WHERE TO LOOK FIRST

Threat & attention scoring

When dozens of aircraft are overhead, the question is not "where are they" but "which one deserves my attention first." AeroScope answers it with a transparent 0–100 score built from eight weighted, rule-based factors — and it always shows its working. It is a ranker, not a verdict.

Open the live map ↗Read the FAQ
Quick answer. AeroScope ranks which aircraft deserve attention first with a transparent 0–100 score from eight weighted, rule-based factors — emergency squawk, military hex allocation, observer proximity, altitude and speed anomalies, loitering or orbit patterns, ICAO integrity-check failures, unregistered identity and drone-like kinematics. Every score shows its contributing factors, so it is an explainable ranker, not a black-box verdict.
Shown working

An attention-ranker, demonstrated

The needle below cycles through example aircraft. In the live app it reflects real broadcasts, recomputed every cycle, with the contributing factors always displayed beside it.

0–40  Routine traffic — minor or no anomalies.
41–60  Moderate — multiple factors present.
61–100  Elevated — several strong indicators agree.

A high score means "look here first," not "this aircraft is hostile."

Military ICAO hex rangeweight 20
Squawk code (7500 / 7600 / 7700)weight 18
Signal integrity (NIC / NACp / SIL)weight 14
Flight-envelope anomalyweight 12
Missing callsign / registrationweight 10
Restricted-airspace proximityweight 10
Pattern-of-life classificationweight 10
Signal quality / message rateweight 6
Design principles

Why it's rule-based and explainable on purpose

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Every point is traceable

The score is a weighted sum of named factors, so each aircraft's number decomposes back into exactly which signals fired and by how much. No black box.

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It ranks, it doesn't accuse

The output sorts a busy list so an operator looks at the right aircraft first. A high score is a prompt for human judgement, never an automated allegation.

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Separate from detection

The attention score is distinct from the consensus anomaly detectors. Scoring decides order; detection decides whether a specific anomaly is real (≥2 detectors must agree).

An honest boundary. AeroScope does not classify intent. It cannot tell you a flight is hostile, lost, or benign — only that, by transparent rules, it is statistically unusual enough to merit a second look. The judgement stays with you.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the threat score an accusation that an aircraft is dangerous?
No. It is a 0–100 attention-ranker that sorts a busy list so an operator knows where to look first. It is computed from eight transparent, weighted factors, all of which are shown. A high score means "unusual, worth a look," not "hostile."
What factors go into the score?
Eight weighted rule-based factors: military ICAO hex range, emergency squawk (7500/7600/7700), signal integrity (NIC/NACp/SIL), flight-envelope anomaly, missing callsign or registration, restricted-airspace proximity, pattern-of-life classification, and signal quality / message rate.
How is scoring different from anomaly detection?
Scoring decides the order of attention from explainable rules. Anomaly detection is a separate layer of six independent detectors (River, IsolationForest, pykalman, OpenAP, stumpy, PyOD) that only flags something when at least two agree. One ranks; the other confirms.
Does a high score mean the aircraft is spoofed?
Not necessarily. Spoofing has its own integrity-specific checks. A high attention score can come from many causes — a military hex, an emergency squawk, an envelope anomaly — so it points you to an aircraft worth examining, where the integrity and detection layers then help explain why.