HowTo Manual upload flight records to Airdata, avoiding DJI Servers

[swoermck]

Hi all,

as the title says: I am trying to manually upload flight logs to Airdata, avoiding DJI Servers.

My current workflow:

- fly with DJI Go 4 offline
- using iMazing (could also be done with iTunes) to retrieve my flight record from iPad (folder "FlightRecords")
- upload the flightrecord.txt file to Airdata
- in DJI Go 4 (still offline) delete my flight in the App

So far, so good.. but looking back into the file structure of the DJI Go 4 App (using iTunes / iMazing) AFTER deleting my flight logs using the app:
- the flightrecords.txt file is gone (good, as expected!)
- in "FlightLogs" the "flightrecord.dat" file is still there... why??

As discussed in many threads the DJI Go 4 App is doing lot's of network traffic into the internet (people checked that with firewall / sniffers) - so I suspect as the ".dat" file is still on the iPad, this will be send to the DJI Servers without the users consent?

What I didn't test so far:
- delete also the ".dat" file on the iPad (uploading the *.txt file to Airdata seems to give me the same amount of data, as syncing first to DJI Servers, and the from there with Airdata)
- after deleting the "*.dat" file on the iPad: will it come back next time I fly with the Mavic? I read that the ".dat" files are also on the AC, so maybe it will be re-synced back to the iPad after deleting?

Maybe somebody has some experience with this procedure?

thanks,

Stefan

 

[msinger]

in "FlightLogs" the "flightrecord.dat" file is still there... why??

That file does not contain data from your flight logs. If you deleted them from your mobile device and did not sync them in DJI GO, then they are gone.

 

[swoermck]

That file does not contain data from your flight logs. If you deleted them from your mobile device and did not sync them in DJI GO, then they are gone.

ok, thanks for this insight - in fact I didn't delete it as I don't know the content of it - I guess it is only important in case of crash/flyaway?

Another strange thing I noticed: after today's flight a new subfolder appeard in the folder "FlightRecords" named "MCDatFlightRecords"

Withing this new subfolder, I now have around 11 files named "..FLY103D.DAT", "..FLY105.DAT",.. Some of these files correspond to existing entries in the DJI Go 4 App (comparing the date as filename), some of these are not in the flight records of the app.

Any idea what these "FLYXXX.DAT" files contain? Sometimes I delete records in DJI Go 4 - maybe those data will come back from the AC in form of those files?

 

[msinger]

Any idea what these "FLYXXX.DAT" files contain?

Those are flights logs from the remote controller. They contain data similar to the TXT files. If you want to see what's inside of them, you can view the contents with DatCon.

 

[swoermck]

thanks again, great help!!!

Do they contain any valuable additional information appart from the TXT files I already uploaded to Airdata? As far as I can see, I cannot upload those file to Airdata?

 

[msinger]

Do they contain any valuable additional information appart from the TXT files I already uploaded to Airdata?

Most people would likely not find value in them, but they can sometimes be useful when troubleshooting complex issues. DatCon also creates a file that contains log information that's not available in the TXT file. Understanding what the logged items mean is most definitely an art though

As far as I can see, I cannot upload those file to Airdata?

Right.

 

[swoermck]

A question that probably nobody can answer: will the "MCDatFlightRecords" be ever synced to DJI Servers?

I'm fine with having my flight logs in one place (in my case Airdata), but not on Chinese Server where it is unclear what they do (if they do) with whatever data the app sends to their server (as far as I read many people saw network traffic, but unclear what data is send to China).

Otherwise I would adapt my workflow:
- fly with DJI Go 4 offline
- using iMazing (could also be done with iTunes) to retrieve my flight record from iPad (folder "FlightRecords")
- upload the flightrecord.txt file to Airdata
- in DJI Go 4 (still offline) delete my flight in the App

with two additonal steps:
--------------------------------------
- download "MCDatFlightRecords" to my Mac (iTunes/iMazing)
- delete the folder in DJI Go 4 file structure (iTunes/iMazing)


or the "simple" workflow:
- fly using Litchi (using this mostly for Waypoint missions)


.. but sometimes I prefer to fly with DJI Go 4..

 

[msinger]

will the "MCDatFlightRecords" be ever synced to DJI Servers?

As far as I know, they are not synced today. Will they be in the future? Your guess is as good as mine.

Here's another option that'll soon be available for truly offline log viewing:

New offline DJI flight log viewer

I’m working on a new version of my log viewer that can be installed on any Windows computer. See this page for more details and/or to sign up to be notified when it’s available.

mavicpilots.com

 

[swoermck]

As far as I know, they are not synced today. Will they be in the future? Your guess is as good as mine.

yep, so I keep my additional steps in my workflow

For the offline log viewer, I guess I have to wait for the Mac Version..

I just checked my 2nd "flying device" (iPhone 6s with DjI Go 4 App 4.1.3): strange enough, but there is no "MCDatFlightRecords" subfolder.. Maybe this directory was introduced with later versions of DJI Go 4?
I still use 4.1.3 for the "forced FCC mode". Unfortunately I cannot "migrate" the 4.1.3 version to my new iPad mini 5, but here I have a workaround:
1) start with AC --> RC --> iPhone with 4.1.3: aircraft will be in FCC
2) pull cable from iPhone and plug it into iPad with latest version of DJI Go 4 (already fired up): now with iPad AC is still in FCC mode


Anyway, thanks to your input I now have a procedure at hand that should work for my Airdata upload!

 

[Hegemone]

On Android there is an app called HD Sync that syncs data to airmap. Not sure if there is an iOS equivalent. It's supposed to do it in the background without interaction but mine requires me to hit the sync now button to get the sync started. I probably have the app turned off for running in the background.

