http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/
Very cool! Illustrates the need for a strong and active Navy!
The English Channel and the coast of China are really busy.
One of the many mission types we flew in the venerable P-3 Orion was to visually ID every ship in a given chunk of ocean. 90% of the time very boring... but it is important to have a name and type of a vessel rather than a simple green dot on a radar scope... especially in high traffic and politically sensitive areas... 8)
Nice find!
They don't track the pirate ships off the Somali coast? Bummer!
Really cool find, Lunican. There goes an hour of my day.
Quote from: JaxByDefault on March 09, 2012, 09:45:29 AM
They don't track the pirate ships off the Somali coast? Bummer!
Really cool find, Lunican. There goes an hour of my day.
The P-3's do absolutely... it is doubtful the pirates are running AIS...
QuoteHow the vessels positions are recorded?
The system is based on AIS (Automatic Identification System). As from December 2004, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all vessels over 299GT to carry an AIS transponder on board, which transmits their position, speed and course, among some other static information, such as vessel’s name, dimensions and voyage details.
References:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Identification_System
When I first saw the map I wondered why I saw so few ships in the mid ocean area... The answer is range of the AIS. This map is really only showing coastal traffic... with a functioning AIS... and a functioning reciever within range...
QuoteWhy cannot I see my vessel?
The MarineTraffic system does not cover all the seas of the world, but only specific coastal areas where a land-based AIS receiver is installed. Vessels appearing on the live map are equipped with an operational AIS transponder and they sail within the reception range of an AIS receiver installed on the land. Possible reasons for a vessel's position not picked up and displayed on the live map are:
- The vessel is not equipped with an AIS transponder or the transponder is not operational or the transponder is not properly working
- The vessel sails in an area where no nearby AIS receiving station exists/> - Th- The transmission power of the vessel's AIS transponder is not enough in order for a land-based station to receive the signals. This depends on the type of the transponder, the type and the height of the antenna and the quality of the cabling
- Especially for vessels equipped with a Class-B AIS transponder, the transmission power of AIS signals is much lower than the power of a Class-A transponder and therefore the reception range in much more restricted
- The AIS transponder of the vessel is not configured to transmit the correct information
Quote from: JaxByDefault on March 09, 2012, 09:45:29 AM
They don't track the pirate ships off the Somali coast? Bummer!
Really cool find, Lunican. There goes an hour of my day.
Yes, waking up this morning was a bit harder due to the 1.5 hrs I spent dawdling on ships...
Quote from: BridgeTroll on March 09, 2012, 09:54:53 AM
Quote from: JaxByDefault on March 09, 2012, 09:45:29 AM
They don't track the pirate ships off the Somali coast? Bummer!
The P-3's do absolutely... it is doubtful the pirates are running AIS...
Yeah...I don't think a pirate running AIS would stay in the pirate business for very long. :)
A lot of smaller boats are running AIS even though they are not required to. It's a great safety tool since it transmits speed and course information to anyone who has picked you up on radar that is equipped with AIS. If you are running in a crowded waterway at night or in the fog it can keep you from getting run down or running into the path of a big ship or barge.