It seems that FLARM ultimately took the wrong decision...

Two weeks ago Andrea Schlapbach from FLARM contacted me via email to discuss how we would want to use these data sentences. In the initial email he already clearly stated that "they had no interest in publishing the data format" and would only "share the format with a few interested and suited partners". "Suited partners" in their definition are those that are able to keep the format a secret.

In my answer I explained that XCSoar and SkyLines are both open source applications and that keeping a secret in open source code isn't really possible. I also asked what their intentions are for keeping the format a secret, but unfortunately that question was never answered. My second email answering some follow-up questions and asking the same thing again was never answered either.

I feel very sorry that FLARM has become such a closed-up proprietary company. I don't see any reason for keeping the data format a secret and I certainly hope that they reconsider this non-sense at some point. The only two reasons I can see for this is: a) they want to use the data commercially at some point or b) they are logging data that contains private data that shouldn't be logged in the first place. If they would really care about these SAR reasons they would simply open up their format so that any public party could use them...