TAK Server

TAK Server

The IrregularChat community operates a TAK (Team Awareness Kit) server at tak.irregulars.io for shared situational awareness. TAK enables real-time geospatial collaboration through ATAK (Android), iTAK (iOS), WinTAK (Windows), and a web map interface.

What is TAK?

TAK (Team Awareness Kit) is a geospatial situational awareness platform originally developed for military use, now widely adopted by emergency services, search and rescue, event coordination, and community groups. It enables teams to:

• Share real-time positions on a map
• Drop markers and points of interest
• Send messages and alerts
• Coordinate movements and resources
• Stream video feeds

TAK clients communicate using Cursor-on-Target (CoT) — an XML-based protocol for sharing geospatial data.

Getting Started

1. Create Your Account

Visit tak.irregulars.io and log in with your IrregularChat SSO account (the same credentials you use for other community services).

2. Install a TAK Client

Platform	App	Link
Android	ATAK-CIV	TAK.gov or Google Play
iOS	iTAK	App Store
Windows	WinTAK	TAK.gov
Web	tak.irregulars.io/map	Built-in (coming soon)

3. Register Your Device

After logging in at tak.irregulars.io:

1. Go to your profile
2. Register your device with a unique Device UID (found in your TAK client settings)
3. Download your client certificate (.p12 file)
4. Import the certificate into your TAK client

4. Connect to the Server

Configure your TAK client with these settings:

Setting	Value
Server address	tak.irregulars.io
Port	8089
Protocol	TLS (SSL)
Certificate	Your downloaded .p12 file

Architecture

The IrregularChat TAK deployment uses a Cloudflare-first architecture:

Internet ──▶ tak.irregulars.io (CF Worker)
              │
              ├── Web portal + OIDC auth (Authentik SSO)
              ├── Marker + mission + geofence management (Cloudflare D1)
              ├── Real-time CoT streaming (Durable Objects WebSocket)
              ├── Data packages (Cloudflare R2)
              ├── NWS weather ETL (scheduled Worker, every 15 min)
              │
              └──▶ CF Tunnel ──▶ TAK Server (Proxmox Docker)
                                  ├── CoT message routing (TCP :8089)
                                  ├── Certificate authority (step-ca)
                                  └── User auth (Authentik LDAP)

Cloudflare Services Used

Service	Purpose
Workers	Web portal, API, auth
D1	User, marker, device, certificate database
KV	Sessions, position cache, rate limiting
R2	Data packages, certificate bundles
Durable Objects	Real-time WebSocket CoT streaming
Tunnels	Secure connection to TAK Server
VPC Services	Worker-to-TAK Server CoT bridging

API

The TAK service exposes a REST API for programmatic access:

# List markers (requires session cookie)
curl https://tak.irregulars.io/api/markers \
  -H "Cookie: tak_session=YOUR_SESSION"

# Create a marker
curl -X POST https://tak.irregulars.io/api/markers \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Cookie: tak_session=YOUR_SESSION" \
  -d '{"title":"Rally Point","cot_type":"a-f-G-U-C","lat":43.615,"lon":-116.202}'

# Publish CoT (broadcasts to all connected clients)
curl -X POST https://tak.irregulars.io/api/publish \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Cookie: tak_session=YOUR_SESSION" \
  -d '{"title":"Checkpoint","cot_type":"a-f-G","lat":34.0,"lon":-118.0}'

CoT Type Codes

CoT types follow the format a-{affiliation}-{dimension}-{function}:

Affiliation	Code	Color
Friendly	f	Blue
Hostile	h	Red
Unknown	u	Yellow
Neutral	n	Green

Dimension	Code
Ground	G
Air	A
Sea/Surface	S

Common types:

• a-f-G — Friendly ground unit
• a-f-G-U-C — Friendly ground unit, combat
• a-h-G — Hostile ground unit
• a-u-G — Unknown ground unit

Web Map Viewer

Visit tak.irregulars.io/map (requires login) to see the live map. Features:

