`entity-state-to-flightpath`

entity-state-to-flightpath turns entity-state records into one or more flightpath channels. The FlightPath widget draws them as 3D trajectories.

Entity-state records are the JSON records array that hydrate-protobuf-v2 emits with extractionTarget: EntityState. entity-state-to-records emits the same shape from DIS traffic. The node reads each entity’s position through JMESPath (a query language for JSON) expressions and emits one point per frame.

The output is a data service payload. It is not a map track. Use entity-state-to-mapdisplay for the MapDisplay widget.

When to use

Use this node when a Next dashboard needs the FlightPath widget for one or more airborne entities.

Pipeline position


hydrate-protobuf-v2 (EntityState) -> entity-state-to-flightpath -> json-merge -> dashboard-v2
entity-state-to-records            -> entity-state-to-flightpath

The node reads the latest output of one parent.

Configuration

Configuration is required. latField and lonField must be set.

Key	Type	Required	Default	Description
`entriesPath`	string	No	`records[*]`	JMESPath to the array of time-ordered records.
`timeField`	string	No	`simulation_time_seconds`	Dotted path from each record to its simulation time.
`entitiesPath`	string	No	`entity_state.entity`	JMESPath from each record to its entity object or array of objects.
`entityNameField`	string	No	`name`	Dotted path from each entity to its name.
`entityNames`	array of string	No	none	Entities to include. When absent or empty, every entity with latitude and longitude values gets its own channel.
`latField`	string	Yes	none	JMESPath from each entity to its latitude.
`lonField`	string	Yes	none	JMESPath from each entity to its longitude.
`altField`	string	No	`""`	Optional JMESPath to altitude. Omitted from points when empty.
`baseCapturedAt`	string	No	`""`	ISO 8601 base time stamp. When set, simulation time is a relative offset from this base. When empty, simulation time is absolute Unix epoch seconds.
`realmName`	string	No	`overview`	Realm name for the channel.
`channelId`	string	No	`flightpath-flightdata`	Channel id used when `entityNames` is set.
`channelName`	string	No	`FlightPath`	Display name used when `entityNames` is set.

Output

A data service payload with flightpath channels in group flightpath.


{
  "$heat-dataservice": {
    "version": "1.0",
    "groups": [{ "id": "flightpath", "name": "Flight Path" }],
    "realms": [
      {
        "name": "overview",
        "channels": [
          {
            "id": "flightpath-flightdata",
            "name": "FlightPath",
            "groupId": "flightpath",
            "shape": "flightpath",
            "data": [
              { "lat": 51.5, "lon": -1.5, "alt": 3000.0, "timestamp": 1718000010000 },
              { "lat": 51.6, "lon": -1.4, "alt": 2950.0, "timestamp": 1718000020000 }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "dashboard_users": []
}

Two modes decide how channels are laid out.

With entityNames set, all listed entities are merged into one channel with the configured channelId. Points are sorted by simulation time and interleaved.
With entityNames absent or empty, each discovered entity gets its own channel named <entity>-flightpath. Entity names are lowercased and spaces and hyphens are normalised.

lat and lon are numbers. alt appears only when altField is set and evaluates to a number. timestamp is Unix epoch milliseconds.

Limitations

One parent, latest output only.
An entity with a missing or non-numeric position at one frame is skipped for that frame only.
The node fails when no entity has a valid position anywhere in the input.

FlightPath (Next) renders the channel.
entity-state-to-mapdisplay plots the same entities on a map.
entity-state-to-records supplies records from DIS traffic.

HEAT documentation team. Last updated 2 October 2026.

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