Shipping movements live in P3Dv4

[Richard McDonald Woods 168]

Hi Oliver,

Would you be interested in developing as attached:

 Kind regards, Richard

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

Hello Richard,

that depends on where and how that data is available, and what kind of data it is. Could you point me to a source?

Ships are moving comparatively slow. So I suspect that the update rate of that data is slow too. That would get any app trying to use that data into trouble - you can't discern a route from a single waypoint if there is no heading and speed. And if it is updated only once every fifteen minutes, the user would have to wait that long for the first ship to show up. 

Best regards

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

Hello Richard,

Never mind, I have looked through a few sites that offer AIS through APIs or RAW data. None of them is free (only the online map is, but not the direct data access), Prices range from 40€ per month to a whooping 269€ per month. One site is free, but you have to have your own AIS receiver and uplink a data stream to get a membership.

I don't think that an app using this is feasible, that there would be enough users to warrant a subscription (if that scenario would even be allowed). Let alone users willing to pay the subscription fees themselves. 

Other than that, it is practically the same app as the LorbyLiveTraffic. In fact, I would just have to add another datasource for ships and a mapping database to the free ship traffic models. But at these prices? I don't think so.

Best regards

Edited August 29, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[Richard McDonald Woods 168]

Hello Oliver,

I fully understand your concerns re pricing. Shame.

I had thought that, as ships move so relatively slowly, they could easily be depicted as static objects as you overfly them.

But the pricing is really a show stopper.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Regards, R

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

The strange thing is, that some of those websites seem to be related, they even use the same words to describe their API plans. But the prices are different. As if they are just a front for the same datasource.

The prices for aircraft data aren't really better. A comprehensive package from FlightAware will set you back $12 per hour on a busy airport. FlightRadar don't share at all, and the free sites all have various shortcomings, so I needed two of them to even get the basic flight data. 

Best regards

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

1 hour ago, Lorby_SI said:

Hello Richard,

Never mind, I have looked through a few sites that offer AIS through APIs or RAW data. None of them is free (only the online map is, but not the direct data access), Prices range from 40€ per month to a whooping 269€ per month. One site is free, but you have to have your own AIS receiver and uplink a data stream to get a membership.

I don't think that an app using this is feasible, that there would be enough users to warrant a subscription (if that scenario would even be allowed). Let alone users willing to pay the subscription fees themselves. 

Other than that, it is practically the same app as the LorbyLiveTraffic. In fact, I would just have to add another datasource for ships and a mapping database to the free ship traffic models. But at these prices? I don't think so.

Best regards

I have a good friend who retired from the US Coast Guard where during his last two tours in worked with the systems that tracked shipping (both in and around ports and at sea).  He thought the same as what you found. I also believe that not very many flight simmers would be interested in this beyond the initial "Oh-ah" of a new capability.

That said... I have ENORMOUS respect not only for your talents, but for all you've done for the flight sim community!  It floors me, it really, really does!  So I was wondering if you might consider tackling something which has proved elusive for other developers... long distance trains what would so in the sim!

This isn't something that needs to be "All that and a bag of chips", but rather something that will simply add t the immersion level (like Hendricks Worldwide AI Shipping).

 

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

10 hours ago, DaveCT2003 said:

long distance trains

You mean as in "railroad", like actual 3D trains travelling on the otherwise empty tracks in the sim?

Funny enough, I have an app for that. Made it two years ago IIRC. But it was clunky to operate, because the tracks had to be extracted from the scenery first using a 3rd party tool. I did that as an experiment with Sardinia (not much of a rail network, so ideal to test) and it worked ok. But then I got sidetracked and never got around to finishing my own BGL parser so the track database could be generated in advance. Besides, BGL specs are hard to come by, and my initial attempts at decoding them proved time consuming, so I left it at that for the time being.

But it sure was nice to follow a train through the landscape in a helicopter or trike. This distance between the coaches was rather large, but it was the only way to handle them separately, so they would travel round a bend correctly. It didn't look too bad from a normal flying altitude, but it could certainly be improved with P3D V4.

Best regards

Edited August 30, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[pracines 823]

 

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

2 hours ago, Lorby_SI said:

You mean as in "railroad", like actual 3D trains travelling on the otherwise empty tracks in the sim?

Funny enough, I have an app for that. Made it two years ago IIRC. But it was clunky to operate, because the tracks had to be extracted from the scenery first using a 3rd party tool. I did that as an experiment with Sardinia (not much of a rail network, so ideal to test) and it worked ok. But then I got sidetracked and never got around to finishing my own BGL parser so the track database could be generated in advance. Besides, BGL specs are hard to come by, and my initial attempts at decoding them proved time consuming, so I left it at that for the time being.

But it sure was nice to follow a train through the landscape in a helicopter or trike. This distance between the coaches was rather large, but it was the only way to handle them separately, so they would travel round a bend correctly. I didn't look too bad from a normal flying altitude, but it could certainly be improved with P3D V4.

Best regards

 

My friend that may be more special than you realize!  Are you aware that no existing scenery developer has been able to make this work... from 2006 until present day?  Many of them have tried... even the UTX developer, and to my knowledge the only developer who came close was the old ISD group who created some incredible Italian Airport Freeware Scenery back for FS2004 and FSX - they had a train coming into the the Rome International airport and it traveled further than any other train in flight sim.  I spoke to the guy who did that, and he explained the many reasons why it wouldn't work for a long distance train... and he made it seem impossible to do.  I'm so happy he didn't tell you that!  LOL!

I have 7 very experienced flight simmers, three of them are very experienced Beta Testers and the others are learning at a very fast rate) - at your disposal if you'd like any help testing this feature.  We test for Aerosoft, FS Reborn, Majestic, Leonardo and SunSkyJet as well as a few other developers.

When the lads and I get together and chat about immersion, Long Distance Trains is something that always comes up.  Do you think you'll revisit this project?

And by the way.... I was correct about you brother... GENIUS!

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by DaveCT2003