🌌 chicha-isotope-map — explorer of radiation's hidden paths.
"See the unseen." This program visualizes radioactive traces, turning invisible pathways into vibrant maps.
Chicha-Isotope-Map reveals the invisible world of radioactive particles. Beneath your feet, isotopes leave traces as they travel, carried by wind, vehicles, or people. This program visualizes them on a map, coloring each trace—from green (safe) to red (danger).
It reads data from formats like .kml, .kmz, .json, and .rctrk (AtomFast and RadiaCode) and stores it in a database. Years later, you can look back and see how radiation levels changed over time.
The program uses natural background radiation as a baseline. In untouched areas, normal radiation is around 1–4 µR/h. Anything above this is flagged as radioactive contamination. Chicha-Isotope-Map tracks these anomalies, turning invisible footprints into visible warnings.
See the program in action here.
In the Soviet era, an open-air swimming pool was built in Kislovodsk Park. The concrete may have come from a factory in Pyatigorsk that processed radioactive ore from Mount Beshtau. Trucks carried materials, leaving invisible dust on the roads. Decades later, these traces still show up on the map as yellow marks—like patches of autumn leaves. The rest of the park remains clean, peaceful, and green.
Install on Linux 64-bit x86:
sudo curl https://files.zabiyaka.net/chicha-isotope-map/latest/no-gui/linux/amd64/chicha-isotope-map > /usr/local/bin/chicha-isotope-map; sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/chicha-isotope-map; chicha-isotope-map -v;Choose your platform to start exploring isotope trails:
| Platform | Download Link |
|---|---|
| AIX | Download for AIX |
| Android | Download for Android |
| Dragonfly | Download for Dragonfly |
| FreeBSD | Download for FreeBSD |
| Illumos | Download for Illumos |
| JavaScript | Download for JavaScript |
| Linux | Download for Linux |
| macOS | Download for macOS |
| NetBSD | Download for NetBSD |
| OpenBSD | Download for OpenBSD |
| Plan9 | Download for Plan9 |
| Solaris | Download for Solaris |
| Windows | Download for Windows |
Run the program with default settings:
chicha-isotope-mapOr customize with additional options:
chicha-isotope-map --port=8765 --db-type=pgx --db-host=localhost --db-port=5432 --db-user=postgres --db-pass=yourpassword --db-name=isotope_db --pg-ssl-mode=preferchicha-isotope-map --port=8765 --db-type=pgx --db-host=localhost --db-port=5432 --db-user=postgres --db-pass=my_secure_password --db-name=radiation_data --pg-ssl-mode=requireThis configuration connects to a PostgreSQL database named radiation_data on the local machine. Replace my_secure_password with your database password. Adjust the host, port, or database name as needed.
- Open http://localhost:8765 in your web browser.
- Use the Upload button to add your data files.
- Explore the map: hover over markers to view radiation levels, timestamps, and locations.
Radiation is invisible but dangerous. It doesn’t just stay in one place—it seeps into soil, water, and plants, accumulating over time. This program helps you see where contamination has spread, making the invisible visible and empowering you to understand and act.
"If isotopes could tell their stories, they wouldn’t need this program. But since they can’t, Chicha-Isotope-Map speaks for them."