• Dark theme with CARTO basemap tiles
• Color-coded markers by CoT affiliation (blue=friendly, red=hostile, yellow=unknown, green=neutral)
• Real-time updates via WebSocket — markers appear instantly when created by any user or TAK client
• Marker removal — deleted markers disappear from the map in real-time

WebSocket Real-Time Stream

Connect to the WebSocket endpoint for live CoT updates:

const ws = new WebSocket('wss://tak.irregulars.io/ws/default');

ws.onmessage = (event) => {
  const data = JSON.parse(event.data);
  console.log('CoT event:', data.type, data.payload);
};

Message types: markerCreated, markerUpdated, markerDeleted, positionUpdate, deviceOnline, deviceOffline, userJoined, userLeft, missionChange, geofenceAlert, weatherAlert, medevacRequest

Missions

Missions are named collections of markers and files that persist on the server and sync automatically to all subscribed clients. Unlike ephemeral position updates, mission content survives disconnects and is available to new clients joining later.

• CRUD via REST API at /api/missions (list, create, update, delete)
• Subscribe a TAK client to a mission and all markers/files within it sync on connect
• Change log at /api/missions/:name/changes?since=<ISO8601> lets offline clients catch up on missed updates without a full re-sync
• Workspace-scoped — missions belong to a TAK workspace; membership in that workspace is required to read or write mission content

# List missions in the default workspace
curl https://tak.irregulars.io/api/missions \
  -H "Cookie: tak_session=YOUR_SESSION"

# Catch up on changes since a timestamp
curl "https://tak.irregulars.io/api/missions/Alpha/changes?since=2026-04-17T00:00:00Z" \
  -H "Cookie: tak_session=YOUR_SESSION"

Geofences

Geofences define virtual perimeters on the map. When a tracked device crosses a fence boundary, an alert fires in real time.

• CRUD via REST API at /api/geofences (polygon coordinates, name, alert type)
• Real-time evaluation — every incoming position update is checked against all active geofences for that workspace
• Alerts broadcast instantly over WebSocket (geofenceAlert message type) and forwarded to the linked TeamCO workspace as announcements
• Limit: up to 50 geofences per workspace
• Geofences are workspace-scoped and require workspace membership to manage

# Create a geofence (GeoJSON polygon)
curl -X POST https://tak.irregulars.io/api/geofences \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Cookie: tak_session=YOUR_SESSION" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Exclusion Zone Alpha",
    "polygon": [[-116.20,43.61],[-116.19,43.61],[-116.19,43.62],[-116.20,43.62],[-116.20,43.61]],
    "alert_on": ["enter","exit"]
  }'

Weather Alerts (NWS)

The TAK service automatically ingests active alerts from the National Weather Service API on a 15-minute schedule — no configuration required.

• Ingested globally — all current NWS alerts are fetched and evaluated; relevant alerts appear on the map for all workspaces
• Map representation — weather alerts are placed as neutral ground markers (a-n-G) at the alert polygon centroid, with the alert headline and severity as the marker description
• Automatic expiry — markers are removed when the NWS alert expires; no manual cleanup needed
• WebSocket notification — new weather alerts broadcast a weatherAlert message to all connected clients

This gives field teams situational awareness of severe weather, flash flood watches, and other NWS-issued alerts without leaving the map interface.

MEDEVAC / 9-Line Requests

ATAK’s built-in MEDEVAC tool generates CoT events with a <medevac> detail element. The TAK service parses these into a structured 9-line format and stores them for review and relay.

Field	Description
Line 1	Location (lat/lon from CoT position)
Line 2	Frequency and call sign
Line 3	Number of patients by precedence (urgent/priority/routine)
Line 4	Special equipment required
Line 5	Number of patients (litter vs. ambulatory)
Line 6	Security at pickup site
Line 7	Method of marking pickup site
Line 8	Patient nationality and status
Line 9	NBC contamination / terrain description

• Trigger: CoT events of type b-r-f-h-c with a <medevac> detail block
• WebSocket: Parsed request broadcast as medevacRequest message type
• TeamCO relay: Forwarded as an alert announcement to the linked workspace
• Create from ATAK: Use ATAK’s built-in 9-Line/MEDEVAC form — the app handles CoT formatting automatically

Integration with TeamCO

TAK is connected to TeamCO (team.irregulars.io) for cross-platform situational awareness. Both services share the same Authentik SSO.

