Welcome to Trakkit.org

Trakkit.org is the front-end for a track rendering engine for leisure and offshore sailing.

It lets you:

Create, view, and share navigation tracks.
Embed them into applications or websites.
Share tracks via a simple web link or directly from the website’s homepage.
Enable real-time tracking through automatic uploads of NMEA, GPX, or TEXT data via email or SFTP.
Automatically update your position on NoForeignLand.

Trakkit.org does not collect any personal data.

🚀 Quick Start

To help you get started and quickly become familiar, follow these steps:

Create an account (free)
Create a Boat
A set of sample data and a test Track has been automatically created.
Test the sample Track by visiting: https://<boatname>.trakkit.org
Upload your own data using a regular .GPX file: DATA > Upload
Create a track: TRACK > Add Track to choose which part of the data you want to display
A TTR ID is assigned, and the track can be shared at: https://trakkit.org/ttr/<TRACK-ID-TTR>

NB: The sample data set is automatically deleted as soon as you start uploading your own data.

📚 General Documentation

Everything in Trakkit.org revolves around three objects:

Boat
Data
Track

Data is linked to a boat. A track is a segment of data between two dates.

🔧 How does it work?

It’s essential to understand that in Trakkit, data is not tied to tracks. Data can be sent continuously. Tracks simply define date ranges within which the corresponding data is visible. Deleting a track does not affect the data. Data is only visible if a track is defined to make it visible. The same data can appear in multiple tracks.

Basic structure:

1 User may have several Boats
1 Boat belongs to 1 user only
1 Boat can have as many Tracks as needed
Multiple Tracks may use the same Data
Deleting a Track does not affect the Data

🛥️ Boat

Creating a boat is the first step required to import data and associate tracks.

📝 Available Fields

Name (required): Identifies the boat.
Maxspeed: In knots. Used to detect potential GPS point anomalies (e.g., unrealistic speeds).
Info: An optional, purely informational field. Put whatever you want.
Active LiveTrack: The track that will be displayed in real-time tracking. A dedicated track must be created beforehand via the Track menu, then selected here. To be eligible for LiveTrack, the track must have an end date in the future (e.g., 1/1/2050). If the field is left empty, only the last known position icon will be displayed in real-time tracking.
Direct URL: A public web address providing direct access to the boat’s current position (and its LiveTrack if defined). It is generally recommended to use the boat name. <boatname>.trakkit.org
Email: Address from which the tracking emails will be sent. This is overridden if a valid TAG is included in the subject of the email.
Noforeignland Email: If you have a NoForeignLand account, add this email address as your tracking sender in your NFL account settings, and your position on NFL will be automatically updated from Trakkit.org.
Tags: Tags are aliases for your boat. You can use them to send data, access the SFTP server, or create your own data sender. To send data through our SFTP server, create a Tag password (Boat > Tags & Mails > Edit Tag > Create Password).

Test Track: When creating a boat for the first time, a test track and a set of sample data are automatically generated. This allows you to quickly become familiar with the boat parameters and track visualization. This test track and its data will be automatically deleted upon the first import of real data.

🏷️ Tags

Tags are alternative aliases used to identify a boat. A tag’s main purpose is to grant access to a specific group of people. Deleting a tag will remove access for that group, but anyone using a different tag will still have access.

Typically, you create a separate tag for each system that feeds data to the boat. Boat > Mails & Tag > Add Tag If access to a system becomes corrupted or unavailable, simply delete the associated tag.

To feed data via companion devices or use the SFTP server, you need to create a tag with a password:
Boat > Mails & Tag > Edit > Create Password

⚠️ Make sure to remember this password, as it cannot be recovered. If the password is lost, you will need to create a new one.

You can create as many tags as you like for a given boat.
Tags can be shared with groups or individuals to grant access.
A tag can be deleted at any time without impact on Boats, Tracks or Data.
Tags can be used to send data by email from any email address, by simply putting the tag in the subject line. In this case, do not share the tag with anyone.
Tags with passwords can be used to access the SFTP server, with the Tag serving as the username.

📈 Data

Once a Boat has been created, you can feed Trakkit.org with data for this Boat.

What is DATA?

Data is a collection of GPS points and optional sensor info (AWA, AWS, etc.) for a boat.

