Skip to the main content
LAYER400DRONE INTELLIGENCE NETWORK
Menu

DATA / CONFIDENCE / LIMITS

Understanding Layer400 data

Layer400 shows radio observations made by participating receivers. This guide explains the route from broadcast to map, the meaning of common labels and the checks you should make before drawing a conclusion.

Last updated

1. From local radio to shared map

  1. Broadcast. A drone or add-on module transmits a Remote ID message over a supported radio method such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
  2. Receive. One or more independently operated Layer400 stations hear the message and attach station time and reception information.
  3. Validate. Ingest controls check the structure, credentials, timing and plausibility of the station report. Invalid or suspicious reports can be rejected or quarantined.
  4. Reconcile. Reports that appear to describe the same event are grouped, without pretending that agreement guarantees truth.
  5. Present. A reduced set of current fields is exposed to the map according to privacy, age, confidence and account rules.

2. Reading a track

Last received

The age of the most recent accepted report, not proof that the aircraft is still airborne. Older observations can remain visible during the selected history window.

Position and height

Values supplied by the broadcast. Height may be relative to take-off, ground or another reference depending on the standard and aircraft. Layer400 cannot guarantee survey-grade accuracy.

Speed and heading

Broadcast motion at the reported time. Slow, hovering or stale tracks can make a heading unstable or unhelpful.

Broadcast method

The radio transport reported by the station, such as Wi-Fi Beacon, Wi-Fi NAN or Bluetooth. A single aircraft can use more than one method.

Receiver count

The number of distinct participating stations whose accepted reports support the current observation. More receivers improve corroboration but do not authenticate the aircraft.

Model or manufacturer

A match inferred from a declared serial pattern or other reference where available. “Likely” and “unknown” should be read literally.

3. Remote ID is not authenticated radar

Standard broadcast Remote ID messages can be received by nearby equipment, but ordinary reception does not establish that the contents are genuine. A transmitter can be misconfigured, copied, replayed or spoofed. Consumer radios can miss packets, and structures, terrain, weather, interference and antenna placement affect range.

Layer400 may calculate plausibility and confidence indicators from timing, movement and agreement between receivers. Those indicators describe the network’s evidence; they are not a certification of identity, legality or intent.

4. Regional requirements differ

Regulatory summaries last reviewed . Rules and exemptions change; always check the regulator and the conditions of the operation.

UNITED KINGDOM

Phased Direct Remote ID

The UK CAA says Direct Remote ID has been required from 1 January 2026 for UK1, UK2 and UK3 aircraft in the open and specific categories, and for UK5 and UK6 aircraft in the specific category. Its transition places relevant UK0, UK4/model, privately built and legacy camera aircraft on a 1 January 2028 date. Class, category, authorisation and exemptions matter.

Check current UK CAA Remote ID guidance

EUROPEAN UNION

Operation and class rules apply

EASA guidance says drones operating in the open category generally need direct remote identification, subject to limited exceptions. Requirements also arise for relevant class-marked aircraft and some specific-category operations. National implementation and the exact aircraft or operation still need to be checked.

Check current EASA open-category guidance

UNITED STATES

Several compliance routes

The FAA requires drones that must be registered to comply with Remote ID unless an exception applies. Compliance can involve a Standard Remote ID drone, a broadcast module, or operation without Remote ID within an FAA-Recognized Identification Area and its conditions. Each route exposes different information and has different operating limits.

Check current FAA Remote ID guidance

5. Why a compliant flight may not appear

  • the aircraft or operation is not yet required to broadcast, or an exemption applies;
  • the aircraft uses a transport or message variant the local station cannot receive;
  • there is no active Layer400 receiver within useful radio range;
  • terrain, buildings, antenna placement or interference prevent reception;
  • the station is offline, its clock or position is unsuitable, or its report fails validation;
  • the observation is withheld, reduced or delayed for privacy, integrity or legal reasons; or
  • the map, network or user connection is temporarily unavailable.

6. Public, account and professional views

The public map is a deliberately limited current view. Account access can add preferences and recent history. Contributor tools can show the health and performance of the contributor’s own stations. Professional features may add longer history, alerts, audit context or managed displays under additional controls.

No plan turns Layer400 into an aviation safety service or automatically makes an observation suitable as legal evidence. Organisations must define their own authority, purpose, retention, access, verification and human-review process.

7. Reporting a problem

If a track appears wrong, sensitive or misleading, record the public track reference, date and time in UTC, broad area and reason for concern. Do not publish a suspected operator’s details. Follow the corrections and reports process.