Live Tracking Guides: Flights, Ships, Satellites, Hazards
How the public data behind live maps works, where it comes from, and how to read it without fooling yourself.
- GPS Jamming and Spoofing Explained: How Maps Detect It
GPS jamming and spoofing explained: how each works, how maps infer interference from ADS-B NIC and NACp or official notices, hotspots and effects.
Guides · 11 min read · Updated - How ADS-B Flight Tracking Works: A Complete Guide
How ADS-B flight tracking works: 1090ES and UAT, Mode S hex codes, MLAT, volunteer receivers, satellite coverage, update rates and the gaps in the data.
Guides · 11 min read · Updated - How Live Conflict Maps Work and How to Read Them
How live conflict maps work: where their reports come from, how events are geolocated and verified, why they lag, and how to read a war map responsibly.
Guides · 10 min read · Updated - How Satellite Tracking Works: TLEs, SGP4 and Orbits
How satellite tracking works: where TLE orbit data comes from, how SGP4 predicts positions, NORAD IDs, ISS passes, Starlink trains and the limits.
Guides · 12 min read · Updated - How to Read an Earthquake Map: Magnitude, Depth, Alerts
How to read an earthquake map: magnitude types, depth, automatic vs reviewed events, USGS ShakeMap and PAGER colors, aftershocks and tsunami alerts.
Guides · 10 min read · Updated - How to Track a Flight: Flight Number, Callsign or Hex
How to track a flight live: when to search by flight number, callsign, registration or hex code, how airline codes work, and step-by-step on a live map.
Guides · 10 min read · Updated - How to Track a Ship by Name, MMSI or IMO Number
How to track a ship live: find a vessel by name, MMSI, IMO number or call sign, read its AIS details, watch ports and set alerts, and know the limits.
Guides · 10 min read · Updated - Is Flight and Ship Tracking Legal? What to Know
Is flight and ship tracking legal? An overview of ADS-B and AIS rules, FAA LADD and PIA privacy programs, US, EU and UK basics, and responsible use.
Guides · 11 min read · Updated - Military Aircraft Tracking Explained: What You Can See
Military aircraft tracking explained: why some military planes appear on ADS-B maps and others never do, MLAT, LADD and PIA, filtered vs unfiltered feeds.
Guides · 10 min read · Updated - NASA FIRMS Wildfire Map Explained: Hotspots and FRP
NASA FIRMS wildfire map explained: what MODIS and VIIRS hotspots mean, FRP, confidence, data latency, false positives, and hotspots vs fire perimeters.
Guides · 10 min read · Updated - Shipping Chokepoints on a Live Map: What to Watch
A guide to the world's shipping chokepoints on a live map: Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Suez, Malacca, Panama, Bosporus, Gibraltar and Taiwan, and what to watch.
Guides · 10 min read · Updated - What Is AIS Ship Tracking? How Vessel Tracking Works
What is AIS ship tracking? Learn how AIS transponders, MMSI numbers, Class A and B messages and satellite AIS put ships on a live map, and where it fails.
Guides · 12 min read · Updated - What Is OSINT? Open-Source Intelligence Explained
What is OSINT? A plain-English guide to open-source intelligence: its definition, disciplines, verification workflow, legal and ethical limits, and tools.
Guides · 11 min read · Updated