Send updates about the position of the ISS every minute to a topic in RabbitMQ
This workflow automatically retrieves real-time position data of the International Space Station (ISS) every minute and pushes it to a specified queue in RabbitMQ. By triggering data processing at regular intervals, users can track the position of the ISS in real-time, addressing the issues of manual querying and data transmission delays. It is suitable for aerospace research, real-time application development, and systems that require integration of dynamic location data, significantly enhancing the automation and timeliness of data acquisition.
Workflow Name
Send updates about the position of the ISS every minute to a topic in RabbitMQ
Key Features and Highlights
This workflow automatically retrieves real-time position data of the International Space Station (ISS) every minute and pushes location information—including latitude, longitude, and timestamp—to a designated queue (iss-position) in RabbitMQ. By leveraging automated scheduled triggers and data processing, it achieves efficient and stable real-time trajectory update delivery.
Core Problem Addressed
Real-time tracking of the ISS’s position data and publishing it as messages to a message queue, enabling downstream systems or services to subscribe to and utilize these dynamic location updates in real time. This solves issues related to manual querying and data transmission delays.
Application Scenarios
- Aerospace and research institutions requiring real-time ISS location data for analysis or visualization
- Developers building real-time applications based on ISS location, such as map visualizations and trajectory monitoring
- Systems that need to integrate ISS location information into message middleware for asynchronous processing
Main Workflow Steps
- Trigger the workflow every minute using a Cron node
- Use an HTTP Request node to call the ISS position API and obtain the latest location data
- Extract and format key fields—latitude, longitude, timestamp, and name—via a Set node
- Send the processed data to the iss-position queue in RabbitMQ for consumption by other services
Involved Systems or Services
- ISS Position API (https://api.wheretheiss.at)
- RabbitMQ message queue
- n8n automation platform (Cron scheduling, HTTP requests, data processing, and message publishing nodes)
Target Users and Value
- Automation developers and operations personnel seeking to simplify real-time data collection and distribution workflows
- Application developers integrating dynamic ISS position data
- System architects relying on message queues for asynchronous message processing
- Researchers and educators needing accurate and timely space station trajectory data
This workflow significantly enhances the automation and real-time capabilities of ISS position data acquisition, enabling users to efficiently build real-time data services and applications based on ISS location information.