About our data sources

This article explains where our aviation data comes from, how we process it in real-time, how often we refresh it, and how you can help keep it accurate. In short: we stand on the shoulders of open aviation data communities and carefully transform those datasets to power a fast, map-first experience for tracking flights, exploring airports, and discovering aviation information worldwide.

What we use

• OpenSky Network for real-time ADS-B flight tracking data
• OpenStreetMap (OSM) for airport geography and infrastructure
• Public aviation databases for aircraft registrations and specifications
• Airport and airline reference data from official and community sources
• Weather data (METAR/TAF) from official meteorological services

We do not scrape private data, track individuals beyond aircraft positions, or purchase commercial flight tracking services. Our emphasis is on open, auditable sources that benefit the entire aviation community.

Source breakdown

• OpenSky Network (real-time flight tracking)

  • We use community-contributed ADS-B receiver data to provide real-time flight positions, altitudes, speeds, and callsigns.
  • OpenSky Network data is provided under their terms of use. See: OpenSky Network
  • Coverage depends on receiver density and is best in North America, Europe, and major aviation hubs.

• OpenStreetMap (airport infrastructure)

  • We rely on community-maintained data for airport boundaries, runways, taxiways, terminals, and navigation points.
  • OSM data is governed by the ODbL license. See: OpenStreetMap Copyright

• Aircraft registration databases

  • We reference public aircraft registries (FAA, ICAO) for tail numbers, aircraft types, operators, and technical specifications.
  • These databases are typically in the public domain or available under open data licenses.

• Weather data

  • We integrate METAR and TAF weather reports from official sources like NOAA and national weather services.
  • Weather data helps provide context for flight conditions and airport operations.

Processing pipeline (high-level)

1. Ingest: We receive real-time ADS-B messages from OpenSky Network and other streaming sources.
2. Parse: We decode aircraft positions, velocities, callsigns, and squawk codes from raw messages.
3. Track: We maintain flight trajectories by correlating consecutive position reports and applying smoothing algorithms.
4. Enrich: We link flight data with aircraft registrations, airline information, route data, and airport details.
5. Filter: We remove invalid positions, ground vehicles, and test flights to improve data quality.
6. Serve: We produce optimized real-time feeds and historical datasets for the map interface and APIs.

The repository layout reflects this architecture: the skygrid.data project handles ingestion and processing; the cc-skygrid web app consumes real-time feeds for live tracking and historical analysis.

Categories and data types

We organize aviation data into several categories:

• Live flight tracking (position, altitude, speed, heading)
• Airports (runways, terminals, navigation aids, weather)
• Airlines (fleet information, routes, schedules)
• Aircraft (registrations, types, specifications, photos)
• Routes (origin, destination, typical flight paths)
• Weather (METAR, TAF, NOTAMs)

If you notice incorrect airport information or missing aircraft data, it’s often due to upstream sources. Contributing to OpenStreetMap or reporting issues to aircraft registries helps everyone.

Update cadence

• Real-time flight data: Updated every 10-30 seconds depending on ADS-B coverage
• Airport information: Weekly refreshes from OSM and official sources
• Aircraft registrations: Monthly updates as new data becomes available
• Weather reports: Updated every hour or as new reports are issued
• Routes and schedules: Updated daily from airline sources

Data quality and corrections

• Flight positions: We apply validation filters to remove invalid positions (altitude anomalies, impossible speeds, duplicate reports).
• Airport data: Ground truth lives in OpenStreetMap. Please update OSM directly for permanent fixes that benefit all projects.
• Aircraft information: We validate registrations against official databases and merge community corrections.
• Missing flights: Coverage depends on ADS-B receiver density. Flights over oceans or remote areas may have gaps.

For data corrections specific to SkyGrid, you can open an issue in our project repository or contact us directly.

Privacy

We track aircraft positions using publicly broadcast ADS-B signals, which are non-personal by nature. We do not collect personal information about website visitors beyond basic geolocation for “find nearby airports” features. No individual movement histories are stored.

Aircraft owners and operators should be aware that ADS-B is a public broadcast system required by aviation authorities worldwide.

Licensing and attribution

• OpenSky Network data: Subject to OpenSky Network terms of use
• OpenStreetMap data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under ODbL
• Aircraft registration data: Public domain or open data licenses from national authorities
• Weather data: Public domain from national meteorological services

If you reuse our compiled datasets, please retain source attributions and follow the terms of the original data providers.

Real-time performance

Our processing pipeline is designed for low latency:

• Typical delay from ADS-B reception to map display: 10-20 seconds
• Position update frequency: 5-10 seconds for actively tracked flights
• Historical data: Available with 24-hour lag for analysis and playback

Contributing

You can help improve aviation data quality by:

• Setting up an ADS-B receiver and contributing to OpenSky Network
• Improving airport data in OpenStreetMap
• Reporting incorrect aircraft registrations or specifications
• Submitting corrections for airline routes and schedules
• Sharing feedback on data quality issues

Changelog for this article

• 2025-09-01: First public version.