{
 "schemaVersion": 1,
 "generated": "2026-10-30",
 "dataLicense": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
 "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
 "notice": "Data from Open Source Everything (https://opensourceeverything.org), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: use it freely, credit the site, link to the page, and share changes under the same license. Listings were drafted with AI assistance and are managed by the r/TrueOpenSource moderators; check a project's own page before relying on a fact.",
 "id": "flight-tracking",
 "name": "Tracking planes and ships yourself",
 "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/g/flight-tracking/",
 "category": "hw-makers",
 "categoryName": "Making things: 3D printing, electronics, radio",
 "job": "Receiving aircraft and ship signals with a cheap radio and keeping your own history",
 "closedApps": [
  "Flightradar24",
  "FlightAware",
  "MarineTraffic"
 ],
 "coverage": "partial",
 "alternatives": [
  {
   "id": "tar1090",
   "name": "tar1090",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/tar1090/",
   "summary": "tar1090 is a web page that shows aircraft positions picked up by a radio receiver you own, such as one on a Raspberry Pi. It is for people who already run a plane-decoding program at home and want a better way to view the data.",
   "kind": "self_hosted",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "You run it on your own server (a computer you set up and keep running), or from the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "linux",
    "server"
   ],
   "license": "GPL-2.0-or-later",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": true,
   "stars": 1941,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/wiedehopf/tar1090",
   "website": null,
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "tar1090",
   "rank": 1,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Shows planes you receive and keeps history, but needs a separate decoder. No ship support mentioned.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 35.9
  },
  {
   "id": "readsb",
   "name": "readsb",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/readsb/",
   "summary": "readsb is a program that receives aircraft position signals from a cheap radio receiver and decodes them so you can see planes nearby. It is aimed at hobbyists and people who run their own receiver or feed a flight map site.",
   "kind": "developer_tool",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "Made for developers: you use it from code or the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "mac",
    "linux"
   ],
   "license": "GPL-3.0-or-later",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": true,
   "stars": 697,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/wiedehopf/readsb",
   "website": null,
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "readsb",
   "rank": 2,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Decodes aircraft signals and keeps history; ships are not mentioned in the material.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 32.5
  },
  {
   "id": "ais-catcher",
   "name": "AIS-catcher",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/ais-catcher/",
   "summary": "AIS-catcher is free software that uses a cheap radio receiver to pick up the location signals ships broadcast (called AIS), and shows them on a map in a built-in web page. It is for hobbyists and technical users who want to run their own ship receiver on a computer.",
   "kind": "developer_tool",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "Made for developers: you use it from code or the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "linux"
   ],
   "license": "GPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 798,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/jvde-github/AIS-catcher",
   "website": null,
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "ais-catcher",
   "rank": 3,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Ships only; it does not receive aircraft signals.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 30.7
  },
  {
   "id": "sdr",
   "name": "SDR++",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/sdr/",
   "summary": "This is a support library that lets radio-tuning programs talk to many kinds of software-defined radio hardware through one common interface. It is for programmers and software builders, not everyday users.",
   "kind": "library",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "A building block for developers, not a ready-to-use app.",
   "platforms": [],
   "license": "BSL-1.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 1534,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/pothosware/SoapySDR",
   "website": "https://www.sdrpp.org",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "sdr",
   "rank": 4,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Hardware access layer only; no tracking or history features itself.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 29.6
  }
 ],
 "source": "https://opensourceeverything.org/g/flight-tracking/",
 "group": "Tracking planes and ships yourself",
 "replaces": [
  "Flightradar24",
  "FlightAware",
  "MarineTraffic"
 ]
}