This week we launched a new iKommunicate Developer’s Guide on GitHub that aims to make it easy for developers to start writing HTML5 Web Apps or mobile Apps that read data from NMEA networks via the new Signal K open data format.
iKommunicate is designed to be a powerful and intelligent gateway that efficiently converts NMEA data in to Signal K data, but that is just half of the jigsaw. The other key elements are the apps and software that work with iKommunicate to make it a fun and useful addition to your boat.
Out of the box, iKommunicate will work with all Navigation Software packages and Apps that support NMEA network data over TCP or UDP and it will also include a couple of Signal K web apps to get you started. However, it is hoped, that as more and more developers realise the potential of Signal K, that a plethora of innovate and useful apps will start to appear, transforming the way we use out boats.
In putting together the Developer’s Guide, we realised just how easy it is to start developing apps and there is an awful lot of information, libraries and source code on the internet that you can draw upon as you become more experienced. Even if you have never looked at HTML5, http REST APIs or WebSockets, our wiki and example apps, will give you a good starting point and have you displaying Signal K data in no time.