Summit list data display

Guru, we - that is Andy and I - actually had such a system running in the first half of 2014, and it was the basis for the SMP “activations” page which users here may remember. The data source as provided by Andy was a one-off snapshot of the SOTA database, and was not subsequently updated or refreshed with newer data. Only Andy can say why those data were left “unattended”, but the result was that the activations page could only show results which gradually ceased to be relevant: which is why the page was eventually removed from the SMP.

That’s ancient history almost - we are now thankfully approaching a “new age” in the provision of data by SOTA, following the recent announcement made here in the Reflector by Jon GM4ZMZ of the new SOTA API. This is a system which allows access to the SOTA data while keeping the database itself safely out of reach. I actually had my first chance yesterday to make my first tests of that system, and I was impressed by the speed of response to requests for data. Of course, it’s early days yet, and Jon admits that he still has some work to do to in order to bring his system to a state where it can be regularly used by third-party developers.

But when the new API does go live, the SMP will then be in a position to re-activate the activations page (and others which had been in the planning), and provide up-to-the-minute mapping of activations. In addition, features such as that requested by Fred KT5X in this thread - and by a lot of others who have approached me in the past with the same, or similar requests - will be achievable. It just requires time, close collaboration with Jon and, of course, a modicum of patience on our side.

Rob

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