BMS Connectors¶

The BMS Application uses a modular connector architecture to integrate with various real-time data sources. Each connector implements a common interface for receiving position updates, video feeds, geofences, and bullseye references.

Connector Architecture¶

Available Connectors¶

SPX RADAR Connector¶

The SPX connector receives track reports from Cambridge Pixel RADAR systems over UDP multicast.

Protocol Details¶

• Magic Number: 0x4342 (Cambridge Pixel)
• Default Multicast: 239.192.50.79:5079
• Encoding: Big-endian binary

Message Types¶

Track Status Values¶

Configuration¶

{
    "connectorId": "spx",
    "enabled": true,
    "settings": {
        "multicastAddress": "239.192.50.79",
        "port": 5079,
        "interface": "",
        "staleTimeoutSec": 30,
        "calculateLatLon": true
    }
}

SAPIENT Connector¶

The SAPIENT connector implements BSI Flex 335 v2.0 for autonomous sensor integration. It receives detection reports from AI sensors, RADAR, and LIDAR systems and converts them to map tracks with MIL-STD-2525D symbology.

Protocol Details¶

Full protobuf parsing requires building with the SAPIENT proto files (HAS_SAPIENT_PROTO). Without them the connector operates in simplified parsing mode.

Operating Modes¶

Message Types¶

Detection Reports¶

A DetectionReport carries:

• object_id — ULID uniquely identifying the detected object across reports
• task_id — ULID of the active task
• state — e.g. "Active", "Lost"
• Location (one of):
  • Location — absolute WGS-84 x (longitude), y (latitude), z (altitude) with coordinate system flag (LAT_LNG_DEG_M, LAT_LNG_RAD_M, UTM_M)
  • RangeBearing — azimuth, elevation, range relative to the sensor node
• ENUVelocity — east, north, up velocity in m/s
• detection_confidence — 0–1 confidence the detection is real
• classification — repeated DetectionReportClassification with type strings and confidence levels

Detection Classifications¶

SAPIENT provides AI-based object classification. Classification strings are mapped to APP-6D SIDC:

The APP-6D affiliation is derived from the connector's defaultAffiliation setting.

Node Types (Registration)¶

Stale Track Removal¶

Tracks not updated within staleTimeout seconds are automatically removed and a trackLost(objectId) signal is emitted. The stale check runs every 30 seconds.

Reconnection¶

In client mode, if the TCP connection is lost the connector schedules an automatic reconnect after reconnectInterval seconds (default 5 s). The reconnect cycle continues until stop() is called.

Configuration¶

{
    "connectorId": "sapient",
    "enabled": true,
    "settings": {
        "mode": "client",
        "host": "192.168.1.100",
        "port": 8080,
        "nodeId": "",
        "defaultAffiliation": "unknown",
        "staleTimeout": 300,
        "reconnectInterval": 5
    }
}

Server Mode Example¶

{
    "connectorId": "sapient",
    "enabled": true,
    "settings": {
        "mode": "server",
        "host": "0.0.0.0",
        "port": 8080,
        "defaultAffiliation": "unknown",
        "staleTimeout": 300
    }
}

Cursor on Target (CoT) Connector¶

The CoT connector provides full integration with the TAK ecosystem (ATAK, WinTAK, TAK Server). It supports both receiving and transmitting SA (situational awareness) data, Self-SA broadcasting, mesh peer unicast, and authenticated TAK server connections.

Protocol Details¶

Receive Modes (source)¶

TAK Server Connection¶

When source is takserver, the connector:

1. Opens a TCP (or TLS) connection to takServerHost:takServerPort.
2. Sends a protocol negotiation frame requesting CoT XML (version=0) or TAK Protobuf v1 (version=1).
3. Receives the server's <version> response and confirms the agreed version.
4. Enters Authenticated state and begins receiving SA tracks.

Connection state transitions:

TLS / Certificate Support¶

For secure TAK server connections (tlsEnabled: true):

• PEM client certificate + private key (clientCertPath / clientKeyPath)
• CA certificate for server verification (caCertPath)
• PKCS#12 bundle (.p12 / .pfx) via loadPkcs12Certificate() — requires HAS_OPENSSL
• Certificate password protected keys are supported (keyPassword)

Transmit — Self-SA Broadcasting¶

When transmitEnabled is true, the connector periodically broadcasts the platform's own position as a CoT Situational Awareness event (a-f-G-U-C by default).

Mesh Peer Unicast¶

In addition to multicast, the connector can send CoT events directly to named peers:

"meshPeers": [
    { "address": "192.168.1.50", "port": 6969 },
    { "address": "192.168.1.51", "port": 6969 }
]

sendToAllPeers() transmits to every configured peer. Individual peers can be addressed with sendToPeer().

GeoChat¶

Incoming CoT events of type b-t-f (GeoChat) are parsed and emitted as chatMessageReceived(uid, senderCallsign, chatroom, message, timestamp) so the BMS chat widget can display them alongside positional tracks.

Track Filtering¶

CoT Type → SIDC Mapping¶

Stale Track Removal¶

Tracks not updated within staleTimeout seconds (default 300 s) are removed. The stale check runs every 30 seconds.

Configuration Reference¶

{
    "connectorId": "cot",
    "enabled": true,
    "settings": {
        "source": "multicast",
        "multicastGroup": "239.2.3.1",
        "multicastPort": 6969,
        "networkInterface": "",
        "staleTimeout": 300,
        "filterFriendly": false,
        "filterCotTypePrefix": "",
        "filterTeamColor": "",
        "maxTracks": 0,

        "transmitEnabled": true,
        "selfSaInterval": 3,
        "transmitProtocol": 0,
        "callsign": "GVA-BMS",
        "team": "Cyan",
        "role": "Team Member",
        "cotType": "a-f-G-U-C"
    }
}

TAK Server (TCP / TLS) Example¶

{
    "connectorId": "cot",
    "enabled": true,
    "settings": {
        "source": "takserver",
        "takServerHost": "tak.example.mil",
        "takServerPort": 8089,
        "tlsEnabled": true,
        "clientCertPath": "/etc/tak/client.pem",
        "clientKeyPath": "/etc/tak/client.key",
        "caCertPath": "/etc/tak/ca.pem",
        "autoReconnect": true,
        "reconnectIntervalMs": 5000,
        "transmitEnabled": true,
        "callsign": "CALLSIGN-1"
    }
}

Data Flow¶

Connector Manager¶

The Connector Manager handles:

• Registration: Built-in and plugin connectors
• Lifecycle: Start, stop, configure connectors
• Routing: Forward updates to map and track displays
• Status: Monitor connector health and statistics

Loading Connectors¶

// Get connector manager instance
auto* manager = ConnectorManager::instance();

// Create and configure a connector
auto* spx = manager->createInstance("spx", "radar-1");
spx->configure({
    {"multicastAddress", "239.192.50.79"},
    {"port", 5079}
});

// Connect signals
connect(spx, &ConnectorInterface::positionUpdated,
        this, &BmsWindow::onPositionUpdate);

// Start receiving data
spx->start();

Symbol Mapping¶

Connectors convert source-specific data to APP-6D military symbols (SIDC):

Adding Custom Connectors¶

Implement the ConnectorInterface to create custom connectors:

class MyConnector : public ConnectorInterface
{
    Q_OBJECT
public:
    QString connectorId() const override { return "my-connector"; }
    QString displayName() const override { return "My Custom Connector"; }

    bool configure(const QVariantMap& settings) override;
    bool start() override;
    void stop() override;

    // Emit positionUpdated() when data arrives
};

See ConnectorInterface.h for the full interface definition.