Extracting GPS track data from G1000 datalogs made easy!

[Mustang]

Received some cool news yesterday--my programming contribution to an open source software project called GPSBabel was accepted, enabling support for Garmin G1000 avionics datalogs natively within GPSBabel. It may not sound like much, but this contribution makes GPSBabel the only software tool I'm aware of that, in one simple step, can extract all the relevant GPS data from a standard G1000 datalog and convert it to any of the common GPS data formats, including .kml for three-dimensional display within Google Earth.

Some of you may be scratching your head and saying, "Wait, what? G1000...datalog??" As of system software version 563.20, the G1000 will record a rather extensive set of data--GPS position, altitude, attitude, engine parameters and much more--if a writable SD card has been inserted in the upper slot on the MFD. The system creates a comma-separated-values text file each time the system is powered on and records its collection of parameters once per second. Recent-production airframes are now delivered with an SD card for this purpose.  Older aircraft that have had their system software upgraded simply require an ordinary SD card.

Some of you are also asking why this is useful. For one, it's a great debriefing tool. With GPS track data overlaid on a map, debriefers can see exactly where a crew searched.  Secondly, retaining this data for aggregate analysis can help mission planners see what's been searched (and how thoroughly), helping them decide where to employ further efforts. Third, this "ship's data" can be married up with aerial photos through whatever system we're using now (I stopped paying attention when we dropped ARGUS) for georeferencing without requiring a separate portable receiver/logger.

The ability to collect track data from most types of portable GPS receivers has been possible for a long time, but extracting it from a G1000 datalog was a cumbersome process before now, to say the least. With GPSBabel, it's a simple point-and-click process. GPSBabel is free software published under the GNU Public License.  Version 1.5.0, now with G1000 datalog support, was released just this evening.  It's pretty simple to use, feel free to post any questions on its use. 

http://www.gpsbabel.org/

[Eclipse]

Good news and nice work.

The fact that this isn't an inherent, simple capability of the glass cockpit has always flabbergasted me.

[Mustang]

Good news and nice work.

The fact that this isn't an inherent, simple capability of the glass cockpit has always flabbergasted me.

Thanks.  To be fair, not everyone has use for that sort of data. It's likely only of interest to GPS geeks (like me).

[Eclipse]

I always run a track when I fly - being able to show where you actually were, vs. where you think you were or others think you were
tends to ends conversations.  It's also a good training tool.

It can show if your technique is good, how tight the pilot's turns, etc., are and a whole host of other good information.

[Bayareaflyer 44]

Very cool.  Gonna give that a try tonight!

[Check Pilot/Tow Pilot]

Very Cool!

You can also do this with Cirrusreports.com which tracks EGT, CHT, Alt, Speed, ALT, MP, RPM, Fuel Flow, Fuel Status, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, OAT, Amps, Volts, etc.  You can compare multiple traces.

Check out the CAP plane that is already on there: http://cirrusreports.com/flights/N716CP/

You can download the 3D View and the Cockpit view as .KML files.

If you have a minute, download the Cockpit View, load it on Google Earth and play from time index 68:04 to landing.  It's interesting.

[Mustang]

Very Cool!

You can also do this with Cirrusreports.com which tracks EGT, CHT, Alt, Speed, ALT, MP, RPM, Fuel Flow, Fuel Status, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, OAT, Amps, Volts, etc.  You can compare multiple traces.

Thanks, hadn't heard of that site before.  Definitely has some cool features, though it's choking on some of my longer (4-5 hour) datalogs.

A useful addition to the toolkit, certainly.

[starshippe]

   i have been using gpsbabel for some time, to convert back and forth from gpx to delorme formats.
   what do the file names appear as, and how hard are they to find on the sd card?

thanks,
bill

[SilverEagle2]

  and how hard are they to find on the sd card?

They are in a folder named "data logs" on the root of the card, so you should be able to get to them quick. 

[Mustang]

Very Cool!

You can also do this with Cirrusreports.com which tracks EGT, CHT, Alt, Speed, ALT, MP, RPM, Fuel Flow, Fuel Status, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, OAT, Amps, Volts, etc.  You can compare multiple traces.

Thanks, hadn't heard of that site before.  Definitely has some cool features, though it's choking on some of my longer (4-5 hour) datalogs.

Just to confirm, CirrusReports.com will not import logs larger than 8MB.  It's certainly possible to pare down a log so as to get under that 8MB limitation, by cutting time on the ground, ingress/egress to search area, etc. The logger is still logging once per second whether you're sitting still on the ground or turnin' and burnin'.

We definitely like the long-term engine trend graphs from the site and the cockpit view KML export though. :-)