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AIS Historical Vessel Positions
Description
Provides historical AIS data points via the Spire Historical Vessel Position API. These AIS points reflect the exact positions of vessels across time. These points contain the corresponding static and voyage related information.
Technical information
| Geographic coverage | Global |
| Data availability | 2011-present |
| Refresh | Near real-time |
| File format | GeoJSON (multilinestring geometry) |
| Coordinate system | WGS84/EPSG4326 |
Further information
Historical Vessel Positions delivers historical ship information related to voyage and static data including positions, destinations, ETA, draught, etc.
The Spire archive gives customers access to the most expansive Satellite AIS historical data through a pre-packaged and customized service that dates back to 2011.
Using Spire archive you can easily do the following:
- Analyse the most complete record of vessel movements on a global scale
- Reduce risk and plan safest routes based on vessel traffic patterns and seasonal changes
- Analyse vessel behaviour patterns for the potential prosecution of illegal actions e.g. illegal ballast water exchange, marine protected area encroachment
The archive provides critical historical data for performing analysis into shipping traffic and trend patterns as well as long-term vessel tracking all across the globe. In addition, Spire also has pre-packaged data sets for analysis into the remote Arctic region.
Use Cases
There are many use-cases for gaining access to the historical ship information. Users wanting to identify ships found in satellite optical or radar imagery can use the historical positions, ship details, along with date/time information to correlate objects within satellite imagery to the identification of a ship. This type of correlation is often used by defence, security, fishing, or border protection agencies to identify ‘dark’ targets that may not be in compliance with standard operational guidelines.
Restrictions
User authorization is required to be able to use the data. The usage is restricted to internal usage, and users from the following categories are excluded: US Government, China, Japan, and companies linked to Commodity Trading.
Pricing
| Area of Interest km² | Credits (per km²) |
|---|---|
| 0–1,000 | 5 |
| 1,000–5,000 | 3.5 |
| 5,000–10,000 | 2 |
| 10,000+ | 1.5 |
Volume Discounts
Volume discounts apply for areas larger than 1,000 sqkm. For details, please contact [email protected].
AIS Historical Vessel Tracks Metadata
| AIS parameter | AIS parameter description | Example |
|---|---|---|
mmsi | The Maritime Mobile Service Identity is a unique nine-digit number for identifying a ship. MMSI is programmed into all AIS systems and VHF electronics on board of the vessel and provides an internationally standardized number for contacting the vessel. | 263959721 |
imo | The International Maritime Organization is part of the static AIS information provided by the vessel’s crew and can be transmitted additionally. | IMO9525429 |
vessel_name | Name of the vessel (up to 20 characters) | BLACK STAR |
callsign | International radio call sign assigned to the vessel by its country of registry | CRA8155 |
vessel_type | Vessel type | Cargo |
vessel_type_code | The AIS ID of the vessel type | 72 |
vessel_type_cargo | Detailed description of the cargo type | Carrying DG,HS or MP,IMO hazard or Pollutant Category Y |
vessel_class | Class A AIS transponders are required to have a DSC (156.525 MHz) receiver, external GPS, heading, and rate of turn indicator, and can also transmit and receive safety-related text messages. Class B AIS transponders operate using Carrier-Sense TDMA (CSTDMA) broadcast mode and transmit at a power level of 2 watts. | A |
length | Length approximated to the nearest meter (based on the position of the AIS Station on the vessel) | 99 |
width | Width approximated to the nearest meter (based on the position of the AIS Station on the vessel) | 14 |
flag_country | The vessel’s flag | Portugal |
flag_code | The first 3 digits of the MMSI number indicate the vessel’s flag | 263 |
destination | The vessel’s destination (up to 20 characters) | PT FDF |
eta | Estimated time of arrival (UTC month/date hours: minutes) | 2460 |
draught | 0.1 to 25.5 metres | 8.6 |
longitude | Position coordinate (decimal degrees) | -9.31821333333333 |
latitude | Position coordinate (decimal degrees) | 38.6754166666667 |
sog | Speed over ground (0 to 102 knots) | 0.1 |
cog | Course over ground (up to 0.1° relative to true north) | 85.4 |
rot | Rate of turn - right or left (0 to 720 degrees per minute) | 7.54420872834595 |
heading | 0 to 359 degrees | 79 |
nav_status | The navigational status that is manually set by the vessel crew | Under Way Using Engine |
nav_status_code | The navigational status code | 0 |
source | AIS data type (Terrestrial AIS, Satellite AIS, Vessel AIS) | T-AIS |
ts_pos_utc | Timestamp of the last position AIS message (UTC) | 20211123000040 |
ts_static_utc | Timestamp of the last static AIS message (UTC) | 20211122235234 |
dt_pos_utc | Date/time of the last position AIS message (UTC) | 2021/11/23 0:00:40 |
dt_static_utc | Date/time of the last static AIS message (UTC) | 2021/11/22 23:52:34 |
vessel_type_main | Main vessel type | Passenger Ship |
vessel_type_sub | Subcategory of vessel type | Passenger Ro Ro Cargo Ship |
message_type | AIS message type | 1 |
eeid | ExactEarth identifier | 5433869460680721844 |
dtg | Date-time group for the last position AIS message (UTC) | 2021/11/23 0:00:40 |
For more information, please refer to the Spire documentation.