Assistance In Some Coding For Sailing Tracking Site

[randomguy1981]

Well....

I recently read about the Aegean loss (I've been stuck without access to the civilised world for some time) and it appears that the reaction from the monitoring centre was lacking - a terrible unnecessary waste of life.

I was wondering if anyone had the abilities to assist with coding a website in python for tracking all our sailboats, whether they use SPOT, inreach or anything else.

I am happy to do the design side, domain hosting etc but my coding skills are unfortunately lacking.

I plan on it being a free service and would like to offer subdomains for every signup so they can give their loved ones an easy link to click on and look at. I would also like it to automatically email people when the tracking systems alarm is activated - I do not own a SPOT and I've literally come up with this tonight so if I am wrong I apologise but I suspect SPOT lets you add additional email addresses to send to and it would be easy to add a multi recipient address, knowing how we all tend to stick together I'm sure both sides of the pond people would be happy to be a contact for others so we really are creating a network for 24/7 coverage.

To cut a long story short I think people with less technical know how should be able to sign up to the site, input their spot details and the rest should be plain sailing for them as things can be too confusing sometimes.

I would also be interested in adding blog sections for each subdomain, or even a form of twitter for 'we are ok' updates via email, sms or sat.

Please let me know your thoughts, I've been registered for a long time here and tend to just be a reader but this has got me fired up a bit.

If there's enough positive response to this then perhaps I can get it moved forwards.

Thanks for reading all

[tbodine88]

Originally Posted by randomguy1981

Well....
I was wondering if anyone had the abilities to assist with coding a website in python for tracking all our sailboats, whether they use SPOT, inreach or anything else.

If it could be in php, perhaps I could help. I am better with that than python

[BlueSun]

The service you describe is a lot like Skipr.net which allows for updating online/by HF/satellite phone.

[rebel heart]

I wrote some software like that a while back in c#. Allowed folks to put a map on their website that showed their current position and the such. Fairly easy to do, but I'd do it in c# as that's a cake walk language for me.

[sunburntnsalty]

The feed is JSON and pretty simple. I had this PHP code laying around from a project I was working a while back integrating SPOT, Facebook, Twitter, and other positioning data, it would probably be just as easy in Python:

PHP Code:

$feed = 'http://share.findmespot.com/spot-adventures/rest-api/1.0/public/feed/0ZvGZBYtUkR9jklzipW3v2pSvdKjbhgHq/message';

$curl = curl_init($feed);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPGET, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$json = curl_exec($curl);
curl_close($curl);

$data = json_decode($json, true);

if ( isset($data['response']['feedMessageResponse']['messages']['message']) ) {

  $messages = $data['response']['feedMessageResponse']['messages']['message'];

  foreach( $messages as $message ) {

      var_dump($message);
      
  }

} 


Good luck!

[zeehag]

spot works great while in use-aegean's spot has not been in use since th ewreck. wont be available to read.
i find my spot site will not give info after i am done with trip. i turn it off, no mo action. same with my friends.
it will work next trip just as did before, but aegeans isnt going to ever work again. is sad.

if you know someone who was friends with the crew, mebbe you can get the path from them--could well be recorded onto some other source.

[randomguy1981]

Originally Posted by BlueSun

The service you describe is a lot like Skipr.net which allows for updating online/by HF/satellite phone.

Thanks, not seen that site before and yes its a similar idea when I look at it.

[randomguy1981]

Originally Posted by tbodine88

If it could be in php, perhaps I could help. I am better with that than python

I would be grateful if we could discuss this further by PM if you are ok with that tbodine88?

[randomguy1981]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I wrote some software like that a while back in c#. Allowed folks to put a map on their website that showed their current position and the such. Fairly easy to do, but I'd do it in c# as that's a cake walk language for me.

I would love to discuss this further to if you don't mind?

[randomguy1981]

Originally Posted by sunburntnsalty

The feed is JSON and pretty simple. I had this PHP code laying around from a project I was working a while back integrating SPOT, Facebook, Twitter, and other positioning data, it would probably be just as easy in Python:

PHP Code:

$feed = 'http://share.findmespot.com/spot-adventures/rest-api/1.0/public/feed/0ZvGZBYtUkR9jklzipW3v2pSvdKjbhgHq/message';

$curl = curl_init($feed);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPGET, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$json = curl_exec($curl);
curl_close($curl);

$data = json_decode($json, true);

if ( isset($data['response']['feedMessageResponse']['messages']['message']) ) {

  $messages = $data['response']['feedMessageResponse']['messages']['message'];

  foreach( $messages as $message ) {

      var_dump($message);
      
  }

} 


Good luck!

Thank you sunburntnsalty (great name)

[randomguy1981]

Originally Posted by zeehag

spot works great while in use-aegean's spot has not been in use since th ewreck. wont be available to read.
i find my spot site will not give info after i am done with trip. i turn it off, no mo action. same with my friends.
it will work next trip just as did before, but aegeans isnt going to ever work again. is sad.

if you know someone who was friends with the crew, mebbe you can get the path from them--could well be recorded onto some other source.

Hi Zeehag, thanks for posting. Its a sad story and one I would definitely like to assist in avoiding again.

I wanted to do something after reading the report that showed the failing with regards to the response that took place when the emergency spot report was sent.

This is a direct extract taken from SPOT Distress Alerts - Inside Practical Sailor Blog Article

Although the distress signal had no position data, Mavromatis had programmed the device to report his position every 10 minutes so that family could track the boat. Shortly after the distress signal went out, Mavromatis' wife, Loren, received a phone call from GEOS Alliance. She was asleep, so the report of the distress signal from her husband’s SPOT went to voicemail. For several hours after that, it appears that there was no effort made by the monitoring agency to contact the U.S. Coast Guard or to confirm the distress alert, even though boat’s track clearly indicated trouble.

I want to create something that tracks boats on a global map with a search function for boat names, alerts triggered, but also I want to give users an individual page with their own map, blog etc that they can give to their family (much easier to remember zeehag.whereamisailing.com then some random one created by spot). The difference is that they can then setup a forwarding address as such (this is how this plays out in my mind) which I will provide for free. So you could have zeehag@whereamisailing.com but it will forward to say 5 people so if you trigger an alert it can (this is where the round the world sailing friendship kicks in with these forums) be sent to someone in a timezone that is AWAKE who can get a response organised.

I hope that makes sense - like I said, its just an idea I have and I would very much like to explore it and I would happily get involved in the graphics, website design etc. The coding for me is a foreign language.

Warm regards

Redunc