Ground truth: four colours for sim/live × ADS-B/dark

frontend/src/components/LiveAircraftMap.tsx

@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@
   applyGroundTruthFixes,
   pruneGroundTruthFixes,
   sweepStaleGroundTruthFixes,
+  truthClass,
+  truthFill,
+  truthBorder,
   isPointInViewport,
   isAircraftInViewport,
   sampleTrailPositions,
@@ -103,7 +106,7 @@
 const _gtCanvas = typeof window !== "undefined" ? L.canvas({ padding: 0.5, pane: GT_CLICK_PANE }) : null;
 
 const GroundTruthCanvasLayer = memo(function GroundTruthCanvasLayer({ aircraft, onSelect, selectedHex }) {
-  const { ANOMALY, DRONE, SELECTED, TRUTH, TRUTH_DARK } = usePalette();
+  const palette = usePalette();
   const map = useMap();
   const markerMapRef = useRef(new Map()); // hex → L.circleMarker — incremental diff
   const onSelectRef  = useRef(onSelect);
@@ -116,20 +119,17 @@
 
     for (const ac of aircraft) {
       seen.add(ac.hex);
-      const isAnom  = ac.is_anomalous;
-      const isDrone = ac.object_type === "drone";
-      // Dark = simulated aircraft flying without ADS-B.  Grey, matching the
-      // Physics tab's Dark Aircraft legend, so a viewer can tell at a glance
-      // which truth dots the radar must find on its own.  Strict === false:
-      // entries without the field (older payloads) keep the ADS-B blue.
-      const isDark  = !isAnom && !isDrone && ac.has_adsb === false;
+      // Four plain-aircraft classes — simulated vs live-feed, with vs without
+      // a transponder — plus anomalous and drone, resolved in one place
+      // (map/truthColor) so the legend, the list and the Physics tab agree
+      // with the dot.  A dark dot is one the radar must find on its own; a
+      // teal one is a real aircraft the synthetic nodes are echoing.
+      const cls     = truthClass(ac);
+      const isAnom  = cls === "anomalous";
+      const isDrone = cls === "drone";
       const isSel   = ac.hex === selectedHex;
-      const color   = isAnom ? ANOMALY : isDrone ? DRONE : isDark ? TRUTH_DARK : TRUTH;
-      // Each dot takes an edge a shade darker than its own fill.  Selection is
-      // the amber the map already uses for a selected glyph, its arcs and its
-      // trail: truth is the theme's neutral extreme, so a neutral ring would
-      // sit a single shade from the fill it rings.
-      const border  = isSel ? SELECTED : isAnom ? "#991b1b" : isDrone ? "#b45309" : isDark ? "#334155" : "#020617";
+      const color   = truthFill(cls, palette);
+      const border  = truthBorder(cls, isSel, palette);
       const baseR   = isDrone ? 6 : isAnom ? 8 : 9;
       const radius  = isSel ? baseR + 4 : baseR;
       const weight  = isSel ? 4 : 3;
@@ -165,12 +165,12 @@
         markerMap.delete(hex);
       }
     }
-  }, [aircraft, map, selectedHex, ANOMALY, DRONE, SELECTED, TRUTH, TRUTH_DARK]);
+  }, [aircraft, map, selectedHex, palette]);
 
   // Full cleanup on unmount
   useEffect(() => {
     return () => {
       for (const m of markerMapRef.current.values()) m.remove();
       markerMapRef.current.clear();
     };
   }, [map]);
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@
       }
       markers.clear();
     };
   }, [map, radarAircraftRef, groundTruthRef, smoothRef, NODE, TRUTH]);
 
   return null;
 });
@@ -1552,7 +1552,7 @@
     return Object.entries(trailsRef.current).filter(
       ([hex, positions]) => hex === selectedHex && positions.some((p) => isPointInViewport(p[0], p[1], viewport)),
     );
   }, [selectedHex, trailTick, viewport]);
 
   const selectedTrailPositions = useMemo(() => {
     if (!selectedHex) return [];
@@ -1760,7 +1760,7 @@
     const csv = trailToCsv(ac.hex, ac.flight, rows);
     downloadCsv(`trail-${ac.hex}-${Date.now()}.csv`, csv);
     toast(`Exported ${rows.length} points`, { tone: "success" });
   }, [selectedHex, radarAircraft, trailsRef]);
 