You would still have to delete your files after syncing though.

It has been reliably transferring my logs though.

Just thought I would mention it.

 

[msinger]

On Android there is an app called HD Sync that syncs data to airmap

I think you meant Airdata.

HD Sync downloads logs that are synced to DJI. That's why it requires you to enter your DJI credentials to use it. See more details here:

HD Sync App for iOS - Airdata UAV

app.airdata.com

 

[Hegemone]

I think you meant Airdata.

HD Sync downloads logs that are synced to DJI. That's why it requires you to enter your DJI credentials to use it. See more details here:

HD Sync App for iOS - Airdata UAV

app.airdata.com

Yes indeed, I meant airdata, thanks for catching that. Since the dji login was a part of the token process I forgot about it.

Not a viable solution then. My apologies.

Seems like an opportunity for a developer to write an app to bypass that and go directly from the phone to airdata.

 

[MavicFlyer]

It's so nice to see a thread like this in the forum. People out there are expressing their lack of trust in DJI, and they are justified in their concerns. RIGHT ON, swoermck !!!

If you read the DJI privacy policy (and assume that they follow it always), it has "loopholes" big enough to drive a truck through. As you read it, it's pretty clear that their "commitment" to protecting your information does NOT inspire confidence. Add the fact that they are in China - a country where you have zero privacy, and you are justified in treating their software with suspicion.

Short of not running their software on your device, the best thing you can do is to limit the information that you let them have. Not syncing your GO 4 app logs with the DJI server is a good step in that direction - I've never done so, and have no intention of doing so in the future.

Automatic upload of the txt files to AirData is convenient, but not worth it in my book, if it means that you sync your data with DJI. Uploading manually really isn't that difficult. I use iMazing and it's a breeze. Litchi's automatic upload is great, because it doesn't go through DJI at all.

 

[Meta4]

It's so nice to see a thread like this in the forum. People out there are expressing their lack of trust in DJI, and they are justified in their concerns. RIGHT ON, swoermck !!!

If you read the DJI privacy policy (and assume that they follow it always), it has "loopholes" big enough to drive a truck through. As you read it, it's pretty clear that their "commitment" to protecting your information does NOT inspire confidence. Add the fact that they are in China - a country where you have zero privacy, and you are justified in treating their software with suspicion.

If you read the fine print on any software you'll find they are all similar and DJI is not unique in that regard.
But having read the recorded flight data from a great number of flights, I'm still to see anything in it that you would have any cause to worry about.

 

[larryc43230]

If you read the fine print on any software you'll find they are all similar and DJI is not unique in that regard.
But having read the recorded flight data from a great number of flights, I'm still to see anything in it that you would have any cause to worry about.

Personally, I don't give a rat's patootie whether DJI, or anyone else, has any interest in where I've flown my drone. I can't for the life of me figure out what good that information would do anyone. I fly by the rules and don't really care who knows where. The convenience of being able to sync my drone data to AirData via DJI's servers far outweighs any theoretical privacy issues.

As Meta4 has rightly pointed out, DJI's privacy statement is not meaningfully different from that of a thousand other app and hardware developers.

Larry

 

[MavicFlyer]

Personally, I don't give a rat's patootie whether DJI, or anyone else, has any interest in where I've flown my drone. I can't for the life of me figure out what good that information would do anyone. I fly by the rules and don't really care who knows where. The convenience of being able to sync my drone data to AirData via DJI's servers far outweighs any theoretical privacy issues.

As Meta4 has rightly pointed out, DJI's privacy statement is not meaningfully different from that of a thousand other app and hardware developers.

Larry

I don't disagree about the similarity of their privacy policy...that's why I don't typically give a piece of software full access to everything, even if it's a domestic product.

My philosophy, in general, is to NOT provide people with information that they don't need; it comes partially from my military security background. Bit and pieces of information here and there may not reveal anything on their own, but when you put a LOT of data together from many sources, you start to build a picture ...why do you think data brokers are in business?

There's a lot of money to be made from understanding people's interests and activity, by analyzing their digital footprint. It's one thing when it's done to sell you products and/or services, but what about malicious activity by fraudsters who want to rip you off and, yes, foreign intelligence services. If you travel to Russia, China, North Korea, etc., you should assume that you are under surveillance just because you're an American, and that any digital data you have will be compromised. Look at the personal data breaches that have occurred in the US over the past few years, of both businesses and government databases - those responsible for these breaches are NOT interested in helping you. Oh yes, you get a letter that says "we're sorry about what happened, and here's a free credit monitoring service for 3 years"...but the data is still out there...nobody "undoes" it...too bad.

I fly by the rules too, but just because something was OK yesterday doesn't mean it will be looked at the same way in the future. It also doesn't mean that everyone will look at it the same way. What if some ignorant person gets a hold of your flight records, and files some frivolous lawsuit alleging that you violated their "privacy". Sure, they'll eventually get dismissed because you have done nothing wrong, but think of the grief and $$$ you'll spend on lawyers defending yourself before that happens. Yes, not likely to happen, but what about other scenarios that may happen, using your data against you...why expose yourself needlessly?

I'll get off the soapbox, because I think you get the picture... nothing personal against anyone.

 

[Dan C]

My philosophy, in general, is to NOT provide people with information that they don't need;

Agreed on principle.

Me: Hands item to cashier
Cashier: I need your phone number
Me: No, you don't
Cashier: It's for the warranty
Me: No.
Cashier: Looks at me like I just sprouted a second head, but rings up the sale sans number