Background IGC considerations of rules regarding tracking

Since the introduction of FLARM as a safety warning device in 2004, pilots have been using it to gather data on their competitors. With the introduction of the Open Glider Network (OGN) which collects FLARM data, and then makes the information available for others to use, such as displaying on a website, ground crew have been monitoring progress of all competitors and passing on information to their pilots. There are settings in FLARM that permit pilots to select “no tracking” so that their information is not displayed on the web site, which is respected by Public OGN. To overcome this teams installed their own Private OGN stations which ignore this privacy setting protocol allowing the owner of the Private OGN stations to see all gliders irrespective of the pilot settings used. Consequently, pilots started to switch off their FLARMs when they didn’t want to be tracked which also removed the safety/anti-collision benefit. Rules were then introduced to require pilots to have their FLARM on at all times for safety purposes.

The wealthy teams have previously invested many Euro in building Private OGN stations and have used these regularly, giving them an advantage over the less well-resourced teams. Subsequent development and extension of the public OGN has made this previous investment less relevant in some European countries. Even so, Private OGN continues to have tactical value because it bypasses the “no tracking” mode on Public OGN and in so doing makes all gliders visible.

Questions were asked at IGC meetings over many years to encourage some action on this issue, but no agreement could be made and the practice of using OGN continued.

2016 Annex A

The first time a rule regarding FLARM was inserted into Annex A was in 2016 where rule 5.4.2 (see below) was included in an attempt to stop pilots from turning off their FLARMs or blocking the antenna so as to avoid being tracked, which in turn rendered the FLARM ineffective as a safety device – its primary purpose. These rules were used in 2017 (FAI Annex A to Section 3 – Gliding 2017 edition) and 2018 with no changes regarding tracking and still existed in 2019. Historically any breach of this rule of tampering with FLARM reception or other in cockpit equipment has typically only been a warning.  The impact of these rules was to encourage real time tracking of pilots and the ground-based teams were providing information from the public or private OGN to their pilots.

“Rule 5.4.2       Penalties may be imposed by the Organisers for unauthorized interference with the GNSS equipment, data or internal program, or Tracking equipment”

2018 IGC Plenary

The February 2018 IGC plenary meeting had an agenda item – “Strategic Discussion on use of real time tracking”, See page 12/13 of the 2018 IGC meeting. The discussion did not resolve the issue but identified that IGC has to either stop the use of real time tracking (which is almost impossible) or accept it cannot be policed effectively and change the rules to adapt to the use of tracking (i.e. by changing the rules of the race such that the tactical benefit of tracking is reduced). It was already evident wealthy teams with the funds to develop OGN equipment had an advantage over those which did not have OGN equipment.

2018 WGC rules

The July 2018 world championships in Poland and Czech Republic had Local Procedures 4.1.1c that required teams to register their FLARM on the OGN which supported the practice of real time tracking as they could no longer hide their signal. This enabled all teams to use real time tracking

“4.1.1c, d. Mandatory additional equipment:

1. e) FLARM: Pilots must have their FLARM registered on the OGN with the name and contest number being the same as the pilot and CN in the championships. Pilots must not turn off or in any other way restrict the performance of their FLARM.”

2019 IGC Plenary

The 2019 IGC plenary meeting saw a number of rules proposed and discussed, some attempting to limit the use of real time tracking and others to remove the benefit of tracking by changing the start rules.

Rules specific to tracking were proposed in rule 8.1.8 from Germany that proposed to prohibit Private OGN that do not honour the no track setting, and proposed rule 8.3.4 from GBR that requires organisers to provide a secure data source to enable live tracking with time delay. See Summary decisions from 2019 Plenary meeting and the actual proposals 8.1.8 and 8.3.4. Both of these rules were adopted with immediate effect, but as advised by Mr Rick Sheppe Chair of the Annex A committee, both rules were removed from the 2019 edition of the rules by the IGC Bureau prior to the 10th WWGC.

See proposed tracking rule (withdrawn).  Note that Brian Spreckley is the 1st VP of IGC and this was an IGC bureau response. The statement that “I can’t see which proposal leads to a rule banning use of tracking for tactical purposes” indicates an IGC bureau decision not to limit tactical tracking. This is reinforced by the Chief Steward (also an IGC Bureau member) who in her final report states “the thought was, the AUS TC admits he has a Private OGN network and the competition could go on without a further discussion” which reinforces the IGC bureau view that real time tactical tracking is allowed. The statement also shows the acceptance that Private OGNs are in use and that access to that real time data, including data which the glider has set to “no tracking” is permitted. The only logical conclusion from all of this is that pilot use of real time tracking data is permissible.