What we do
SpottersGuide is an all-in-one prediction platform for spotters across the UK, Ireland, and Channel Islands. We don't just show you what's happening right now — we predict the best times to go spotting based on weather forecasts, historical patterns, real-time activity, and location intelligence.
Whether you're tracking military aircraft at MOD ranges, bird watching, wildlife spotting, plane spotting, train spotting, or stargazing, SpottersGuide helps you plan ahead and maximize your chances of success. We combine multiple data sources to give you accurate, confidence-rated predictions so you know when to go, not just where.
Why we built this
Most spotting apps show you what's happening right now, but by the time you see it and get there, it's often too late. We were frustrated by missing opportunities because we didn't know when to go. That's why we built SpottersGuide — to predict spotting opportunities before they happen.
We're a team of aviation enthusiasts, bird watchers, wildlife spotters, and stargazers who wanted something better. We wanted to know when conditions would be optimal, when activity would peak, and when the best chances of success would occur. So we built a prediction engine that combines:
- Weather forecasts: Future conditions, not just current weather, so you can plan ahead
- Historical patterns: We learn from past activity to predict future opportunities
- Real-time signals: Live aircraft tracking, recent sightings, and current conditions
- Location intelligence: Proximity to bases, ranges, reserves, hotspots, and verified car parks
- Category-specific factors: Different rules for birds vs aircraft vs stars vs wildlife
- Seasonal factors: Time of year, holidays, and seasonal activity patterns
How it works
Our prediction engine analyzes multiple factors to calculate a score (0-100%) for spotting opportunities. Each prediction includes:
- Activity Score: How likely activity will occur based on patterns, schedules, and real-time detection
- Visibility Conditions: How well you can see based on weather, time of day, distance, and light pollution
- Confidence Level: High/Medium/Low rating based on data quality and historical accuracy
For MOD/military predictions, we use a unique 3-tier system:
- Tier 1: Overall UK-wide activity predictions (all ranges combined)
- Tier 2: Individual bombing range predictions (specific to each range)
- Tier 3: Individual RAF base predictions (specific to each base)
This multi-tier approach gives you both high-level overview and specific intelligence for the exact location you're visiting.
Our commitment to accuracy
We're constantly improving our predictions based on user feedback. Every time you report whether a prediction was accurate, we learn and adjust our algorithms. Over time, predictions get more reliable for your specific locations and preferences.
We're transparent about confidence levels — if we don't have enough data for a location, we'll tell you. We'd rather be honest about uncertainty than give you false confidence. Our confidence thresholds are:
- High confidence (75%+): Very reliable, good data available
- Medium confidence (50-74%): Some uncertainty, moderate data
- Low confidence (<50%): Limited data or unusual conditions
We also show you why each prediction scored the way it did, so you can make informed decisions about when to go spotting.
What makes us different
Most apps show "what's there now" — current activity, live aircraft, recent sightings. We show "when to go" — predictions for the best spotting opportunities. This means:
- Predictive, not reactive: We forecast future opportunities, not just current activity
- Multi-source intelligence: We combine weather, real-time data, historical patterns, and location intelligence
- Category-specific: Different prediction models for birds, aircraft, wildlife, stars, and trains
- Confidence-rated: We tell you how reliable each prediction is so you know what to trust
- Transparent: We show you why each prediction scored the way it did
- Constantly improving: We learn from user feedback to improve predictions over time
Recent updates & improvements
We're always working to make SpottersGuide better. Here are our latest major improvements:
🚁 MOD Portal Enhancements (Premium)
- 5-minute scans: System now scans all UK military aircraft every 5 minutes (was 15 minutes) for faster, more responsive tracking
- 4% decay rate per 5 minutes: Confidence scores decay at 4% per 5 minutes to reflect rapid aircraft movement, preventing misleading high scores after activity ends
- Confidence capping at 30%: When no aircraft detected, confidence is capped at 30% to prevent false "MONITORING" statuses
- Skip redundant writes: System intelligently skips unnecessary database writes when no activity detected, improving efficiency
- Military futuristic theme redesign: Complete redesign with HUD-style displays, tactical colors, and improved visual clarity
- Better mobile experience: Responsive design optimized for mobile devices with proper width constraints and layouts
✈️ Live Aircraft Tracking Improvements
- UK-wide coverage: All military aircraft (transport + weapons-capable) tracked across the entire UK
- Real-time updates every 30 seconds: Live aircraft list refreshes automatically every 30 seconds
- Improved filtering: Better aircraft classification to include all military aircraft, not just weapons-capable
- Activity summaries: Enhanced summary cards showing detected vs undetected aircraft counts
🚗 Spotter Car Parks Feature
- Verified locations database: Curated database of verified spotter car parks at RAF bases and MOD ranges
- Intel sheets with directions: Each car park includes coordinates, addresses, parking notes, and safety information with one-tap Google Maps directions
- Safety-first approach: Only verified, safe locations included — no user submissions to prevent unsafe locations
🎨 UI/UX Improvements
- Military theme consistency: Applied futuristic HUD-style design across all MOD pages for consistency
- Better readability: Improved typography, spacing, and visual hierarchy throughout
- Mobile optimization: All pages now properly responsive with appropriate width constraints and layouts
- Light pollution integration: Visibility conditions now account for darkness and light pollution for more accurate nighttime predictions
We're constantly working on improvements based on user feedback. If you have suggestions or notice issues, please let us know at helpdesk@spottersguide.co.uk.
Contact us
Have questions, feedback, or suggestions? We'd love to hear from you:
Email: helpdesk@spottersguide.co.uk
We're always working to make SpottersGuide better. Your feedback helps us improve predictions, add new features, and fix issues.
