Glossary

Plain-language definitions for every term used in this project.

TAK (Team Awareness Kit) — Free mapping software built by the U.S. government for teams that need to see each other on a map in real time. Used by firefighters, search and rescue, and border agencies nationwide.

ATAK — The TAK app for Android phones and tablets. The most capable version; it’s the only one that supports add-on plugins.

iTAK — The TAK app for iPhones and iPads. Free on the App Store. Shows the same map, people, and video; cannot run plugins.

WinTAK — The TAK program for Windows computers. Good for a coordinator’s laptop.

CloudTAK — TAK in a web browser. Nothing to install; works on any computer. Good for occasional users and command posts.

TAK server — The computer (ours will live in the cloud) that all the apps connect to. It relays everyone’s positions, messages, and video so the whole team stays in sync.

CoT (Cursor on Target) — The message format TAK tools use to say “this thing is at this place.” Every dot on the map is a CoT message underneath.

EUD (End User Device) — Any phone/tablet a team member carries running a TAK app.

PLI (Position Location Information) — Your dot on the map — who you are, where you are, when you were last heard from.

Skydio X10 — The drone QSAR flies. Its controller can send the drone’s location and live video into the team map.

RTSP — A standard way to send live video over a network. The drone publishes its camera feed this way.

KLV — Extra data hidden inside the drone’s video that says where the camera is pointing. It lets the map draw the camera’s footprint as it moves.

Somewear (hotspot / beacon) — A pocket-size satellite device each searcher carries. It sends their location and short messages via the Iridium satellite network, which works everywhere on Earth — no cell service needed.

Workspace (Somewear) — A Somewear team group. Members of a workspace see each other’s beacons.

Meshtastic — Inexpensive (~$40) long-range radios that pass short messages device-to-device, no infrastructure needed. A future addition for tracking searchers without satellites or phones.

LoRa — The long-range, low-power radio technology Meshtastic uses.

Starlink (Roam) — Satellite internet dishes the villages use. One important limit: outside computers cannot call in through Starlink (called CGNAT), which is why our server lives in the cloud instead of in the village.

VPS (cloud server) — A rented computer in a data center, always on, with a public internet address. Ours will run the TAK server (~$12–24/month).

MediaMTX — Free software on our server that receives the drone’s video and hands it out to every TAK app that asks.

Data package — A small file that sets up a TAK app with the right server and certificates in one tap — how we’ll onboard new team members.