AtmosphericX
AtmosphericX LogoWritten By: KiyoWx

Location Tracking Nodes ​

Configurations: sources.location_settings

AtmosphericX supports integrations with services such as SpotterNetwork and RealTimeIRL, enabling live location updates from certain platforms. These integrations allow users to display and track positions in realtime, This also gives you the ability to use features like Polywarn and use TempestWx Stations with located based tracking.

RealtimeIRL Settings ​

A pull key is required to use RealTimeIRL. You can obtain one by creating an account at realtimeirl.com. After signing up, download the RealTimeIRL mobile app and configure it with your push key to begin sending your longitude and latitude coordinates.

Once your device is actively transmitting location data through the app, AtmosphericX can retrieve those coordinates using your pull key, enabling realtime GPS tracking.

RealtimeIRL Nickname

When using RealTimeIRL, you can set a name in the configurations. This nickname will be displayed in the UI instead of your actual name, allowing for a more personalized and user friendly experience while maintaining privacy if you are streaming or sharing your location data.

jsonc
"realtime_irl": { // RealtimeIRL GPS tracking implementation (See: https://rtirl.com/)
    "enabled": true,
    "pins": [
        {"key": "KEY_HERE", "name": "EXAMPLE_NAME_HERE"}
    ],
    "contradictions": [] // Ignore
}

Spotter Network Settings ​

You can pin spotters with the pin_by_name setting, which allows you to specify the names of spotters you want to track. This is useful for focusing on specific individuals or groups within Spotter Network, ensuring that you only receive updates from those you are interested in. You can also configure which spotter statuses should be included. For example, you may choose to filter spotters based on whether they are active, idle, or offline, allowing you to display only the statuses that are relevant to your use case.

Node Priority ​

When multiple location tracking nodes are configured, AtmosphericX will prioritize them in the following order:

    1. RealTimeIRL (if configured and active)
    1. SpotterNetwork (if configured and active)

This is done to prioritize fetching mesonet and or tempest station data from the most important node, which is typically RealTimeIRL. If neither node is active, the system will not display any location data.

Mesonet Data ​

When using location tracking nodes, AtmosphericX will allow you to fetch mesonet data for the nearest station to the tracked location. This allows you to have more accurate and localized weather information based on your current position, enhancing the overall user experience and providing more relevant weather updates. This can be enabled or disabled in location_settings.fetch_mesonet_data. Data can be requested at /data/mesonet and is returned in the following GeoJSON format:

geojson
{
    "type": "Feature",
    "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [ ... ]
    },
    "properties": {
        "temperature": 43,
        "dewpoint": 22,
        "humidity": 44,
        "wind_speed": 0,
        "wind_direction": null,
        "conditions": "...",
        "location": "..."
    }
},

Node Inactivity ​

By default, if a node has not received location updates for 500 seconds, it will be considered inactive and will not be used for tracking until it receives new data. This helps ensure that only current and relevant location information is displayed. This can be modified in location_settings.expiry_time.

Polygon Updating and Construction ​

When using tracking nodes, AtmosphericX will automatically get polygon data for events and track how close you are from the closest point of the polygon. This allows you to have a more accurate representation of your proximity to the event, which can be used for features like Polywarn and other location-based alerts. The system will continuously update the polygon data every 60 seconds unless modified in location_settings.polygon_update_time.

TempestWx Stations ​

When using location tracking nodes, AtmosphericX can prioritize data from the nearest or primary Tempest weather station for improved accuracy in your coverage area. This allows you to receive more relevant and localized weather information based on your current location, enhancing the overall user experience and providing more accurate weather updates.

Data Structure ​

Data can be requested at /data/tracking and is returned in the following GeoJSON format:

geojson
{
    "type": "Feature",
    "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [ ... ]
    },
    "properties": {
        "name": "John Smith",
        "source": "RealTimeIRL",
        "county": "Some County",
        "state": "Some State",
        "city": "Some City",
        "address": "Some Address",
        "icao": "KXYZ",
        "last_updated": "2026-03-23T18:45:00Z
    }
}