   const exportAllTrails = useCallback(() => {
     const csv = trailsToBulkCsv(radarAircraft || [], trailsRef.current || {});
@@ -1825,7 +1825,7 @@
     p: () => { if (selectedHex) { togglePinned(selectedHex); toast(pinnedSet.has(selectedHex) ? "Unpinned" : "Pinned"); } },
     m: () => locateMe(),
     n: () => { setSoundOn((v) => { toast(v ? "Sound off" : "Sound on"); return !v; }); },
   }), [showShortcutHelp, searchQuery, exportSelectedTrail, exportAllTrails, locateMe, selectedHex, togglePinned, pinnedSet, setSoundOn, setShowLabels, setShowTrails, setShowCoverage, setShowIlluminators, setShowGroundTruth, setColorByAlt, setShowStats, setShowRangeRings, setShowArcs]);
   useKeyboardShortcuts(shortcutMap);
 
   function computeError(hex, ac) {

frontend/src/components/PhysicsSettings.tsx

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { PLANE_PATH } from "./map/icons";
 // One palette for both tabs, so this legend and the map cannot disagree.
 import { usePalette } from "./map/useMapTheme";
 import { activePalette, activeTheme } from "./map/mapPalette";
+import { truthClass, truthFill, truthLegend } from "./map/truthColor";
 import { withCartoKey } from "../utils/basemap";
 import {
   formatKm,
@@ -139,7 +140,7 @@ function serverToScene(data) {
 export default function PhysicsSettings() {
   const palette = usePalette();
   const theme = activeTheme();
-  const { ACCENT_STRONG, BAD, SIM_ANOMALOUS, SIM_COMMERCIAL, SIM_DARK, SIM_DRONE, SIM_SCENE } = palette;
+  const { ACCENT_STRONG, BAD, SIM_ANOMALOUS, SIM_COMMERCIAL, SIM_DARK, SIM_DRONE, SIM_SCENE, TRUTH_LIVE, TRUTH_LIVE_DARK } = palette;
   // Both depend on the palette and nothing else, so neither is rebuilt on the
   // slider drags that dominate this page's re-renders.
   const types = useMemo(() => objectTypes(palette), [palette]);
@@ -692,7 +693,7 @@ export default function PhysicsSettings() {
             Deliberately its own card, not a segment of the composition bar:
             the feed sets the live headcount, so it is not a share of the
             synthetic mix and must not be summed with it. */}
-        <div className="ps-settings-card ps-live-card" style={{ "--accent": SIM_DARK }}>
+        <div className="ps-settings-card ps-live-card" style={{ "--accent": TRUTH_LIVE_DARK }}>
           <div className="ps-settings-label">
             Live ADS-B traffic
             <span className="ps-settings-sublabel"> (real aircraft from adsb.retina.fm, echoed by the synthetic nodes)</span>
@@ -708,8 +709,10 @@ export default function PhysicsSettings() {
               }}
             />
             <span className="ps-toggle-text">Pull live aircraft into the simulation</span>
-            <span className="ps-type-badge" style={{ background: SIM_DARK + "22", color: SIM_DARK }}>
-              {counts.live ?? 0} live · {counts.live_dark ?? 0} dark
+            <span className="ps-type-badge" style={{ background: TRUTH_LIVE_DARK + "22", color: TRUTH_LIVE }}>
+              <span style={{ color: TRUTH_LIVE }}>● {counts.live_adsb ?? 0} ADS-B</span>
+              {" · "}
+              <span style={{ color: TRUTH_LIVE_DARK }}>● {counts.live_dark ?? 0} dark</span>
             </span>
           </label>
           <div className="ps-settings-label ps-live-sublabel">
@@ -728,11 +731,11 @@ export default function PhysicsSettings() {
               className="ps-range"
               aria-label="Dark share of live aircraft"
               style={{
-                "--thumb-color": SIM_DARK,
+                "--thumb-color": TRUTH_LIVE_DARK,
                 "--fill-pct":    `${pct(draft.frac_live_dark)}%`,
               }}
             />
-            <span className="ps-pct-val" style={{ color: SIM_DARK }}>{pct(draft.frac_live_dark)}%</span>
+            <span className="ps-pct-val" style={{ color: TRUTH_LIVE_DARK }}>{pct(draft.frac_live_dark)}%</span>
           </div>
           <p className="ps-type-desc ps-settings-desc">
             Independent of the synthetic mix above: the dark slider and the objects target only govern
@@ -886,13 +889,13 @@ export default function PhysicsSettings() {
         const centerLat = centerSrc.reduce((s, a) => s + a.lat, 0) / centerSrc.length;
         const centerLon = centerSrc.reduce((s, a) => s + a.lon, 0) / centerSrc.length;
 