Data can take several forms:

A GPX file generated by a GPS device or exported from apps like Navionics Boating
A NMEA 0183 file traffic, recorded using apps like OpenCPN or QtVlm or a companion app.
A regular TEXT file containing GPS position information, such as those sent by email with devices like Iridium Go:

I am here Lat+28.851240 Lon-13.794377 Alt+009ft GPS Sats seen 10 2023-01-17 00:34UTC

Or a line with this pattern:

[±]Latitude [±]Longitude YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM[:SS[.sss]] [Timezone] [AWA:XXX] [AWS:XX.X] [COG:XXX] [SOG:XX.X] ...

NB: Latitude and Longitude are in decimal degrees. Date, time, and timezone can be combined into a single ISO format: 2025-11-10T14:26:05Z. Multiples lines are allowed in text message or file attach.

Acceptable text format exemple:

-38.1052 -12.277 20210210 102345                                # UTC implicit
46.238 -0.5687 2021-02-10 10:23:45 UTC
-38.1052 -12.277 20210210 102345 UTC+2                          # If, for some mysterious reason, your navigation system isn’t set to UTC…
46.238 -0.5687 2021-02-10 10:23:45 UTC COG:125 SOG:9.2
-38.1052 -12.277 2021-02-10T10:23:45Z                           # ISO format UTC
46.238 -0.5687 2021-02-10T10:23:45+02:00 AWA:120 AWS:23.5       # ISO format UTC+2

How to send DATA:

You can send Data in different ways at different times. With an internet connection at sea, you can send data in real time. Otherwise, just save a GPX, NMEA, or TEXT file from your GPS or navigation system and upload it later when you’re back online. The order, date, and time of data transmission do not matter; only the timestamps contained within the data are relevant. Uploading the same data multiple times does not affect or corrupt your Data. Here are the different ways to send your data:

Whatever upload method you choose, all Data can be compressed in: .zip .gzip .z .xz .7z .tar .tgz

📤 By direct Data upload to Trakkit.org:

One of the easiest ways is to log in to Trakkit.org, DATA>UPLOAD and upload your GPX, NMEA or TEXT file exported from a navigation apps or GNSS device.

📡 By SFTP:

You can send your files to the Trakkit SFTP server, which is the recommended method for automated data transfers and large files.

Credentials & server address are provided when you request a tag password on Trakkit.org: BOATS > Mails & Tags > Create Tag Password

Restrictions (fair use policy): Maximum upload frequency: 1 connection every 3 minutes. Maximum file size: 50 MB per upload. Failure to follow these recommendations may result in restrictions on upload access, or even a permanent ban from Trakkit.org. Note that 50 MB of compressed data can store over 24 hours of full NMEA traffic.

Once connected, simply upload your data to the /upload directory.

Uploaded files must follow this format: TAG_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.data

Note: TAG must match the Tag credential used for the connection.

➡️ By doing manual upload, it is strongly recommended to first upload the file with the extension .part (e.g. TAG_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.gz.part) and then rename it to .data once the transfer is complete. This ensures the file will not be processed before the upload is fully finished. Compress your files to save bandwith (e.g., .zip, .gzip, .z, gz, .xz, .7z, .tar, .tgz).

You can use the Python script sftp_send.py, available on Trakkit.org under About > Downloads, which automates uploads while following the recommended settings.

✉️ By Mail:

Mails have to be sent to spool@trakkit.org

You must either include a Tag in the subject of your email (BOATS > Mails & Tags), or link your email address to your boat on Trakkit.org before sending by mail. This allows Trakkit.org to associate the data with the correct Boat.

Assignment Rules:

If the sender's email is linked to a BOAT on Trakkit.org, the DATA will be assigned to that boat.
If a TAG alias is specified in the Subject line of the email, the DATA will be assigned to the boat associated with that Tag.
In case of conflicting information, the Tag over the email.
You can send the data as a file attachment or write it in the message body

Note: Email is not the recommended method, as most providers strictly limit message and attachment sizes and may reject them without notice. This method should be reserved for small text data or low-bandwidth trackers such as Iridium GO. Compress your files to save bandwith (e.g., .zip, .gzip, .z, .xz, .7z, .tar, .tgz).

🗑️ Deleting Data

To delete data:

Use the Data > Delete menu
Delete by date range or BatchID
Every upload has a BatchID; removing a batch only deletes that data chunk
Deleting a track does not delete the data.

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🗺️ TRACKS:

Unlike other navigation systems, a Track in Trakkit is simply a named slice of time within a set of Data.

You define the start and end times and give it a name.

Trakkit will check if any corresponding Data is available for that interval and display it if so.

