SDKs, APIs, and a whole lot of headache

[forumtroll 1]

Long story short: After having tried all kinds of flight tracking clients available, I'm left with noone that suits my needs as I'm looking for something that is tailored for cargo flights. I've looked at tweaking and subterfuging the existing clients into what I want, but at best it seems like a bad emergency fix. This is why I've decided to roll my own flight tracking client, and in that regard I have some questions for the PMDG staff.

One of my use-cases revolves around temperature sensitive cargo, i.e. medical supplies, etc. If one were to fly with that kind of cargo on board (radio isotope contrast fluids, for instance), rigid temperature control in the cargo compartment has to be observed. Now, the pilots can do that themselves easilly, but I need the tracker to be able to query the aircraft about the current cargohold temperature programmatically. This leaves me having to ask if there is any PMDG SDKs I can use or any APIs I can query for this particular information. The aircrafts I intend to use are primarilly the 747-8f and 777F for P3d v4.4.

I would be happy to sign any NDAs for this if required.

[Ephedrin 418]

Regarding something as complex as that it‘s probably best to file a support ticket with that question. This is mainly a user-to-user forum and you definitely will want to talk to the developers.

http://support.precisionmanuals.com

Edited January 17, 2019 by Ephedrin

[Olympic260 415]

8 minutes ago, forumtroll said:

Long story short: After having tried all kinds of flight tracking clients available, I'm left with noone that suits my needs as I'm looking for something that is tailored for cargo flights. I've looked at tweaking and subterfuging the existing clients into what I want, but at best it seems like a bad emergency fix. This is why I've decided to roll my own flight tracking client, and in that regard I have some questions for the PMDG staff.

One of my use-cases revolves around temperature sensitive cargo, i.e. medical supplies, etc. If one were to fly with that kind of cargo on board (radio isotope contrast fluids, for instance), rigid temperature control in the cargo compartment has to be observed. Now, the pilots can do that themselves easilly, but I need the tracker to be able to query the aircraft about the current cargohold temperature programmatically. This leaves me having to ask if there is any PMDG SDKs I can use or any APIs I can query for this particular information. The aircrafts I intend to use are primarilly the 747-8f and 777F for P3d v4.4.

I would be happy to sign any NDAs for this if required.

SDK is available under {SIM}PMDG\PMDG 747 QOTS II\SDK or {SIM}\PMDG\PMDG 777X\SDK

 

Just have in your mind the following though

 

"Please understand that PMDG, PMDG Simulations and affiliates are unable to provide coding assistance, advice or support for developers seeking to use this SDK.
This SDK is provided on an “as-is” basis and is not subject to support or revision by PMDG Simulations, LLC."

Edited January 17, 2019 by Olympic260

[Bob Scott 7,704]

Cargo and pax compartment temps are not among the parameters exposed in the PMDG SDK, at least not for the 747. 

That said, it's not particularly realistic to expect the temps in the cargo compartment to be controlled for a particular shipment.  It wouldn't make sense, anyway, because the cargo is going to be in non-temp controlled areas during transit--on loaders sitting on the ramp or in the shipment facility, or in a bonded customs warehouse awaiting clearance.  Generally, sensitive cargo like you describe is shipped in temp-controlled containers (e.g. the PharmaPort) where the temp is maintained and monitored within the container itself.

Regards

[forumtroll 1]

58 minutes ago, Olympic260 said:

SDK is available under {SIM}PMDG\PMDG 747 QOTS II\SDK or {SIM}\PMDG\PMDG 777X\SDK

 

Just have in your mind the following though

 

"Please understand that PMDG, PMDG Simulations and affiliates are unable to provide coding assistance, advice or support for developers seeking to use this SDK.
This SDK is provided on an “as-is” basis and is not subject to support or revision by PMDG Simulations, LLC."

I don't know how to express my thanks for this properly, but much love is being sent for this. Thank you!

1 hour ago, Ephedrin said:

Regarding something as complex as that it‘s probably best to file a support ticket with that question. This is mainly a user-to-user forum and you definitely will want to talk to the developers.

http://support.precisionmanuals.com

I think I got what I needed from Olympic260 here.

6 minutes ago, w6kd said:

Cargo and pax compartment temps are not among the parameters exposed in the PMDG SDK, at least not for the 747. 

That said, it's not particularly realistic to expect the temps in the cargo compartment to be controlled for a particular shipment.  It wouldn't make sense, anyway, because the cargo is going to be in non-temp controlled areas during transit--on loaders sitting on the ramp or in the shipment facility, or in a bonded customs warehouse awaiting clearance.  Generally, sensitive cargo like you describe is shipped in temp-controlled containers (e.g. the PharmaPort) where the temp is maintained and monitored within the container itself.

Regards

I do drive a semi truck delivering all kinds of goods, and often I have to meet cargo freighters at the ramp for some consignment that is urgent and in dire need of temperature control for delivery to the recipient (mostly hospitals and MRI/CAT/PET facilities). It might not necessarilly be realistic to expect this on a everyday basis, but I do know first hand that these kinds of flights happen quite often.

[wedgantilles 76]

4 hours ago, forumtroll said:

I do drive a semi truck delivering all kinds of goods, and often I have to meet cargo freighters at the ramp for some consignment that is urgent and in dire need of temperature control for delivery to the recipient (mostly hospitals and MRI/CAT/PET facilities). It might not necessarilly be realistic to expect this on a everyday basis, but I do know first hand that these kinds of flights happen quite often.

I'm not quite sure but on airplane isn't it more the package/container that will keep this specfic at temperature ? I've seen in a documentary a shipment of a special medicine that should be kept at a temperature, and it was the box that was really meant for this, and the specifics was that it was to be loaded last, from airport controlled temperature cargo area and unloaded first to destination cargo controlled temperature. And it had an electronic device that would track temperature to make sure it would remain at hte required temp or below (don't remember the specific).

As far as I know (not being an expert) there is no way to have a controlled exact temperature in a cargo hold and no specific controls for the pilots to do something about it, so it would seem hard to me to develop a tracking client making use of that if the user just cannot do anything about the temperature if it changes.

Even transplant organs are being transported in "simple" ice and isotherm container, though they use "business" small aircraft to really get quicker.

Edited January 17, 2019 by wedgantilles

[ph-cxz 28]

These days we have two different levels of temperature controlled shipments. One is for medicine which is between 2 and 8 Celsius and the other is for shipments like flowers. While medicine is packaged in an ULD that can be kept cool during the whole air transport. For flowers the temperature is set in the cockpit.