+        // Same resolver as the live map's truth dots (map/truthColor): the
+        // four plain-aircraft classes (simulated / live-feed × ADS-B / dark)
+        // plus anomalous and drone, so a dot here is the colour it is there.
+        // The "dark" object_type literal is kept for older payloads.
         function acColor(a) {
-          if (a.is_anomalous)           return SIM_ANOMALOUS;
-          if (a.object_type === "drone") return SIM_DRONE;
-          // The backend reports dark aircraft as object_type "aircraft" with
-          // has_adsb false (the "dark" literal is kept for older payloads).
-          if (a.object_type === "dark" || a.has_adsb === false) return SIM_DARK;
-          return SIM_COMMERCIAL;
+          if (a.object_type === "dark") return SIM_DARK;
+          return truthFill(truthClass(a), palette);
         }
 
         return (
@@ -930,9 +933,6 @@ export default function PhysicsSettings() {
                       fillColor:   acColor(a),
                       fillOpacity: 0.85,
                       weight:      a.is_anomalous ? 2 : 1,
-                      // Live-feed aircraft get a dashed ring so real and
-                      // synthetic trajectories can be told apart at a glance.
-                      dashArray:   a.source === "live" ? "2 2" : undefined,
                     }}
                   >
                     <Tooltip>
@@ -945,11 +945,11 @@ export default function PhysicsSettings() {
               </MapContainer>
             </div>
             <div className="ps-gt-legend">
-              <span style={{ color: SIM_COMMERCIAL }}>● Commercial</span>
-              <span style={{ color: SIM_DARK }}>● Dark</span>
+              {truthLegend(palette).map((t) => (
+                <span key={t.cls} style={{ color: t.color }}>● {t.label.replace("Truth: ", "")}</span>
+              ))}
               <span style={{ color: SIM_DRONE }}>● Drone</span>
               <span style={{ color: SIM_ANOMALOUS }}>● Anomalous</span>
-              <span>◌ dashed = live feed</span>
             </div>
           </div>
         );

frontend/src/components/map/AircraftDetailPanel.tsx

@@ -325,6 +325,12 @@ export default function AircraftDetailPanel({ ac, onClose, groundTruth, trails,
         {isTruthOnly && (
           <div className="detail-section">
             <div className="detail-section-title">Simulation (debug)</div>
+            {ac.source && (
+              <Field
+                label="Source"
+                value={ac.source === "live" ? "Live ADS-B feed (real aircraft, echoed by synthetic nodes)" : "Simulated spawn"}
+              />
+            )}
             <Field
               label="ADS-B"
               value={

frontend/src/components/map/AircraftListPanel.tsx

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { PLANE_PATH, getAircraftColor } from "./icons";
 import { POSITION_SOURCE_ARC_ONLY, POSITION_SOURCE_ADSB_SINGLE } from "./constants";
 import { classifyHex } from "./hexInfo";
 import { usePalette } from "./useMapTheme";
+import { truthClass, truthFill } from "./truthColor";
 import { distanceKm } from "./distance";
 import { M_PER_FT } from "./units";
 
@@ -27,7 +28,8 @@ export default function AircraftListPanel({
   onTogglePin,
   userLoc,
 }) {
-  const { INK_SUBTLE, NODE, TRUTH } = usePalette();
+  const palette = usePalette();
+  const { INK_SUBTLE, NODE } = palette;
   const containerRef     = useRef(null);
   const [scrollTop, setScrollTop]         = useState(0);
   const [containerHeight, setContainerHeight] = useState(600);
@@ -190,7 +192,8 @@ export default function AircraftListPanel({
               <div style={{ position: "absolute", top: offsetY, left: 0, right: 0 }}>
                 {visibleItems.map((ac) => {
                   const isSolved = ac._isSolved;
-                  const color = !isSolved ? TRUTH : getAircraftColor(ac);
+                  // Truth-only rows take the same class colour as their dot.
+                  const color = !isSolved ? truthFill(truthClass(ac), palette) : getAircraftColor(ac);
                   const callsign =
                     ac.flight?.trim() || ac.hex?.slice(-6).toUpperCase() || ac.hex;
                   // Nullish checks: 0 ft, 0 kt and 0° (due north) are real

frontend/src/components/map/MapLegend.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { altitudeLegend } from "./icons";
+import { truthLegend } from "./truthColor";
 import { usePalette } from "./useMapTheme";
 import { usePersistedState } from "./usePersistedState";
 
