[Freegis-list] Re: Aviation navigation (long)

[Bernhard Reiter]

[Posted and mailed to freegis-list]

You need to check freegis.org which is the most comprehensive
overview site for GIS related free software. The FreeGIS project
also hosts a mailinglist where interested people might lurk.
(For this reason I have also mailed this posting to the list.)

Another interesting project for you is certainly: 
FlightGear and its Altas project. http://atlas.sourceforge.net/
	
Best,
	Bernhard

In article <3B739C91.97D6AF67 at telocity.com>,
	AINut <ainut1 at telocity.com> writes:

> I had an idea that I'd like to run past you guys.  Maybe it has already
> been done.
> 
> I'm going to install an embedded system into an airplane, primarily as
> an engine monitoring tool.  Then I thought that with a cheap ($150)
> serial port GPS, I could add GPS capabilities to the screen.  To make
> that easier to use, I could load the US DTED (elevation data isn't it?)
> info into a database and CD-ROM (or DVD-RAM if need be) along with
> airport and navaid data, then display a moving map location for the
> people in the plane in at least these ways:
> 1) God's eye (plan) view for immediate intuitive awareness of location,
> 2) horizontal view for awareness of altitude relative to mountains,
> towers, etc., and
> 3) 3D rotatable view for even better situational awareness (using OpenGL
> tools.)
> 
> Now, if we can do this, we might also be able to perform location
> projections to warn the pilot of impending doom (if you stay at this
> altitude and speed, you'll hit a mountain in 2 minutes), or of airspace
> violations (on present course, you're going to fly through a Class B
> airspace,) and etc.
> 
> My intent is to make the software publicly available (if anyone wants
> it) via the GPL license.
> 
> My questions:
> 1. what is the easiest free source(s) for the raw elevation data?
> 2. what is a good free source for the algorithms to use?
> 3. if anyone is doing this, would you like to collaborate for free?
> 4. Am I out of my mind here?
> 
> Thanks,
> AI Nut

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