DIY Optical Aircraft Tracker: Building a Consumer-Grade Aviation Surveillance System
By
jjwiseman
Lightly browned and well buttered. A solid pick from the rack.
Summary
A DIY enthusiast describes building 'Project SkyWatch,' a homemade optical aircraft tracking system that replicates professional aviation surveillance capabilities. Using a cheap PTZ camera, OpenCV computer vision, Kalman filters, and PID control algorithms, the project creates a ground-based system that can lock onto and follow aircraft with gyro-stabilized precision similar to expensive military/police EO/IR gimbals, but at consumer-grade cost.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledProfessional aviation surveillance relies on a specific piece of hardware: the EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) gimbal.
I wanted to replicate this capability to help track aircraft from the ground—building a tool that allows a consumer camera to lock onto and follow a target with similar stability, but without the defense-contractor budget.
How I converted a cheap PTZ camera into a high-performance DIY optical aircraft tracker using OpenCV, Kalman filters, and PID control.
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