@@ -11,7 +12,8 @@ import { usePersistedState } from "./usePersistedState";
  * its header for anyone who has learnt the colours.
  */
 export default function MapLegend({ colorByAlt, showGroundTruth, showIlluminators, hasPlayback }) {
-  const { ILLUMINATOR, LANE_MN_ADSB, LANE_MN_DARK, LANE_SOLVER_SEED, NODE, TRUTH } = usePalette();
+  const palette = usePalette();
+  const { ILLUMINATOR, LANE_MN_ADSB, LANE_MN_DARK, LANE_SOLVER_SEED, NODE } = palette;
   const [open, setOpen] = usePersistedState("tf.legendOpen", true);
 
   return (
@@ -38,7 +40,12 @@ export default function MapLegend({ colorByAlt, showGroundTruth, showIlluminator
                   one. */}
               <LegendItem color={LANE_MN_ADSB} label="MLAT + ADS-B" />
               <LegendItem color={LANE_MN_DARK} label="MLAT dark" />
-              {showGroundTruth && <LegendItem color={TRUTH} label="Ground truth" />}
+              {/* Truth splits four ways: simulated vs live-feed (neutral vs
+                  teal) and with vs without a transponder (bright vs dark),
+                  the same resolver the dots are drawn with. */}
+              {showGroundTruth && truthLegend(palette).map((t) => (
+                <LegendItem key={t.cls} color={t.color} label={t.label} />
+              ))}
             </>
           )}
           <LegendItem color={NODE} label="Node" />

frontend/src/components/map/groundTruthFixes.ts

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import { mToFt, msToKnots } from "./units";
  *
  * @param fixes   the fixesRef store, mutated
  * @param snapshot  hex → trail, each point [lat, lon, alt_m, ts]
- * @param meta      hex → { speed_ms, heading, object_type, is_anomalous }
+ * @param meta      hex → { speed_ms, heading, object_type, is_anomalous, has_adsb, source }
  * @param now       ms epoch used as the dead-reckoning anchor
  * @returns the set of store keys this snapshot vouches for
  */
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ export function applyGroundTruthFixes(fixes, snapshot, meta, now) {
       // Simulated parameters for the debug detail panel.  "Dark" objects are
       // object_type "aircraft" with has_adsb false.
       has_adsb: m.has_adsb,
+      // Provenance: "live" = mirrored from the ADS-B feed, "sim" = spawned.
+      // Colours the dot (map/truthColor) and labels the detail panel.
+      source: m.source,
       adsb_callsign: m.adsb_callsign,
       anomaly_event: m.anomaly_event,
       points: positions.length,

frontend/src/components/map/index.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Barrel file — re-exports every module for clean imports
 export { API_BASE, STALE_AIRCRAFT_MS, GT_FEED_STALE_MS, GT_PRUNE_GRACE_MS, MAX_HISTORY, VIEWPORT_PAD_DEG, ARC_HOLD_MS, ARC_FADE_MS, ARC_TOTAL_LIFE_MS, POSITION_SOURCE_ARC_ONLY, POSITION_SOURCE_ADSB_SINGLE, ADSB_SINGLE_ARC_ICON_MULTIPLE, ARC_DR_MAX_S, GT_KEY_PREFIX, groundTruthKey, dopplerColor } from "./constants";
 export { applyGroundTruthFixes, pruneGroundTruthFixes, sweepStaleGroundTruthFixes } from "./groundTruthFixes";
+export { truthClass, truthFill, truthBorder, truthLegend } from "./truthColor";
 export {
   buildViewportSnapshot,
   isPointInViewport,

