"datamining" thousands of IGC files

Marrek has received 7121 IGC files from recent Slovakian competitions from Soaring Spot.

The easiest way to datamine for particular airspace is for sure with SeeYou Competition.

1. Create a task for each competition day (same task for everybody, something simple with two overlapping circles where a glider "starts" right off tow)

2. make an airspace file with only one airspace - the one that you are investigating

3. Run the Auto Evaluation on all 7000+ flights, save the CUC file (or make an XML if you wish)

4. search for "airspace violations", each one is listed in the CUC file. Description of the warning message is in the help file.

If you have a programmer who likes parsing this can all be very much automated

Let me know if you need more help.
Andrej Kolar

On Tuesday, March 6, 2012 8:20:31 AM UTC+1, Tibor wrote:
Thanks everyone for suggestions, please keep them coming . For now we need to answer simple question or two. e.g. how many "flights/hours have reached 7500ft MSL."?

We'll probably get only competition flights (no online competitions), as we luckily have quite enough competitions in Slovakia and it's easy to approach the organizers.

For longer term, of course we would like to have more sophisticated collection, filtering and ad hoc queries. That's why I mentioned importing flights into relational+spatial database. I think it's the propper groundwork for anybody doing statistics or visualizations. If we create something along this lines I'll let you know.

Thanks,
Tibor

On Monday, March 5, 2012 6:26:07 PM UTC+1, Tibor wrote:
Hi,

are there any open/free tools to datamine on database of many IGC files?

There is a threat that the free airspace for gliding in Slovakia is going to be significantly restricted. We need tools which help prepare arguments about airspace usage and frequency of our flights.

If I was starting from scratch I would probably try to import all the flights into a GIS database (PostGIS) and do the data cleaning and queries there. Does anybody have experience with this?

Thanks for you help,
Tibor Arpas



On Monday, March 5, 2012 6:26:07 PM UTC+1, Tibor wrote:
Hi,

are there any open/free tools to datamine on database of many IGC files?

There is a threat that the free airspace for gliding in Slovakia is going to be significantly restricted. We need tools which help prepare arguments about airspace usage and frequency of our flights.

If I was starting from scratch I would probably try to import all the flights into a GIS database (PostGIS) and do the data cleaning and queries there. Does anybody have experience with this?

Thanks for you help,
Tibor Arpas

Hi, Tibor

You mention 7500' MSL as a key altitude... nationwide? or in certain
areas?

In either case, your text argument should mention the negative effect on
Slovakian participation in Internationally-recognized Federation
Aeronautique achievement awards. (eg: Gold & Diamond altitude & badge
completions... perhaps Silver as well, depending on takeoff/landing
elevation)

Ideally, this would be accompanied by some (impressive?) statistics on how
many soaring sites are affected, how many pilots have safely attained
Gold/Diamond altitude, both overall and in a recent period.

If the sticking point is Air Traffic Control "authorization" and/or
transponder equipment, you may find some help from the SSA (US) Government
Liaison Chair, Steve Northcraft, at

In the US, gliders as a "Class" are excluded from transponder requirements
that other aircraft must use at 10,000' MSL; there are also methods used
here to access Class A airspace, which for US gliders exists at and above
18,000' MSL.

Good Luck with your efforts!!

Judy

At 07:20 06 March 2012, Tibor wrote:
Thanks everyone for suggestions, please keep them coming . For now we
nee=
d to answer simple question or two. e.g. how many "flights/hours have
reach=
ed 7500ft MSL."?

We'll probably get only competition flights (no online competitions), as
we=
luckily have quite enough competitions in Slovakia and it's easy to
approa=
ch the organizers.

For longer term, of course we would like to have more sophisticated
collect=
ion, filtering and ad hoc queries. That's why I mentioned importing
flights=
into relational+spatial database. I think it's the propper groundwork
for
=
anybody doing statistics or visualizations. If we create something along
th=
is lines I'll let you know.

Thanks,
Tibor

On Monday, March 5, 2012 6:26:07 PM UTC+1, Tibor wrote:
Hi,
=20
are there any open/free tools to datamine on database of many IGC
files?
=20
There is a threat that the free airspace for gliding in Slovakia is
going=
to be significantly restricted. We need tools which help prepare
arguments=
about airspace usage and frequency of our flights.
=20
If I was starting from scratch I would probably try to import all the
fli=
ghts into a GIS database (PostGIS) and do the data cleaning and queries
the=
re. Does anybody have experience with this?
=20
Thanks for you help,
Tibor Arpas



On Monday, March 5, 2012 6:26:07 PM UTC+1, Tibor wrote:
Hi,
=20
are there any open/free tools to datamine on database of many IGC
files?
=20
There is a threat that the free airspace for gliding in Slovakia is
going=
to be significantly restricted. We need tools which help prepare
arguments=
about airspace usage and frequency of our flights.
=20
If I was starting from scratch I would probably try to import all the
fli=
ghts into a GIS database (PostGIS) and do the data cleaning and queries
the=
re. Does anybody have experience with this?
=20
Thanks for you help,
Tibor Arpas