What ATAK adds
- Shared live map across Android (ATAK), iOS (iTAK), Windows (WinTAK), and web via a TAK Server. Positions, waypoints, chat, markers, alerts—on‑ or offline.
- Extensible client with plugins for custom buttons (e.g., “Blocked alley”, “Insert stop”, “Contamination”).
- Open layers: display WMS/WMTS/XYZ/ArcGIS layers (closures, school zones, weight limits). Package overlays for offline use.
- Interoperable messages using Cursor‑on‑Target (CoT) / TAK protocol to post geotagged events with attributes and attachments.
How it fits the routing loop
- Publish routes from your optimizer as a TAK Data Package (stops/sequence/geofences) and push via TAK Server.
- Operate: drivers see their route and constraints; overlays include closures, noise windows, school zones.
- Report exceptions: drivers drop CoT events—“alley blocked,” “spill,” “contamination”—optionally with a photo.
- Dispatch triage: an SLM or dispatcher converts events into a small solver patch (insert/skip/reorder/swap) and republishes the updated overlay to ATAK.
- Audit: CoT/patches are logged with reason and evidence.
Data packages, layers & offline
- TAK Data Packages bundle overlays (routes, stops, geofences), icons, and certs for distribution via TAK Server or sideload.
- WMS/WMTS/XYZ base/overlay layers can be subscribed in ATAK (e.g., public works closures, parade routes, snow routes).
- Offline packages allow crews to operate without cellular data while retaining the day’s plan and constraints.
Field events & small patches
Use CoT to carry field observations; your dispatch service ingests them and emits a small reroute patch for the optimizer.
Example CoT‑style event (illustrative)
{
"type": "b-a", // blocked-alley (custom)
"how": "m-g", // how reported (e.g., human, GPS)
"lat": 37.7812,
"lon": -122.4058,
"time": "2025-10-05T14:02:00Z",
"detail": {
"stop_id": "STOP-7781",
"photo": "tak://package/media/blocked_102_pine.jpg",
"note": "Dumpster across alley"
}
}Example solver patch (JSON)
{
"patch_id": "PATCH-2025-10-05-1",
"vehicle_id": "TRUCK-12",
"type": "skip_stop",
"payload": {"stop_id": "STOP-7781", "reason": "blocked_alley"},
"audit": {"source": "atak", "evidence": ["cot:b-a:STOP-7781"]}
}Minimal ATAK plugin checklist
- Buttons: Blocked alley, Insert stop (lat/lon + note), Contamination (class + photo), Hazard (type + radius).
- Overlay updater: subscribes to a topic (e.g., MQTT/HTTPS) and refreshes route/stop layers after a patch.
- Policy helper: displays time windows, noise windows, and weight restrictions for the current stop segment.
- Offline package loader: caches today’s data package and verifies signatures/certs.
Security & governance
- Server: run official TAK Server or community FreeTAKServer; require cert‑based auth, role‑based rooms, and signed data packages.
- PII minimization: avoid collecting faces/plates unless needed; redact/blur at the edge if you capture video.
- Auditability: log every inbound CoT event and outbound solver patch with time, user, location, and rationale.