frontend/src/components/map/mapPalette.ts

@@ -75,6 +75,18 @@ export interface MapPalette {
   /** The "dark aircraft" ground-truth dot: a simulated target flying without
    *  ADS-B. Grey, and far enough from TRUTH to read beside it. */
   TRUTH_DARK: string;
+  /** Ground truth mirrored from the live ADS-B feed (a real aircraft the
+   *  simulator flies and the synthetic nodes echo), with and without its
+   *  transponder. Teal — the one hue family no lane or furniture uses, so
+   *  the pair reads as "truth, but real" beside the neutral simulated pair
+   *  without borrowing a lane. Measured like the rest: every value clears
+   *  its theme's contrast floor and sits CIEDE2000 ≥ 13 from every other
+   *  mark (worst: teal-800 vs the solver-seed lane on light, 13.1), ≥ 22
+   *  from the neutral truth pair, and ≥ 19 from its own partner. teal-800
+   *  rather than teal-900 on light: measured 21.9 from near-black, but on
+   *  the map a 9 px teal-900 dot beside a slate-800 one read as two blacks. */
+  TRUTH_LIVE: string;
+  TRUTH_LIVE_DARK: string;
   /** MLAT verification overlay: the solve dot, and the dashed vector to the
    *  position it is being checked against. */
   MLAT: string;
@@ -150,6 +162,8 @@ const LIGHT: MapPalette = {
   BEAM_GAP: "#b91c1c", // red-700
   TRUTH: "#1e293b", // slate-800
   TRUTH_DARK: "#64748b", // slate-500
+  TRUTH_LIVE: "#115e59", // teal-800 — 7.1:1, ΔE 13.1 from the seed lane, 25.5 from TRUTH
+  TRUTH_LIVE_DARK: "#0d9488", // teal-600 — 3.5:1, ΔE 13.5 from the seed lane, 19.3 from TRUTH_LIVE
   MLAT: "#c026d3", // fuchsia-600
   MLAT_VECTOR: "#a21caf", // fuchsia-700
 
@@ -210,6 +224,8 @@ const DARK: MapPalette = {
   BEAM_GAP: "#f87171", // red-400
   TRUTH: "#f8fafc", // slate-50 — the neutral extreme, mirroring light's ink
   TRUTH_DARK: "#94a3b8", // slate-400
+  TRUTH_LIVE: "#99f6e4", // teal-200 — 13.8:1, ΔE 17.6 from the mn-adsb lane
+  TRUTH_LIVE_DARK: "#0d9488", // teal-600 — 4.7:1, ΔE 22.9 from the mn-adsb lane
   MLAT: "#e879f9", // fuchsia-400
   MLAT_VECTOR: "#f0abfc", // fuchsia-300
 

frontend/src/components/map/truthColor.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { PALETTES } from "./mapPalette";
+import { truthBorder, truthClass, truthFill, truthLegend } from "./truthColor";
+
+describe("truthClass", () => {
+  it("splits plain aircraft into the four provenance × transponder classes", () => {
+    expect(truthClass({ object_type: "aircraft", has_adsb: true, source: "sim" })).toBe("sim_adsb");
+    expect(truthClass({ object_type: "aircraft", has_adsb: false, source: "sim" })).toBe("sim_dark");
+    expect(truthClass({ object_type: "aircraft", has_adsb: true, source: "live" })).toBe("live_adsb");
+    expect(truthClass({ object_type: "aircraft", has_adsb: false, source: "live" })).toBe("live_dark");
+  });
+
+  it("keeps anomalous and drone ahead of provenance", () => {
+    expect(truthClass({ is_anomalous: true, source: "live", has_adsb: false })).toBe("anomalous");
+    expect(truthClass({ object_type: "drone", source: "live", has_adsb: false })).toBe("drone");
+  });
+
+  it("reads an older payload with neither field as simulated ADS-B", () => {
+    expect(truthClass({})).toBe("sim_adsb");
+    expect(truthClass({ object_type: "aircraft" })).toBe("sim_adsb");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("truthFill / truthBorder", () => {
+  it.each(["light", "dark"] as const)("gives the four classes four distinct fills (%s)", (theme) => {
+    const p = PALETTES[theme];
+    const fills = (["sim_adsb", "sim_dark", "live_adsb", "live_dark"] as const).map((c) => truthFill(c, p));
+    expect(new Set(fills).size).toBe(4);
+    expect(fills).toEqual([p.TRUTH, p.TRUTH_DARK, p.TRUTH_LIVE, p.TRUTH_LIVE_DARK]);
+  });
+
+  it("uses the selection amber for a selected dot in either theme", () => {
+    expect(truthBorder("live_dark", true, PALETTES.dark)).toBe(PALETTES.dark.SELECTED);
+    expect(truthBorder("live_dark", false, PALETTES.dark)).not.toBe(PALETTES.dark.SELECTED);
+  });
+
+  it("legend rows carry the same colours the dots are drawn with", () => {
+    const p = PALETTES.light;
+    for (const row of truthLegend(p)) expect(row.color).toBe(truthFill(row.cls, p));
+  });
+});