The integration is workspace-scoped: each TAK workspace is linked to a specific TeamCO workspace. Announcements, geofence alerts, MEDEVAC requests, and weather alerts flow into the correct workspace rather than a single shared channel.

How it Works

When you create a marker in TAK, the system automatically:

1. Stores the marker in the TAK database
2. Broadcasts to all connected map viewers via WebSocket
3. Forwards the CoT XML to OpenTAKServer (for native TAK clients)
4. Creates an announcement in the linked TeamCO workspace with the marker details

Announcement type is determined by CoT affiliation:

• Friendly markers (a-f-*) → TeamCO “info” announcement
• Hostile markers (a-h-*) → TeamCO “alert” announcement

TAK Map Overlay in TeamCO

TeamCO surfaces TAK data directly in its interface without requiring users to switch apps:

• Check-ins from TeamCO appear as position markers on the TAK map
• Active blockers on TeamCO tasks are forwarded as alert markers on the map
• RFIs (Requests for Information) created in TeamCO generate TAK markers at the relevant location
• Announcements posted in TeamCO can be pushed to the TAK map as information markers

This bidirectional overlay means field teams on ATAK and coordination staff on TeamCO share a common operating picture.

Architecture

TAK Worker (tak.irregulars.io)
  ├── Publish marker
  ├── Store in D1 + broadcast WebSocket
  ├── Forward CoT to OpenTAKServer via VPC
  └── Enqueue to tak-events Queue
        └── Queue consumer → TeamCO Bot API
              └── Creates announcement in workspace

Configuration

The integration uses:

• Cloudflare Queue (tak-events) for async, reliable delivery
• TeamCO Bot API (/api/bot/announce) for creating announcements
• TAK System User (tak-bridge) in TeamCO as the announcement author
• Shared SSO — both platforms use sso.irregularchat.com for authentication

Reverse Flow (TeamCO → TAK)

TeamCO can send CoT data to TAK via the ingest API:

curl -X POST https://tak.irregulars.io/api/ingest \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <TAK_API_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/xml" \
  -d '<event version="2.0" uid="..." type="a-f-G" ...>...</event>'

This enables TeamCO checkins to appear as position markers on the TAK map.

Backend: OpenTAKServer

The TAK service runs OpenTAKServer (open-source) on the IrregularChat Proxmox host. The backend handles:

• TCP CoT streaming (port 8088) — raw CoT messages from the CF Worker’s CoT bridge
• TLS CoT (port 8089) — encrypted connections for native TAK clients with certificates
• Certificate enrollment — client certificate management for ATAK/WinTAK/iTAK
• CoT message routing — via RabbitMQ between handler, parser, and storage components

The CF Worker connects to OpenTAKServer through a Cloudflare Tunnel and VPC Service Binding — no public ports are exposed.

Use Cases

Event Coordination

Stand up a TAK channel for community events (meetups, conferences, field exercises) to track attendees, mark locations of interest, and coordinate movements.

Emergency Response

Use TAK for mutual aid coordination — track responders, mark hazards, coordinate logistics.

Training Exercises

Run simulated operations with blue/red team markers, movement tracking, and after-action review.

Mesh Networking

Combine TAK with Meshtastic LoRa mesh radios for off-grid situational awareness. Meshtastic nodes can relay position data to TAK via the CoT bridge.

Security

• All web traffic encrypted via Cloudflare (TLS 1.3)
• TAK client connections use mutual TLS (client certificates)
• Authentication via IrregularChat SSO (Authentik OIDC)
• Position data retained for 5 minutes in cache, explicit markers stored in D1
• Rate limiting on all publish endpoints (60 CoT messages/minute)
• Geolocation data is sensitive — shared only with authenticated community members

Related Resources

• TAK.gov — Official TAK downloads and documentation
• TeamCO — Team coordination platform
• Tactical Technology — Broader tactical tech overview
• Cloudflare Tunnels — How our tunnel infrastructure works
• Authentik — SSO setup guide