points Path (Appears as stream of several individual points)
- Define Start & Stop Events in Time
- Limit the # of points
- ex1. 200 points max/total
- ex2. Keep packets spaced no closer than 100 seconds apart
- ex3. Remove groups/clusters of points. If their are 50 points all in one location only the first & last need to be there.
- Points Style:
- Icon Style
- Point Title: printf style formating
- Point Description: printf style formating
- For Vehicles: ?Only?
- Show Stop Points: example of such a point. "if we stop for 5 minutes on the side of the road", Lunch? Bathroom breaks. show a point that says "stopped for 10 minutes"
- Point Title: printf style formating
- Point Description: printf style formating
- Show Stop Points: example of such a point. "if we stop for 5 minutes on the side of the road", Lunch? Bathroom breaks. show a point that says "stopped for 10 minutes"
Hybrid Points (more to come)
HUD (Heads Up Display)
- Next Packet Count Down (Per Callsign)
- Note: CallSign-01 transmits every 30 seconds
- Note: CallSign-02 transmits every 90 seconds
- ex: "Callsign-01 Packet in ___ seconds"
- ex: "Callsign-02 missed the last __ packet(s)" (in the case of transmission problems)
- Balloon/Vehicle's current lat/lon/alt/heading/speed/distance traveled/min's/max's/average's
API design outline
HUD - Heads Up Display
- Time Durations: ex. display for 5 seconds, then go away.
- Screen Location:
- Top: Left/Center/Right
- Bottom: Left/Center/Right
- Style: (Not sure if this is needed… GoogleEarth might take HTML as input)
- Images?
- Color
- Size
- font style: bold/italic/etc..
Static Data
- VAST Logo / Link to website/background information (HUD Item, See HUD section)
- Near by Towns/Cities/Geographical Features
- Ham Towers
- APRS digipeaters/igates
- The past weeks flight predicts leading up to the flight
- Directions between Moscow -> Launch Site -> Landing Site -> Moscow
Predicts / Estimations
- Estimated Landing Time (or Time until touch down)
- Estimated Landing Site
- Based on last several packets direction/speed
- Based on last several packets & weather predictions for the area
- Estimated Current Position of Balloon (Cars?)
- High Accuracy Trajectory Predictions
