Planeplotter: Conditional Expressions

The Conditional Expressions for Visualization feature in PlanePlotter allows users to customize how aircraft are displayed on the map based on specific user-defined criteria. This feature is particularly useful for filtering and organizing data, enhancing monitoring efficiency.

What is a Conditional Expression?

A conditional expression is a custom rule that specifies which aircraft to display, how they should be represented, or what details to highlight on the map. It consists of a set of conditions compared to the data received from aircraft.

For example, you can create an expression to show only aircraft flying above 10,000 feet or belonging to a specific airline.

How to Create a Conditional Expression

1. Access the Functionality:
   Go to the Options > Conditional Expressions menu in PlanePlotter.

2. Define the Criteria:
   Enter an expression that uses available parameters from Mode-S/ADS-B data. Common criteria include:

   • Altitude: Show only aircraft within a certain range (e.g., alt > 10000 && alt < 30000).
   • Heading: Filter aircraft moving in a specific direction (e.g., hdg > 90 && hdg < 180).
   • Distance: Show only aircraft within a specified radius from your observation point (e.g., dist < 50).
   • Aircraft Type: Filter based on the type of aircraft (e.g., type == 'B738' for Boeing 737-800).
   • Operator: Show aircraft from a specific airline (e.g., operator == 'Ryanair').
   • Country of Registration: Display aircraft registered in a particular country (e.g., country == 'Italy').

3. Save and Apply:
   After entering the expression, save it and ensure it’s applied. PlanePlotter will use this rule to filter the displayed data.

Examples of Conditional Expressions

1. Display aircraft above 30,000 feet:
   alt > 30000

2. Show only aircraft within 100 km of your observation point:
   dist < 100

3. Highlight only aircraft heading southeast (90-180 degrees):
   hdg > 90 && hdg < 180

4. Filter for a specific aircraft type, e.g., Airbus A320:
   type == 'A320'

5. Display only aircraft registered in Italy:
   country == 'Italy'

Practical Applications

• Selective Monitoring: If you are interested in specific altitude ranges, you can filter aircraft to display only those within that range.
• Tracking Specific Operators: You can create expressions to show only aircraft from a particular airline.
• Geographic Focus: To concentrate on a specific area, you can filter aircraft by distance from your observation point.
• Traffic Analysis: If you are interested in analyzing a specific type of aircraft, such as Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, you can set rules to highlight them.

Benefits

• Reduce Visual Clutter: Display only aircraft that meet your criteria, making the map easier to interpret.
• Advanced Customization: Tailor PlanePlotter to suit your specific needs.
• Improved Efficiency: Focus on relevant data while ignoring less significant information.

The Conditional Expressions for Visualization feature is a powerful tool to make PlanePlotter highly customizable and optimized for any type of air traffic monitoring.