MeshCore Triangulator

Localises repeaters/nodes/traffic sources on MeshCore from the mesh topology (who heard what, from where).

Live demo: triangulator.dutchmeshcore.nl

This repo holds the standalone map tool. The data-collection pipeline it grew out of is a separate private repo (see the end of this page).

web-standalone/ — start here

Self-contained, no database (index.html + server.py proxy). Resolves a node live against the public mc-radar / map.meshcore.io feeds — nothing to install beyond Python 3.7+ stdlib, nothing to keep running except the one process. This is almost certainly what you want to host — lower maintenance, no persistent state to lose.

Run with Docker (recommended)

See the docker-compose.yml for how to use it.

A quick start is:

mkdir ~/triangulator
cd ~/triangulator
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dutch-MeshCore/meshcore-triangulator/refs/heads/main/web-standalone/docker-compose.yml
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dutch-MeshCore/meshcore-triangulator/refs/heads/main/web-standalone/.env.example
cp .env.example .env

cloudflared is built into the stack for ease of use:

1. In the Cloudflare Zero Trust dashboard (Networks → Tunnels), create a tunnel and copy its token into TUNNEL_TOKEN in .env.
2. Point the tunnel's public hostname at the service URL http://triangulator:8000 (Docker DNS resolves the service name on the internal network shared with cloudflared).
3. docker compose up -d

Run directly

cd web-standalone
python3 server.py          # http://127.0.0.1:8000

Bind for remote access with HOST=0.0.0.0 — put a reverse proxy with TLS/access control in front if you do; the proxy has no auth of its own.

Data sources (proxied by server.py)

Source	Use
mc-radar Node Inspector	Resolve prefixes; proven links.
map.meshcore.io	Global node feed (fallback).
PDOK AHN	Terrain/surface elevation (NL).
mc-spamdetector.nl	Incident list, and an incident's entry hops as Step 1 clues.
3D BAG (api.3dbag.nl)	The tallest building within 50 m of an observer, for its antenna height in the line-of-sight check (NL).

Loaded by the page directly, not through the proxy: OpenFreeMap vector tiles (the Liberty basemap, no key) and AWS Terrain Tiles (relief in the 3D view, for looking at; line of sight is measured on AHN).

Tests and accuracy

python3 -m pytest web-standalone/tests      # pure-logic tests (spam-detector parser)
node web-standalone/tools/accuracy.mjs      # estimator error against 92 known targets

The accuracy harness runs offline against a committed fixture and is how every estimator change in this repo is judged; see web-standalone/tools/README.md.

Deep-linking (for other sites/tools)

External sites can link straight into a query via URL query parameters — useful if you're building a sibling tool (a spam detector, an incident page, a bot) and want a "locate this node" link that lands the visitor on a live result instead of a blank form.

Param	Required	Meaning
prefixes	yes	First-hop clue prefixes — same syntax as the Step 1 field: PREFIX or PREFIX:count, comma-separated (e.g. db:30,23,db11:12). Presence of this param is what triggers auto-discovery.
prefixes2	no	Second-hop clue prefixes, same syntax.
hop2	no	Overrides the "2nd-hop km" input (assumed RF reach for 2nd-hop/relayed clues).
cluster	no	Overrides the "Cluster km" input (search radius / hull buffer).
incident	no	A mc-spamdetector.nl attack number, e.g. 2047. Loads its entry hops as the first-hop clues and runs discovery. Used on its own, without prefixes.
region	no	lat,lon of a candidate region's centre. After discovery the nearest candidate (within 15 km) is chosen and its proven links pulled. The Share button emits it once a region is locked.
obs	no	Active observers with weights after edits, KEY8:weight,… (first 8 hex of the node key). Applied after the lock; nodes no longer in the cluster are named in the status.
moved	no	Dragged observers, KEY8@lat,lon;….
droplink	no	Removed proven links, KEY8-KEY8;….
est	no	observer or terrain: which estimate to run after the lock.
layers	no	Layer switch, e.g. layers=heat; none for all off.
relief	no	Relief exaggeration for the 3D view.

The Share button emits all of these, each only when it differs from what the app does on its own, and the address bar follows the state so copying it gives the same link.

If prefixes is present, the page pre-fills Step 1 from these params and automatically clicks "Find Best Matching Region" on load — no further interaction needed to land on candidate clusters.

https://triangulator.dutchmeshcore.nl/?prefixes=db:30,23,db11:12&prefixes2=a0:8,fc

There's no hop1 param — the "1st-hop km" input was removed; 1st-hop observers' range is now derived from proven-link data / node activity rather than a fixed assumed value.

The full data-collection pipeline

The MQTT collector, local observations database, hourly export, GPS-track "movers" view and database-backed dashboards now live in a separate private repo. This repo covers the standalone map tool only.

If you're standing up the whole pipeline rather than just the map, ask Kasper for access.

Background

The original deployment ran the full pipeline on a local NUC. The web-standalone tool was built as a lighter, database-free alternative with the same core triangulation logic (clue parsing, clustering, weighted estimate, terrain refine, 2D/3D rendering), meant to run somewhere steadier — and it's what this repo is for. The pipeline additionally has the database-backed features (verified positions, augment/correct overlay, Nodes/Targets/Movers/Monitoring) that web-standalone doesn't need or have.