How to Enable the Live Flights Data Layer in God's Eye View

Enable the live flights data layer in God's Eye View by toggling the "Flights" button in the UI or calling dataManager.setLayerParams('flights', { active: true }) programmatically.

The live flights layer displays real-time commercial aircraft positions from ADS-B feeds. In bilawalsidhu/gods-eye-view, this layer is managed by the central DataManager class and rendered through the FlightsLayer implementation. This guide covers both UI and programmatic activation methods with exact code paths from the source.

How the Flights Layer Works

The flights data layer follows a three-part architecture:

• src/data/flights.js — Implements FlightsLayer with polling logic for the ADS-B feed, position history, and billboard rendering
• src/data/manager.js — DataManager class that registers layers and exposes setLayerParams() and isEnabled() methods
• src/ui.js — UI controls including the "Flights" toggle button that interfaces with the DataManager

When activated, the layer polls /api/adsblol/flights and renders aircraft as amber (#FFB800) billboards that update continuously.

Method 1: Enable via the UI Toggle

The simplest approach for end users is clicking the dedicated flights button.

1. Locate the "Flights" toggle in the left sidebar or the global context button (#global-context-flights-btn)
2. Click to activate — the handler in src/ui.js calls the DataManager automatically

The UI syncs button state through this check:

// From src/ui.js — state retrieval for the flights toggle
flightsEnabled: !!this._dataManager?.isEnabled('flights')

The isEnabled('flights') method returns the layer's active status from the DataManager registry.

Method 2: Programmatic Activation

For custom integrations, browser console debugging, or automated startup configurations, call the DataManager directly.

Access the Global Instance

// Assuming the global app object is exposed as window.godseye
const dm = window.godseye?.dataManager;

// Enable live flights
dm?.setLayerParams('flights', { active: true });

// Verify activation
console.log('Flights layer active:', dm?.isEnabled('flights'));

Full Standalone Example

import { DataManager } from './src/data/manager.js';
import { flightsLayer } from './src/data/flights.js';

// Instantiate and register
const dm = new DataManager();
dm.registerLayer('flights', flightsLayer);

// Activate the layer
dm.setLayerParams('flights', { active: true });

// Deactivate when needed
dm.setLayerParams('flights', { active: false });

The setLayerParams() method in src/data/manager.js handles:

• Starting/stopping the poll loop to the ADS-B endpoint
• Notifying the renderer to show or hide billboards
• Updating internal state checked by isEnabled()

Method 3: Configuration at Initialization

To enable flights automatically on app startup, set the layer params during DataManager construction or in your initialization sequence:

// Within your app bootstrap (e.g., src/main.js or equivalent)
const dataManager = new DataManager();

// Pre-enable flights before UI renders
dataManager.setLayerParams('flights', { active: true });

// Then mount the UI
const ui = new UI({ dataManager });
ui.render();

Disabling the Flights Layer

To stop data consumption and free GPU resources:

// Via DataManager
dataManager.setLayerParams('flights', { active: false });

// Or toggle via UI — same underlying call

When disabled, the layer:

• Halts polling to /api/adsblol/flights
• Clears active billboards from the scene
• Preserves no aircraft history (stateless deactivation)

Key Source Files

File	Purpose
src/data/flights.js	FlightsLayer class — ADS-B polling, position tracking, billboard rendering
src/data/manager.js	DataManager class — setLayerParams(), isEnabled(), layer lifecycle
src/ui.js	Toggle button handlers and state synchronization
src/data/militaryRegistry.js	Shows layer interaction pattern (military flights layer with duplicate suppression)

Summary

• UI method: Click the "Flights" toggle — handled by src/ui.js calling dataManager.setLayerParams('flights', { active: true })
• Programmatic method: Call dataManager.setLayerParams('flights', { active: true }) directly on the DataManager instance from src/data/manager.js
• Verification: Use dataManager.isEnabled('flights') to check current state
• Disabling: Same methods with active: false — stops polling and removes renderables

Frequently Asked Questions

What API endpoint does the live flights layer use?

The FlightsLayer in src/data/flights.js polls /api/adsblol/flights as its ADS-B data source. This endpoint returns current aircraft positions, which the layer transforms into map billboards with amber coloring.

Can I enable both commercial and military flights simultaneously?

Yes. The DataManager supports multiple active layers. The military flights layer ('military') uses /api/adsblol/mil and cooperates with the commercial layer through src/data/militaryRegistry.js, which suppresses duplicate ICAO identifiers when both layers show the same aircraft.

Why is isEnabled('flights') returning false after I call setLayerParams()?

This typically indicates the layer isn't registered. Ensure dm.registerLayer('flights', flightsLayer) runs before setLayerParams(). The registration binds the layer ID to the implementation instance in the DataManager's internal registry.

Does enabling flights impact performance significantly?

The layer maintains a lightweight poll interval and uses billboard instancing for rendering. On typical hardware, 500-1000 concurrent aircraft cause minimal frame drop. Disable via setLayerParams('flights', { active: false }) to eliminate all overhead when real-time tracking isn't needed.

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    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
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}