Research Data & Academic Access

Open obstacle reporting dataset for low-altitude aviation research

For universities, research institutions, and academic projects

Dataset Overview

246

Total Obstacles

3

Countries

12

Available Data Fields

Field	Type	Description
`id`	Integer	Unique obstacle identifier
`name`	String	Obstacle name/description
`latitude`	Decimal	Latitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
`longitude`	Decimal	Longitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
`category`	String	Obstacle type (tower, power line, crane, etc.)
`geometry_type`	String	Geometry: marker, circle, polygon, line
`country`	String	Country location
`created_at`	DateTime	Report timestamp (UTC)
`radius_nm`	Decimal	Radius in nautical miles (for circles)
`coordinates`	JSON	Polygon/line coordinates

CSV Export

Download obstacle data in CSV format for analysis in:

Excel / Google Sheets
R / Python (pandas)
SPSS / Stata
GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS)

JSON API

Real-time API access for programmatic integration:

GET /api/latest-reports?limit=100 Returns latest obstacle reports in JSON

API keys available for research projects. Contact: api@helitool.de

Potential Research Applications

Aviation Safety

Low-level flight risk modeling
Obstacle density analysis
Temporal reporting patterns
HEMS safety corridor optimization

Geographic Analysis

Spatial distribution of hazards
Urban vs rural obstacle patterns
Cross-border aviation corridors
Infrastructure growth tracking

Human Factors

Community reporting behavior
Crowdsourced safety data quality
Pilot situational awareness studies
Information sharing patterns

Technology

Machine learning obstacle detection
Predictive risk modeling
Route planning algorithms
Automated alert systems

How to Cite

If you use HeliTool data in your research, please cite:


                            HeliTool. (2025). Low-Level Aviation Obstacle Database. 
                            Retrieved from https://helitool.de/research/
                            [Date Accessed: 2026-01-24]

Data available under Open Database License (ODbL)

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