How To Request A New Real-Time API Integration

Spidertracks has an API available so third-party consumers can retrieve telemetry data from our system.

The Spidertracks Automated Flight Following (AFF) API enables users to share telemetry data with third-party systems. The intended purpose is to provide live location data and other telemetry data (if available).  This API is based on the de-facto global standard that has been adopted for Automated Flight Following. This was first developed by the USDA Forest Service and the specification is maintained at www.aff.gov. 

To be able to access data you will need to be registered as an API consumer and create a consumer account. Spidertracks reserves the right to approve and monitor all API consumer accounts. You can apply to become a consumer by filling in the API request form.

AFF  Consumer Guide 

The PDF guide attached to this article covers integrating with the Spidertracks API / AFF feed. The data in the Spidertracks AFF response, how to query the feed, and how to set up an AFF feed in the Spidertracks website are all covered. Examples of querying the feed, including code, requests, and responses are all provided. 

API consumer request

The link below takes you to a form where you can apply for an API consumer account. We will review your application to check if it meets our conditions for accessing the API. Once you have submitted the form one of our team will be in touch to discuss your application. Depending on the context of the application we may need to request additional information.

API Consumer Application Form

The contact email that is written in the request form, will be the email that you will use for retrieving raw data from our system.

 

The organisation wanting to use the API will also need to add this email to their account as a member, this will send you an invitation email that will automatically link you to their account.

New integration

Should your application be approved and a new consumer account be set up it will appear under Private AFF Consumers.

 

This will need to be selected and activated for the correct aircraft and must be done by an admin on the account: How To Set Up Automated Flight Following (AFF / API)

 

Additional approval steps are required before new integrations will appear for all users under our Public AFF Consumers link.

 

 

Note:

• All AFF feeds have now been filtered to only show the latest report in any two-minute interval with the exception that all non-standard tracking points are always sent e.g. watch, mark, SOS, fire events, etc.

• Our AFF feed only returns data within the last 2 week period max.

• This filtering update satisfies the AFF requirements to send at least one report every two minutes.

 

Using Postman

If you would like to use Postman to test the feed, the following instructions will help you set this up:

1. Download and install Postman.

2. Download AFF API JSON Collection. 

3. Extract the AFF API JSON collection from the .zip file.

4. Open Postman.

5. Click Import, locate the AFF API JSON collection, and select and import it into Postman.

6. The collection should now appear in the side panel.

(If you can’t see the side panel click the orange Side Panel button in the bottom left corner of the Postman window)

7. If you want to query production environment data open the “Feed JSON” collection If you want to query test environment data open the “Feed JSON Test” collection.
8. Navigate to the Auth tab.

9. Enter your username and password.

10.  Navigate to the Body tab

11. Modify the dataCtrTime to the date time that you want to request data for. 

Note: Date time is in UTC in the following format "dataCtrTime": "2020-06-09T00:12:01Z". 

12. Click the send button and the API will return the next points (up to 1000 points) from the date time entered.

*The information returned in the API follows the format defined here.

Notable Restrictions on the AFF Feed Data

• AFF data requests are restricted to data from the previous 14 days.
• Requests for data older than 14 days will return the earliest available points from the 14-day period.
• Standard location reports are filtered to only show one standard tracking point every 2 minutes.
• All other points e.g. SOS, ROC/ROD, Speed, Mark, Fire events etc will always appear in the AFF Feed.

 

If you require any additional information please contact [e-mail].