OGN 3D Viewer – glider flights replayed in 3D in the browser
OGN 3D Viewer is a browser-based tool that replays glider flights in three dimensions using data from the Open Glider Network, allowing users to explore and visualize flight tracks interactively.
Background
- The Open Glider Network (OGN) is a global, crowdsourced network of ground-based receivers that track the positions of small, unpowered aircraft (gliders, sailplanes) via their onboard FLARM collision-avoidance beacons. It is analogous to FlightRadar24 but for gliders, who often fly far from radar coverage.
- FLARM is a compact, low-cost traffic awareness and collision-avoidance system widely used by glider pilots; OGN decodes and aggregates FLARM signals transmitted by nearby aircraft.
- This 3D viewer is a browser-based tool (no install required) that replays recorded OGN flight tracks on a 3D globe, allowing users to watch glider flights from past events (e.g., the 2024 World Gliding Championships in Slovenia) and understand the routes, thermals, and terrain they used.
- It matters because gliding is invisible on most public flight trackers; making this data viewable in 3D gives a unique window into competitive and recreational gliding, and showcases how open data from a hobbyist network can power rich interactive visualizations.