Tracking sensors with OpenCPN and Raspberry PI

[Jaco Versfeld]

Good day,

I would like to track sensors that we deploy using OpenCPN running on a Raspberry PI. What would be the best way to do this?

The sensors will be uploading their GPS locations to a website using GPRS/3G. The Raspberry PI will be running a GPRS/3G modem requesting the data from the website. The area where we operate has good 3G/GPRS coverage.

I thought of making the sensors "AIS" sources on OpenCPN, i.e., programming the OpenCPN software so that the received GPS locations are fed through as AIS sources. Are there better ways to achieve this?

Also, where can I find the documentation for the AIS API?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated
Jaco

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Jaco Versfeld

Good day,



I would like to track sensors that we deploy using OpenCPN running on a Raspberry PI. What would be the best way to do this?



The sensors will be uploading their GPS locations to a website using GPRS/3G. The Raspberry PI will be running a GPRS/3G modem requesting the data from the website. The area where we operate has good 3G/GPRS coverage.



I thought of making the sensors "AIS" sources on OpenCPN, i.e., programming the OpenCPN software so that the received GPS locations are fed through as AIS sources. Are there better ways to achieve this?



Also, where can I find the documentation for the AIS API?



Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Jaco

Jaco,

Unless you write a plug-in then creating AIS messages is the only ready to run method. I created a Python script that creates AIS messages from GPS coordinates. You are welcome to copy it and modify as you need. See https://github.com/transmitterdan/aisconverter

[Rasbats]

My "Ship Driver" plugin uses C++ code ported from TDan's Python script. It takes lat/lon and generates an AIS target.

https://github.com/Rasbats/shipdriver_pi

The file to look at is 'AisMaker.cpp'.

Mike

[rooiedirk]

Depends. It is possible to make AIS messages, but this is not 'easy', translate your data into $xxTLL,... messages will show them as radar targets (a small square). However the radar targets can only have a number (0-99) not a name.

[verkerkbr]

Originally Posted by Jaco Versfeld

Good day,

I would like to track sensors that we deploy using OpenCPN running on a Raspberry PI. What would be the best way to do this?

The sensors will be uploading their GPS locations to a website using GPRS/3G. The Raspberry PI will be running a GPRS/3G modem requesting the data from the website. The area where we operate has good 3G/GPRS coverage.

I thought of making the sensors "AIS" sources on OpenCPN, i.e., programming the OpenCPN software so that the received GPS locations are fed through as AIS sources. Are there better ways to achieve this?

Also, where can I find the documentation for the AIS API?


Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated
Jaco

Hallo Jaco,


How about using SignalK ? It produces data in HTML and can easily transmitted to remote servers.

However I have no experience with this setup. But it seems to my an option.

OpenPlotter on an RPI has an excellent support build-in for SignalK. Beta version 2.00 is running here very well.


Bram