Project plan
What we're building, in what order, and what's already done — in plain language.
Each phase has a clear “done when” test. (Developers: the full technical
plan is PLAN.md in the repository.)
Phase 0 — Count what we have ✅ done
List every drone, controller, beacon, radio, battery, and Starlink kit in the inventory; confirm our accounts (TAK downloads, Somewear admin, Skydio). Done: 40 items inventoried; all logins confirmed.
Phase 1 — The shared map ✅ server live
Our TAK server runs in the cloud at tak.qsartak.org. Phones connect with iTAK (iPhone) or ATAK (Android), and devices are already reporting from Quinhagak and the Goodnews Bay area, with messages passing between iPhone and Android. Our rule for maps: downloaded onto each phone before the mission — searches happen beyond cell service, so the map never depends on a connection. Marine charts are downloadable today; sharp satellite imagery of the land (from the State of Alaska’s imagery program) is being added. This alone is already a useful search tool.
Phase 2 — Beacons on the map ✅ live
Somewear is connected: every beacon in the Nalaquq workspace shows up for the whole team. Field-tested — a Hotspot carried toward the Arolik River tracked the whole way over satellite, with no phone attached. See the beacons guide. Still to come (needs the Android tablet): the Somewear plugin for off-grid two-way messaging.
Phase 3 — The drone’s eye ✅ live
Every QSAR drone appears on the map — position, plus the camera’s footprint drawn as it moves — and its color and thermal video are watchable from any team device. Verified in flight 2026-07-08: drone over Quinhagak, video playing in the team’s iTAK within seconds. See the drone guide.
Also live now
- Wave buoys — live sea conditions at Quinhagak, Mud Point, and Halibut 1.
- NOAA marine charts — nautical charts as a map layer, downloadable for offline boat trips (see marine charts).
- Mission logger — records every track during a callout for review and reports (see mission logger).
Phase 4 — Team tools (software we write ourselves)
The equipment inventory app (done — see the Inventory guide) and the mission logger (done — see above); still to come, a status dashboard.
Phase 5 — Radio trackers (stretch goal)
Add Meshtastic radios: cheap, no subscription, no infrastructure — a third way to keep searchers on the map.
Phase 6 — Make it stick
Training in each village, printed quick-guides, backups, and a plan for when the internet is down.
What it costs to run
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Cloud server | ~$12–24 / month |
| TAK software (server + all apps) | Free |
| Somewear service | Existing QSAR plan |
| Meshtastic radios (later) | ~$40 each, once |