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jenko15587/sar-toolkit

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

1HTMLAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

TLDR

A self-hosted, browser-based toolkit for search and rescue teams to clean GPS tracks, convert coordinates, and generate search patterns, with all processing done locally.

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Convert a CSV of coordinates into a KML file for use in mapping software like Google Earth.

USE CASE 2

Clean up a GPS track file by removing erroneous jumps caused by signal loss.

USE CASE 3

Reduce a KML file cluttered with thousands of markers down to a single clean track line.

USE CASE 4

Generate standard search patterns or labelled search sector boxes for assigning to search teams.

What is it built with?

HTMLDocker

How does it compare?

jenko15587/sar-toolkitabhas9/escape-runabhishek-kumar09/mern-live-js-june-2021
Stars111
LanguageHTMLHTMLHTML
Last pushed2021-09-13
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity2/52/52/5
Audiencegeneralgeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Docker and Docker Compose installed, no other dependencies needed.

No license is stated in the README, so reuse rights are unclear from this file alone.

In plain English

SAR Field Toolkit is a self-hosted, browser-based collection of small tools built for search and rescue teams to process location data. A key point the README makes clear is that every calculation happens entirely inside your own browser, and no data is ever sent to any outside server, which matters for a use case where the locations involved may be sensitive. The toolkit bundles five specific tools. A CSV to KML converter takes a spreadsheet of latitude and longitude, or UTM coordinates, and turns it into a KML file, the format used by mapping tools like Google Earth, with an option to also draw a connecting track line. A GPX cleaner removes the erroneous straight lines that show up in GPS track files when the signal drops out and the device jumps between two distant points. A KML reducer takes a file cluttered with thousands of individual point markers, such as a log from a search aircraft, and replaces them with a single clean track line. A search patterns tool generates standard search shapes, either a creeping line pattern of parallel tracks or an expanding square, and exports them as KML. A search boxes tool generates a grid or radial layout of labelled search sectors as KML, meant for assigning specific zones to different search teams. Running it requires only Docker and Docker Compose. You download the project's docker-compose.yml file, run docker compose up in the background, and then open the tool in a browser at localhost on port 3080, which can be changed by editing the compose file before starting it. Updating to the newest version is done by pulling the latest image and restarting, since the image is automatically rebuilt and published whenever a change is pushed to the project's main branch.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me set up sar-toolkit locally using the provided docker-compose.yml file.
Prompt 2
Explain what the GPX cleaner tool in sar-toolkit does and when I'd need it.
Prompt 3
Show me how to generate an expanding square search pattern as a KML file with this toolkit.
Prompt 4
Walk me through converting a CSV of UTM coordinates into KML placemarks with sar-toolkit.
Prompt 5
How do I update sar-toolkit to the latest version after it's already running?

Frequently asked questions

What is sar-toolkit?

A self-hosted, browser-based toolkit for search and rescue teams to clean GPS tracks, convert coordinates, and generate search patterns, with all processing done locally.

What language is sar-toolkit written in?

Mainly HTML. The stack also includes HTML, Docker.

What license does sar-toolkit use?

No license is stated in the README, so reuse rights are unclear from this file alone.

How hard is sar-toolkit to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is sar-toolkit for?

Mainly general.

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