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Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

adsb.exposed

71–80 of 80 posts

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#71
post #62
post #13

This is beautiful! Definitely worth looking at the examples in the Github repo: https://github.com/ClickHouse/adsb.exposed/ I particularly like the example of helicopters following the river Thames in London: https://github.com/ClickHouse/adsb.exposed/?tab=readme-ov-fi...

Impressive. Though, for one of the examples, set in an area with active military conflict, I wondered whether the information is new and useful to anyone involved.

Nah. This data is all publicly available already and easily accessible for any motivated nation state. Who, if they're in the area, would also be able to use their own receivers and radars in any case.

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#72

How do it get ADS-B data from over the oceans? I guess it isn't satellite (which I now is used for actual tracking) since there is obviously a lot less lines over the oceans (but lines nonetheless).

There are satellite ADS-B receivers and some of that data makes its way to public aggregators. https://www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/2014-SAMIG13/02%20NavCana...

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#73
post #71
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Impressive. Though, for one of the examples, set in an area with active military conflict, I wondered whether the information is new and useful to anyone involved.

Nah. This data is all publicly available already and easily accessible for any motivated nation state. Who, if they're in the area, would also be able to use their own receivers and radars in any case.

Military planes that show up on ADS-B do so for either of the two reasons (or both):

a) to make civilian air traffic control life easier

b) as (strategic) signalling - this applies for example to NATO tankers and electronic intelligence platforms flying over the Eastern Flank.

Remember, you want your opponent to know how you can potentially hurt them if things go bad, that's the basis of deterrence. This is why for example certain aspects of nuclear weapon systems are completely out in the public.

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#74
post #73
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah. This data is all publicly available already and easily accessible for any motivated nation state. Who, if they're in the area, would also be able to use their own receivers and radars in any case.

Military planes that show up on ADS-B do so for either of the two reasons (or both): a) to make civilian air traffic control life easier b) as (strategic) signalling - this applies for example to NATO tankers and electronic intelligence platforms flying over the Eastern Flank. Remember, you want your opponent to know how you can potentially hurt them if things go bad, that's the basis of deterrence. This is why for e…

Yes, though there's also another reason:

c) Safety, being open about the flightpaths of tankers and intelligence-gathering aircraft flying in international airspace near those areas reduces the ability of Russia to claim they weren't informed or that the aircraft strayed into restricted airspace. That means a lower probability of incidents, though it's still not completely safe as demonstrated in 2022: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66798508

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#75
post #61

The image loading/rendering is fascinating, beginning grainy and then smoothing with time. Can you elaborate on what’s happening?

The readme contains a lot of the implementation details: "We use three different tables with different levels of detail: planes_mercator contains 100% of the data, planes_mercator_sample10 contains 10% of the data, and planes_mercator_sample100 contains 1% of the data. The loading starts with a 1% sample to provide instant response even while rendering the whole world. After loading the first level of detail, it continues to the next level of 10%, and then it continues with 100% of the data. This gives a nice effect of progressive loading."

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#78
post #2

Hi, thanks for sharing! Unfortunately besides empty map I don't see any visualization. Browser dev console is showing some CORS errors. EDIT: Nevermind, clickhouse.com was on disconnect's ad blocking list which I used for DNS blocking.

Firefox, no map either. Tried all combinations of adblocker & VPN on/off, refreshing the map. Saw couple of tiles for a brief moment, then they disappeared, and I never saw them again.

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#79
post #2

Hi, thanks for sharing! Unfortunately besides empty map I don't see any visualization. Browser dev console is showing some CORS errors. EDIT: Nevermind, clickhouse.com was on disconnect's ad blocking list which I used for DNS blocking.

Firefox, no map either. Tried all combinations of adblocker & VPN on/off, refreshing the map. Saw couple of tiles for a brief moment, then they disappeared, and I never saw them again.

Turns out the tiles showed up always, but couple minutes later.

Re: Show HN: ADS-B visualizer

#80

Im surprised to see military traffic over the US. They tend to fly with ADSB out turned off and have an agreement with FAA to be able to do that. Also surprised to see gliders who generally don’t broadcast ADSB out. In the US, we are required to have ADSB out within most controlled airspace and within the mode C veil of a major airport (within 30nm and up to 10,000 MSL). So most GA planes have it but remote areas hav…

"ADSB" data isn't always ADSB, either. The big ADS-B mapping sites (adsbexchange.com, and the ones that popped up after its acquisition) also collect MLAT data from their volunteer stations to triangulate aircraft with ADS-B disabled but can otherwise be detected, if not located directly (via Mode S, mostly, I think).
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