Welcome to the Open Glider Network project!
The Open Glider Network (OGN) is a community-run tracking network for gliders, drones and other aircraft. It started in the gliding community, originally around reception and sharing of FLARM traffic, and has since expanded to other protocols and systems.
OGN collects, forwards and makes available tracking data from many kinds of electronic conspicuity and tracking systems. Depending on local coverage and integrations, the network can include traffic from FLARM, OGN trackers, FANET, PilotAware, ADS-L and other compatible sources. It can also exchange or display beacons from services and devices such as SafeSky, Stratux, PilotAware, SPOT, Garmin InReach, Flymaster, FANET, Spidertracks and ADS-L devices circulating through the network.
The aim is to provide a common, open platform where different electronic conspicuity systems can contribute to a shared air-traffic picture, while respecting the rules, limitations and data policies that apply to each source.
The live tracking data is freely available. Please have a look at the OGN data usage policy.
Electronic conspicuity is moving towards interoperability: devices increasingly transmit or receive more than one protocol, and OGN works to combine compatible data sources into useful live tracking streams.
OGN also supports open technical development. The OGN tracker protocol and related open-source software and hardware allow community-built devices and receivers to participate in the network. More recently, ADS-L has been formulated as an open standard for aircraft tracking, with the intention that different electronic conspicuity manufacturers can join the same broader ecosystem.
OGN is a community project. It is based on software, hardware, receivers and other contributions from individuals and the open-source community. Receivers and tracking devices in the OGN ecosystem can be amateur-built, community-developed or commercially manufactured.
The OGN network consists of:
- OGN ground receivers, located at airfields, gliding clubs, mountain summits or private houses of community members. They listen for and decode radio beacons from aircraft in their vicinity, then send position reports to the APRS servers.
- Software for Linux that can be installed on a PC or small board computer such as a Raspberry Pi, Cubieboard2 or Odroid U3. It drives a USB DVB-T radio receiver, decodes compatible radio beacons, sends position reports and participates in the OGN network.
- APRS Linux based servers that receive and forward live data. Data includes device location information, receiver status, tracking device status and the status of the OGN APRS network itself.
- A device database for aircraft and tracking devices. Register your aircraft or drone in the OGN device database here if you wish to influence how it is visible in the system, for example anonymous or recognized.
- This Wiki.
- Websites and applications that use and display the data, for example live moving maps, search and rescue support, automatic flight logs and other community services.
OGN is growing and evolving. It is a work in progress and there is still much work to be done. You can help by:
- Funding, installing and running a receiver at your gliding club, at your home or anywhere OGN is missing its coverage. The cost of a receiver is probably less than two aerotows for most glider pilots.
- Contributing your time to update, expand and maintain this Wiki.
- Improving applications that use, display or share OGN data, or writing your own application for the community.
- Joining the discussion and bringing new ideas about where and how OGN should evolve.
You can join us by subscribing to our discussion group.
Please refer to the About OGN section for more information.