If no data is available, nothing will be shown. Later, if Data matching the track’s interval is uploaded, the Track will be automatically updated.

A Track can also be manually updated via TRACK > Regen.

BoatName: The boat to which the track should be associated.
TrackName: Displayed name of the track.
Color: Choose the color of the track. In addition to the standard fixed colors, you can choose a multicolor mode for your track based on the boat speed (SOG) or the apparent wind speed (AWS). SOG is calculated automatically, but for AWS you must have provided it in your data, typically by uploading NMEA sentences.
Default Layer: The map foreground layer to use. The default is OSM SRTM Topographic. Note that tile availability may vary, especially for those provided by U.S. agencies (NASA, NOAA, etc.), due to funding restrictions affecting these services in the United States.
WPO: Interval in minutes for the progress points (the orange points).
WPP: Interval in seconds for the track points (Track precision).Warning: setting too high a precision can dramatically slow down the rendering, track loading and visualization. Use common sense and adjust the precision based on the type of track: “60 for coastal navigation, 300 for offshore navigation, and 600 for long passages” are good guidelines. For real-time tracking (LiveTrack), this should never be set below 300 seconds. Once the track and navigation are finished, you can regenerate the final track with higher precision if needed.
Published: Check this if you want to list the track in the "TRACK LIST" visible on your boat page at https://.trakkit.org
Reminder: Deleting a Track does not delete the Data.

We strongly advise you to set the start and end date/time of your track so that your exact departure and arrival points are not permanently displayed

Visualizing a Track

Direct link: https://trakkit.org/ttr/<TRACK-ID>
From the home page with the TRACK-ID
Tracks are rendered statically and only automatically refreshed when new data is imported
Can be manually regenerated (TRACK > Regen)

You can integrate a responsive link into your own page or website by using the direct URL provided in your boat section:

    <div class="iframe-container">
      <iframe src="https://trakkit.org/ttr/<TRACK-ID>"
              title="My Track on Trakkit"></iframe>
    </div>

Note: Depending on the rendering engine used to generate a track, the displayed URL may vary. However, you should always use the format https://trakkit.org/ttr/<TRACK-ID> to access a track, even if Trakkit later renames or redirects it internally.

Visualizing Real-Time Tracking

In Boat > Edit > Direct URL, choose a URL for your boat (usually the boat name).

You can view your boat’s position directly at:
https://boatname.trakkit.org

Where 'boatname' is the name given in Direct URL.

If a LiveTrack is enabled (Boat > Edit > Active LiveTrack), the boat’s track will also be displayed. Otherwise, only the last known position will be shown.

The default live tracking page displays nav info and buttons giving access to the Live Weather Map, the Track List (for tracks flagged as Public), and the Full Screen view. Please note that live weather data is provided by a third-party service, may be unavailable beyond our control, and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

You will probably prefer using a full-screen view without the data panel inside the frames embedded in your own website or web pages. You can open a full-screen view directly using the following URL: https://trakkit.org/live/simple/boatname

You can embed the live tracking view (or any other track) directly in an iframe on your own website or personal page.
For example, to embed https://boatname.trakkit.org, use the following HTML:

<iframe
    src="https://boatname.trakkit.org"
    width="100%"
    height="600"
    style="border:0;"
    allowfullscreen>
</iframe>

NoForeignLand

If you have a NoForeignLand account, Trakkit can automatically send your position to update your location on the NoForeignLand website.

To enable this feature, add the Trakkit sending address (something like nfl_xxxxx@trakkit.org) assigned to you in Boat > Mails & Tag > NoForeignLand to the email synchronization settings of your NoForeignLand account.

Once this address has been registered on NoForeignLand, click “Activate” in Trakkit. Your position will then be sent by email at regular intervals. The sync can be deactivated here at any time.

⚠️ Please note that NoForeignLand does not use GNSS timestamps; instead, the timestamp recorded corresponds to the time of synchronization. Position updates are performed at most every 6 hours.

💻 Companion App

A companion app is a third-party application that collects and sends data to Trakkit.

The Python-based code for "joli_compagnon," Trakkit’s standard companion application, is freely available and can be easily adapted to your setup. It can be downloaded from Trakkit.org > About > Download Tools.

You can setup a complete, self-contained tracking solution using a simple Raspberry Pi or any other mini-computer. The full setup process is described in the following guides: DIY Tracker with USB GPS and DIY Tracker with NMEA Gateway.

This is the preferred solution for real-time tracking.