Website is available at http://localhost:8080/
SFU Sattelite Tracker App is a webapp that enables users to sign up and create a personalized list of satellites. Users can choose from a range of categories such as:
- Special-Interest Satellites
- Weather & Earth Resources Satellites
- Communications Satellites
- Navigation Satellites
- Scientific Satellites
- Miscellaneous Satellites
The user will be able to see the selected satellites on a map using street view once they have selected the satelites they like to view.
Each category of satellites contains a list currently tracked by NORAD.
This list is obtained from: Celestrak
NORAD provides their data in a line separated txt format. Each satellite is displayed using three lines.
NOAA 1 [-]
1 04793U 70106A 17321.26389674 -.00000039 00000-0 41132-4 0 9994
2 04793 101.7843 25.5071 0031568 323.0510 79.0946 12.53982828148349
The first line is the name and the second and third lines are TLE records. These records can be converted to gps coordinates.
Conversion from TLE to GPS Coordinates is done at the frontend. This conversion is done using a javascript library and takes the current unix time as inputs and combines this with the TLE parameters to predict the Coordinates to a certain level of accuracy up to 24 hours. After 24 hours it is required to get new TLE values to maintain accuracy.
Users that have signed up to the app can choose their satellite from a menu of categories or search for the satellite name in a search bar.
On the Backend there is a Rails rake task running that will fetch new data from the NORAD txt files and write these to the database every 24 hours.
- Database tables created and populated with test TLE data.
- Rake task to automate daily updates has been created.
- reading txt files from NORAD and combining the line seperated records in groups of three for each satellite.
- TLE to GPS coordinates libary has been tested and is working.
- Users signup functionality completed.
- Users are able to add/delete satellites from their list.
- Enable Rake task to write to database.
The following technology was used for the creation of our website #Application Backend
Oracle Virtualbox + Vagrant We virtualize a Web Server using Virtualbox and Vagrant so the whole team have the same ubuntu environment to work with. Orcale virtualbox and vagrant is chosen because we are more familiar with them after the exercises done already.
Nginx + Chef + Unicorn We use the chef script to set up a Nginx Server and listen on the Unicorn socket. This combination of setup is chosen to be more compatiable with the overall rails web framework and initial set up has already been done within the exercises.
Rails We use Rails as a Web Framework to do rapid web development. Rails is chosen due to the large amount of existing gems to work with and the fact that several of our members is already familiar with development in rails.
Scheduling by Whenever gem + CRON We use whenever gem to schedule in order to fetch all TLE from Celestrak Website to databases at 12:00 am everyday. Whenever gem and CRON is chosen by the already available online website and forums to help with the process of setting up.
Security / bcrypt We use bcrypt to secure our user password by hashing. Bcrypt is the most popular gem to set up security in Rails and there was no reason not to use it.
PostgreSQL Datebase We use PostgreSQL for the creation of database and chose it because it is one of the world’s most advanced open source database
Amazon database for testing Initially Amazon databse is used as database to test out basic feature without postgrSQL setted up. It is replaced due to the constant fetching of TLE data slowing the database down.
#Application Frontend
WebGL Earth / OpenStreetMap/ Google Map API We use WebGL Earth, OpenStreetMap, and Google Map to show the users the position of the satellites on the map. The reason why these are used because there are no other mapping system that we can think of.
Bootstrap We use Bootstrap to design the UI and provide a suitable view to both mobile and desktop browser. Bootstrap is chosen because it is relatively easy to set up and get started.
Jquery We use Jquery to update the latitude and longitude of the satellites and pin it into the map. We chose Jquery because we have already done the tutorial for jquery for the exercise.
Slim Gem We use Slim to shorten the normal HTML format. It is not necessary to use slim as some of our members do not use it but some people simply perfer to use it.
Puma Application Server We use Puma server for development process of the rails web application. It is fast and easy to run and set up is all covered by exercise.
There was a couple of challenges with the implmentation of our websites. One of the major challenge was the conversion of TLE text data into longitude and latitude to be plotted on the map. Although Api is provided for the conversion of TLE to Longitude and Latitude, there still requires some experimenting before realizing the need to download a js library to write TLE and then another javascript to read the TLE. The other major challenge comes from setting up production mode using unicorn and nginx and rails. Tutorial is provided for basic set up that can be used on a linux machine, but on a windows machine unicorn port is blocked and cannot be used. Many iterations of the code is made in adjusting unicorn before it can be used on a windows machine. The last major challenge comes from the merging the git lab repository and doing quailty control and debugging with all the codes and devleopment that are comming in. Sometimes some code has to be refactor before it can be used.
Henry
- Quailty control/debugging
- Git Merge control
- User login system
- password security
- base rails app set up
- set up bootstrap,slim library
- display lat and lon on the table
- set up whenever gem for scheduling
- Setting up pagination for displaying list of satellites Nick
- Setting up vagrant
- set up nignx server and communication nignx to rails app by unicorn socket
- debug everyone's backend setup
- poster design
- project requirement
- Website designs on html, css, bootstrap
- about page Ching
- Website designs on html, css, bootstrap, logo
- home / manual page
- tester for windows website production mode
- Writing Readme Darren
- create the map controller
- Displaying satellites on maps with given longitude and latitude
- about page
- testing on everything
- google font Arvin
- set up whenever gem for scheduling
- find all the source: TLE to lon and lat library, map library
- insert satellite data into the database
- Communication with satellite club about website layout and functionality
- Displaying satellites on maps with given longitude and latitude Dimtri
- build a Amazon database for testing
- google map API
- Make proper connections between user model and satellite model so that user's list can be recorded.
- Mapping library should read from database and display markers on the map of the current locations.
- TLE provides more parameters than just coordinates. Read these out and display as tooltip for the markers or in a separate dashboard on the side as the user hovers/selects their satellite.
- creating 3d map of the globe to display the satellite's locations