nmea-kit

Bidirectional NMEA 0183 parser/encoder with AIS decoding and transponder-message encoding, written in Rust.

• Shared frame layer — handles $ (NMEA) and ! (AIS) framing, IEC 61162-450 tag blocks
• No nom, no proc-macro — FieldReader/FieldWriter helpers for clean sequential parsing

Quick start

Parse an NMEA sentence

use nmea_kit::{parse_frame, NmeaSentence};

let frame = parse_frame("$IIMWD,046.,T,046.,M,10.1,N,05.2,M*43").unwrap();
let sentence = NmeaSentence::parse(&frame);

match sentence {
    NmeaSentence::Mwd(mwd) => {
        println!("True wind dir: {:?}°", mwd.wind_dir_true);
        println!("Wind speed: {:?} kts", mwd.wind_speed_kts);
    }
    _ => {}
}

Encode and send an NMEA sentence

use nmea_kit::NmeaEncodable;
use nmea_kit::nmea::sentences::Dbt;

let dbt = Dbt {
    depth_feet: Some(7.7),
    depth_meters: Some(2.3),
    depth_fathoms: Some(1.3),
};

let sentence = dbt.to_sentence("SD").expect("valid depth sentence");
// "$SDDBT,7.7,f,2.3,M,1.3,F*05\r\n"

Decode AIS messages

use nmea_kit::parse_frame;
use nmea_kit::ais::{AisParser, AisMessage};

let mut parser = AisParser::new();
let frame = parse_frame("!AIVDM,1,1,,A,13aEOK?P00PD2wVMdLDRhgvL289?,0*26").unwrap();

if let Some(AisMessage::Position(pos)) = parser.decode(&frame) {
    println!("MMSI: {}, lat: {:?}, lon: {:?}", pos.mmsi, pos.latitude, pos.longitude);
}

Encode an AIS transponder message

use nmea_kit::ais::messages::NavigationStatus;
use nmea_kit::ais::transmit::{
    AisChannel, AisEncodable, AisTransmitOptions, ClassAPosition, ClassAPositionType,
};

let report = ClassAPosition {
    message_type: ClassAPositionType::PositionReport,
    repeat_indicator: 0,
    mmsi: 244_670_316,
    navigation_status: NavigationStatus::UnderWayEngine,
    rate_of_turn: None,
    sog: Some(10.0),
    position_accuracy: true,
    longitude: Some(4.379_285),
    latitude: Some(51.894_750),
    cog: Some(70.6),
    heading: Some(71),
    timestamp: Some(5),
    maneuver_indicator: 0,
    raim: false,
    communication_state: 0,
};

let sentences = report
    .to_sentences(AisTransmitOptions::vdm(AisChannel::A))
    .expect("valid Type 1 report");
// `sentences` contains complete, checksummed !AIVDM lines ready for the simulator.

AisTransmitOptions::vdo() emits !AIVDO instead. Messages that require several fragments, including Type 5 and long Type 12/14 safety text, require .with_sequence_id(0..=9). Every emitted line is at most 82 characters, including the checksum and CRLF terminator. The crate constructs sentences only: the simulator owns cadence, TDMA access, and reactions to Type 15.

Encode an AIS application-layer sentence

use nmea_kit::ais::sentences::Abm;

let abm = Abm {
    num_frags: Some(1),
    frag_num: Some(1),
    msg_id: Some(0),
    mmsi: Some(123456789),
    channel: Some('1'),
    vdl_msg_num: Some(6),
    payload: Some("testpayload".to_string()),
    fill_bits: Some(0),
};

let sentence = abm.to_sentence("AI").expect("valid AIS sentence");
// "!AIABM,1,1,0,123456789,1,6,testpayload,0*08\r\n"

Architecture

flowchart TD
    raw["raw line"] --> pf["parse_frame()"]
    pf --> frame["NmeaFrame\nprefix · talker · sentence_type · fields"]
    frame --> known["$ + known type (incl. VSD)"]
    frame --> unknown["$ + unknown type"]
    frame --> ais_in["! AIVDM/AIVDO"]
    frame --> ais_sentence["! AIS app sentence"]
    known --> typed["Typed struct\nMwd, Rmc…"]
    unknown --> raw_fields["Raw fields\npass-through"]
    ais_in --> ais_msg["AisMessage enum\nAll numeric Types 1-27"]
    ais_sentence --> ais_typed["AIS sentence struct\nAbm, Bbm"]

Frame layer validates checksum, strips tag blocks, extracts talker ID and sentence type. Shared by both NMEA and AIS.

NMEA content uses FieldReader/FieldWriter for sequential field parsing and encoding. Each sentence type is a standalone struct with parse(), encode(), and to_sentence(). Parsing is lenient: parse() always returns Some for known types, mapping missing or malformed fields to None. This is intentional for marine instruments that often produce partial data.

AIS content decodes AIVDM/AIVDO 6-bit ASCII armor into a bitstream, handles multi-fragment reassembly, and extracts typed fields. ais::transmit encodes complete !AIVDM or !AIVDO lines for Types 1/2/3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 21, 24 and 27. It owns sentence fragmentation, while the simulator remains responsible for choosing its emission cadence. The !-prefixed AIS application sentences ABM and BBM live under ais::sentences. VSD is a conventional NMEA sentence ($--VSD) exposed under nmea::sentences.

Supported types

NMEA 0183 sentences (bidirectional) — full coverage list

¹ Xdr has an additional to_sentences() -> Result<Vec<String>, EncodeError> method that automatically splits many measurements into multiple sentences to stay within the 82-character NMEA line limit.

AIS application sentences (bidirectional)

AIS messages — full type list

Key improvements over existing crates

Features

[dependencies]
nmea-kit = "0.8"

Use a group feature for common use cases:

# Only positioning sentences (GGA, GLL, RMC, GNS), no AIS
nmea-kit = { version = "0.8", default-features = false, features = ["positioning"] }

Cherry-pick individual sentences you need:

nmea-kit = { version = "0.8", default-features = false, features = ["rmc", "mwd"] }

NMEA-only (no AIS, all sentences):

nmea-kit = { version = "0.8", default-features = false, features = ["nmea"] }

Coordinate conversion

NMEA sentences encode lat/lon as DDMM.MMMM; AIS uses decimal degrees. Two helpers bridge the gap:

use nmea_kit::nmea::{ddmm_to_decimal, decimal_to_ddmm};

// Parse a GGA latitude field: "4807.038" N → 48.1173°
let lat = ddmm_to_decimal(4807.038); // → 48.1173

// Encode back for a sentence
let ddmm = decimal_to_ddmm(48.1173); // → 4807.038

Apply the N/S / E/W sign separately (negate for S or W).

Documentation

License

MIT OR Apache-2.0