IVAO Virtual Sky Software Roadmap

Dear IVAO Family,

For some time it has been the Network's wish to be able to provideyou with transparent and regular updates of our plans for, and theprogression, of IVAO's infrastructure and software/websystems. Following a restructure of the Development OperationsDepartment we were able to appoint new Directors and TeamManagers. Yannick and Frederico have assumed the positions of Directorand Assistant Director respectively. The main focus of their first twoweeks was to meet with the new Team Managers and finalise a roadmapfor our infrastructure and software/web systems, changing thelandscape in around 12 months.

The aim is to provide you with updates every 3 months, on what toexpect to be released during that period and an update on what hashappened since the previous quarter. So, without further ado, heregoes…

What is planned for Q1 of 2022?

World Servers

It is no hidden fact that our current SHARD servers do not have thecapability to withstand a tremendous amount of connections toIVAO. December of last year saw a deficiency during the Crowded Skiesevent that meant we were unable to achieve the figures we hadwished. The reasoning behind this issue is that IVAO has no ownershipto develop the current source code of the SHARD servers. Our dedicatedDevelopers have now created our own servers, called ‘World Servers’,that will enable better stability, more connections and lay thefoundations to be able to implement more enhanced features in thefuture. The World Server will be cross compatible on release with thelatest versions of IvAc, IvAp, Altitude and Aurora but theintroduction of new features, later in the year, will see support forIvAc and IvAp versions closed at a later date. The project is underAlpha testing at the moment and is due for release, to all members, bythe end of March.

Aurora for Windows

Aurora was responsible for 85% of ATC connections in December 2021,being the most popular of the ATC clients compatible with IVAO. Wewill shortly be releasing our ALPHA version, currently used by IVAOStaff, as the latest available BETA to all members after which we willnot be implementing any new features to Aurora for Windows, insteadfocusing on stabilizing this latest BETA to remove any existing bugsand eradicate crashes. Anyone who does have an issue with Aurora forWindows should contact our friendly User Support Team by speakingone-on-one with them on the Family Discord, posting in the forum or byemailing devops@ivao.aero where a member of the team will gladlyassist.

Aurora for Mac/Linux

It goes without saying that Aurora for Linux and Mac has been acalling for some time now, we are pleased to advise that Aurora forMac/Linux is being actively developed to achieve the same key aspectsof Aurora for Windows. The project is under development and expectedfor a network BETA release by August.

Voice ATIS

A new feature for IVAO, the Network will see the introduction ofVoice ATIS continue its development. Voice ATIS will enable Pilots tobe able to get the latest weather, runway and other ATIS informationfor their departure and arrival airports. Voice ATIS will only becompatible with IVAO’s latest offering of software, meaning it willonly be received by Pilots using Altitude and only transmitted byControllers who are using Aurora. The project is under development andexpected for a network release by June.

What is left to come for the rest of 2022?

IVAO has much more to offer to it’s Family in 2022. Deemed “theyear of change†by the Senior Leadership Team, we aim to see thedeparture of TeamSpeak 2 forever and the smooth landing of our newvoice systems including Voice UNICOM. We hope to provide you withfurther updates in April, July and October to discuss progression anddiscuss the next steps.

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