ATAK VNS Offline Routing Generator

Creates backup navigation files for ATAK's VNS plugin - works without cell service

Why This Tool Matters

Real-world example: Your team is responding to a wildfire in remote mountains where cell towers are down. ATAK's normal navigation stops working, but with these offline files installed, navigation continues to work perfectly - no connectivity required.

Perfect for emergency operations, search & rescue, and remote deployments where internet connectivity is unavailable or unreliable.

What You Need

• Docker - Free software that runs our map processing (Download Docker)
• Internet connection for downloading maps
• No programming knowledge required - just follow the steps

Quick Start

🚀 Try it instantly (no setup required)

Want to test with Delaware routing data? Run this single command:

# Create output directories and generate Delaware routing data
mkdir -p output cache && docker run --rm \
  -v "$(pwd)/output:/app/output" \
  -v "$(pwd)/cache:/app/cache" \
  ghcr.io/joshuafuller/atak-vns-offline-routing-generator:latest \
  ./generate-data.sh us/delaware

That's it! No git clone, no repository download. You'll get:

• ✅ Delaware routing data in ./output/delaware/
• ✅ Ready-to-transfer ZIP at ./output/delaware.zip
• ✅ Cached data for future runs

For other regions:

# Generate data for Germany (replace us/delaware with any region)
docker run --rm \
  -v "$(pwd)/output:/app/output" \
  -v "$(pwd)/cache:/app/cache" \
  ghcr.io/joshuafuller/atak-vns-offline-routing-generator:latest \
  ./generate-data.sh germany

🛠️ Full setup (recommended for regular use)

1. Get the Tool

Download ZIP → Extract to a folder

2. Generate Routing Data

# Make scripts executable (Mac/Linux only)
chmod +x run.sh

# Generate data for any region
./run.sh us/california
./run.sh great-britain  
./run.sh germany

# Need help finding regions?
./list-regions.sh

3. Install on Your Device

1. Copy the generated ZIP file to your Android device
2. Extract and place folder at: Internal Storage/atak/tools/VNS/GH/[region-name]/
3. Restart ATAK

That's it! Navigation now works offline in that region.

Processing Times

Region Size	Example	Processing Time*	Memory Needed	Output Size
Small	Malta	~10 seconds	1GB	2.6 MB
Small	Delaware	~15-30 seconds	1GB	9.1 MB
Medium	Great Britain	~3-10 minutes	6GB	381 MB
Large	Germany	~8-15 minutes	8GB	760 MB
Very Large	US-South	~15-30 minutes	16GB	2.1 GB

*Processing times vary significantly based on your hardware. The tool automatically benchmarks your system and provides accurate time estimates before starting.

Memory Requirements

Large regions require significant RAM. The tool now predicts memory needs and warns you beforehand:

• Small regions (Delaware, Malta): 1-2GB RAM sufficient
• Medium regions (Great Britain): 4-6GB RAM needed
• Large regions (Germany, California): 8-12GB RAM needed
• Very large regions (US-South, Texas): 16-20GB+ RAM needed

Manual Memory Override (if automatic detection doesn't work):

VNS_MEMORY_GB=16 ./run.sh us/california

Out of Memory? See Troubleshooting Guide for solutions including processing smaller regions instead.

Important Disclaimers

VNS Plugin Required: This tool only generates data files. You need the actual VNS plugin from TAK.gov:

• Get VNS Plugin: https://tak.gov/plugins/vns
• Requires TAK.gov account (free registration at tak.gov)
• Plugin support: Contact TAK.gov - we are not affiliated with the VNS plugin makers

Data Limitations: Offline routing won't know about recent road closures, current traffic, or temporary restrictions. Use both online and offline routing together when possible.

Documentation

New to this tool?

• Complete Setup Guide - Step-by-step installation from scratch
• Troubleshooting - Solutions to common problems

Need technical details?

• Architecture - How it all works under the hood
• Folder Structure - Understanding cache and output folders
• Tech Stack - Complete technology documentation

Keeping up to date?

• Updating Guide - How to get the latest version

Contributing?

• Versioning Guide - Commit message format for automatic releases

Support

For this data generator tool:

• Issues: Open a GitHub issue for problems generating routing files

For VNS plugin issues (NOT our responsibility):

• VNS Plugin Support: https://tak.gov
• Plugin Installation/Usage: Contact TAK.gov support

We only support the data generation process, not the VNS plugin itself.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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Made with ❤️ for the ATAK community