Version 0.9.0 | Initially released October 24, 2025 | Proprietary Software — All Rights Reserved
LightKeeper is a desktop application for planning and managing work on US Coast Guard Aids to Navigation (ATON). It downloads official Light List data from USCG NAVCEN and provides tools to browse, search, select, and generate multi-day trip workplans with an advanced logic engine.
- Browse lights, buoys, daybeacons, and bridges across all 9 USCG districts on an interactive map
- Multiple map layers: Google Satellite, Esri, OpenStreetMap, Topo, NOAA ENC charts
- Search by aid name or Light List number, filter by type
- Sync official GeoJSON data from USCG Navigation Center (NAVCEN)
- Save and manage Areas of Responsibility (AORs)
- Aid notes system for per-aid annotations
- Smart geographic clustering with sequential waterway partitioning
- Route optimization with 2-opt, waterway linear ordering, and recovery ramp end-bias
- Waterway tortuosity factor (auto-computed from aid GPS — accounts for river bends)
- Per-aid work time estimation using characteristics, RACON, AIS, optics, range, height, and remarks
- Full day time budget: launch/recovery prep, ramp transit, approach/departure, work, contingency buffer
- Joint ramp optimization: evaluates top 3 launch x top 3 recovery ramps (9 combinations)
- Barrier-aware ramp scoring (dams, locks, weirs detected via OpenStreetMap)
- Tight cluster detection (aids <0.5mi apart never split across days)
- Hotel recommendations with multi-night preference scoring and lodging subtype classification
- OSRM real road distances throughout optimization pipeline
- Trip phases (Trailering + Water or Water Only)
- Vessel config integration (fuel, draft, bridge clearance checks)
- Departure and arrival city routing
- Save workplan as HTML file
- Manual workplan builder with drag-and-drop day assignment and reordering
- Distribute button auto-optimizes: geographic clustering + border smoothing + hours balancing
- Trip templates — save and auto-load settings
- Equipment load list per trip
- Create routes by clicking map or snapping to aids
- Save, load, and manage multiple routes
- Load multiple saved routes at once with join support
- True and magnetic compass course on each leg
- Distance (NM), ETE, and ETA per waypoint
- Cruise speed and current adjustment
- Reverse route, undo/redo waypoints
- Right-click context menu (edit, reverse, clear)
- Drag waypoints to reposition
- Route labels scale with zoom, hidden when zoomed out
- Color-coded aid markers per day
- Draw custom routes per day on the workplan map
- Route backbone snapping — follows saved routes along the waterway instead of straight lines across land
- Auto Route button — one click to connect all aids for a day via saved route
- Solid lines when snapped to saved route, dashed lines when no route available
- Click aids or drop waypoints anywhere
- Draggable waypoints with click-to-delete
- Distance and true/magnetic course labels per leg
- Right-click map to search nearby water level stations
- NOAA CO-OPS: tide predictions, coastal water levels, tidal currents
- USGS NWIS: river stage, streamflow, inland lake levels
- USBR RISE: Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs (Grand Coulee/Lake Roosevelt, Hungry Horse, Dworshak, and more)
- Clickable station markers — load detailed data including current levels, 3-day tide predictions, reservoir elevation/inflow/storage
- Color-coded badges by source (NOAA, USGS, USBR)
- Direct links to official agency station pages
- Weather forecasts for each area with severe weather alerts (NWS API)
- Hotel finder with lodging type filters (Hotels, Motels, Resorts, Airport Hotels, Campgrounds)
- Boat ramp/marina finder with surface quality, fee info, and smart POI-based naming
- Map tile caching with CDN-direct loading when online, proxy cache when offline
- Auto-precache on launch for seamless panning
- Queue-based background tile downloader
- Zulu Time Calculator with 24hr military time, DST-aware date picker
- Vessel configuration (speed, fuel capacity, draft)
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Backup/restore all settings and data
- Route import/export (JSON)
- Bug report & feature request submission
- Auto-update checker
- Responsive toolbar — wraps to 2 rows on smaller screens
| District | Area | Light List Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast (D1) | Atlantic | I |
| East (D5) | Atlantic | II |
| Southeast (D7) | Atlantic | III |
| Heartland (D8) | Heartland | IV/V |
| Great Lakes (D9) | Atlantic | VII |
| Southwest (D11) | Pacific | VI |
| Northwest (D13) | Pacific | VI |
| Oceania (D14) | Pacific | VI |
| Arctic (D17) | Pacific | VI |
- F — Toggle Aids panel
- W — Toggle Workplan panel
- R — Toggle Route planner
- M — Toggle measure tool
- S — Focus search
- A — Select all in view
- Z — Zoom to selected
- C — Clear selection
- ? — Show keyboard help
- Esc — Close modals / cancel
All shortcuts can be customized in Settings > Keybinds.
- ATON data: USCG NAVCEN Light List
- Weather: National Weather Service API
- Hotels & boat ramps: OpenStreetMap / Overpass API
- Road distances: OSRM
- Tides & water levels: NOAA CO-OPS, USGS NWIS, USBR RISE
See CHANGELOG.md for full version history since October 2025.
- Water-aware routing — routes automatically follow waterways around land using A* pathfinding on OSM water polygons
- Water station layer toggles — show/hide Tides, Currents, USGS Gages, and Dams independently
- Unit preferences — switch temperature, wind speed, elevation, and distance units in Settings
- USACE CWMS dam data — real-time reservoir elevation, inflow, outflow, and storage from all 24 USACE offices
- USGS stream gages — viewport-based lazy loading with discharge, gage height, and water temperature
- Two-row centered toolbar — cleaner layout with section labels and consistent sizing
- Faster trip generation — Phase 2 skip when sufficient hotels found, timeouts on corridor search and OSRM
- Fixed NOAA tide stations invisible under current station markers
- Fixed USGS gage temperature displaying in Celsius regardless of unit preference
- Fixed trip generation hanging at "Refining hotel search"
Proprietary — All Rights Reserved. See LICENSE for details.