News
For Media Inquiries please fill out this form.
Introducing the Self Serve Channels Tool
Recently, we received several requests for data integrations into COTAK that may be of interest to our user community, but are outside the scope of our main channel plan. These integrations include the locations of all aircraft (civilian and public safety) operating over Colorado, USGS Stream Gauge locations and their status, and more.
Typically COTAK users are assigned their channels (and any data integrations tied to those channels) by you, the agency administrator, or by the COTAK program team for mutual aid and interoperability. Now to accommodate these new integrations we have developed a new tool at cotak.gov called “Self Serve Channels.” Any COTAK user can log into cotak.gov, and on the homepage use the Self Serve Channels widget to join or leave channels. Any changes a user makes will be reflected in their channels list on their TAK apps.
These self serve channels will always be ‘read-only’ and will not share your location with other users when turned on, and will always tie to a data feed or integration of some kind. The COTAK program team will add more of these channels as requests for data integrations come in from our users involving open, statewide, data that may be of use to COTAK users who wish to gain additional information. To request integrations with COTAK file a ticket at cotak.gov/support
New Basemaps Added to CloudTAK
CloudTAK (map.cotak.gov) now supports a dark mode, for nighttime operations or simply for reducing eye strain. To turn on dark mode in your settings select "Display Preferences" and find the preference for "Light/Dark Style."
New base maps have also been made available for CloudTAK. These maps are 'data defined' instead of being simply images, and are more efficient to load and enable advanced features, such as the labels rotating if you change the direction the map is pointing. To find a data defined map look for the "square with 4 points" icon next to the basemap (as opposed to the trifold map icon, which indicates a traditional image-based map).
These new maps include the "Commander" map which uses Open Street Map data, and automatically changes color as you switch from light to dark mode in CloudTAK. This map also includes 3D buildings when CloudTAK is tiled into 3D over select areas of Colorado as well as building addresses.
The COTREX map has also been added, which features a topographic map and rich data on trails curated by Colorado Parks & Wildlife. To view these maps simply open the basemaps tool in CloudTAK and click on the map of your choice.
2026 COTAK Summit Wrap-Up
Thank you to the more than 150 public safety professionals who attended, presented, and supported the inaugural COTAK Summit. The event provided an important opportunity to share operational experiences, explore emerging capabilities, and strengthen relationships across agencies and disciplines. We are grateful for your partnership and look forward to building on this momentum as we continue advancing situational awareness and interoperability for Colorado’s first responders. We can’t wait to see you next year!
Passkey Support in COTAK
Remembering your COTAK password and syncing it across your devices can be a challenge, but a new technology called passkeys can help! A passkey provides a different approach to security, by creating a ‘fingerprint’ specific to an individual device like a phone or laptop. You unlock this ‘fingerprint’ using your Face ID, your PIN, or your literal fingerprint, and the passkey then allows you to access the protected site. Passkeys improve security against phishing attacks and eliminate annoying two-factor authentication requests.
The COTAK program has deployed passkeys to log into our cotak.gov website and to access CloudTAK. The requirement to have a password as part of your COTAK account is not going away, since the mobile apps still require users to enter a username and password, but only once per year.
To set up a passkey in cotak.gov log in as normal, then click on your initials in the top right corner of the page and then “profile.” A new option under your profile is now available called “Manage Passkeys” and allows you to make a new passkey for each computer or phone you need to use. In CloudTAK similarly log in normally, then click on “Settings” and the “Login Passkeys” option. Click the + button to set up a new passkey for each computer or phone you need. Once a passkey has been set up you should never have to enter your COTAK password again on that device.
T-Satellite with ATAK
The COTAK team is frequently asked how users can use the apps to communicate in remote areas of Colorado, where cell service is spotty or nonexistent. A significant new option for these situations is cellular capabilities that enable smartphones to communicate directly with satellites overhead.
CloudTAK Route Snapping Feature
Route snapping in CloudTAK makes route creation faster and more accurate by automatically aligning user-drawn routes to existing roads and trails in the map dataset. Instead of manually drawing paths, users can create clean, navigable routes that follow real-world infrastructure, which is especially useful for mission planning, navigation, and coordination in the field. This feature relies on underlying road and trail data (such as OpenStreetMap).
The accompanying video demonstrates how to enable route snapping in CloudTAK, when to use it, and practical considerations for working with snapped routes during operational planning and shared situational awareness workflows.
Registration Open for 2026 COTAK Summit
Registration Open
Registration for the 2026 COTAK Summit at the Copper Mountain Conference Center is now open! To register, visit cotak.gov/summit and click the “Registration” link. The cost to attend the Summit is $250 and includes breakfast and lunch during the main Summit (July 8-9), and access to the discounted hotel room block, which will be provided after registration. Space is limited and we expect the Summit to sell out, so be sure to register early!
Pre-Summit Workshops
We’re also excited to offer optional pre-Summit workshops for iOS and Android users the afternoon of July 7. These are intended to provide basic training for new COTAK users on the operation of the apps, and are complementary with your Summit registration. The main Summit will take place July 8–9 and will feature a mix of keynote sessions, operational and technical presentations, and advanced training opportunities, including focused sessions on CloudTAK and agency administrative features.
COTAK Celebrates 5000 Users
On January 20, 2026, the COTAK program reached the milestone of 5,000 registered users! Our team greatly appreciates participating public safety agencies in Colorado for trusting us ‘when where matters.’ We are looking to growing the program further and adding exciting new features in the coming months!
ATAK Indoor Location Enhancements
The Android version of TAK (ATAK) has been updated to version 5.6 in the Play Store. As part of this update ATAK now has the ability to use Google’s location services to locate you, in addition to the device’s internal GPS chip. Activating this feature will improve ATAK’s ability to locate you inside buildings or dense urban areas where GPS signals are degraded. Note that iTAK has an equivalent capability enabled by default, so iTAK users do not need to take any action!
Due to ATAK’s extensive use in the military this feature is not enabled by default. To turn it on users should open ATAK, then tap on the three stacked lines in the top right corner of the app to open the tool list, then tap on “Overlays.” In the Overlay Manager that appears scroll toward the bottom of the list and tap on the “Location Input Manager.”
In this new tool is a list of the possible sources of location data for ATAK. The “WiFi/Cell Signal Derived (NETD)” option is new, and may be checked on to improve ATAK’s location accuracy, as it uses Google’s location services to improve your positioning similar to many other smartphone apps.
Users should leave the “Internal GNSS/GPS Receiver” option checked as well, as this allows the app to use both types of technologies to locate you as accurately as possible. When these settings are applied and GPS is lost, ATAK will begin relying on the network signal to locate you, and a special message will appear in the bottom left corner of the app (see attached screenshot). Note that the bottom options in this tool refer to military GPS units and may be left unchecked.
