"By understanding the nuances of AIS data and how it can be used to drive awareness, government and private entities gain a unique opportunity to mitigate potential pitfalls and build resilience to the ever-evolving maritime landscape."
The global maritime domain plays a pivotal role in global trade, transportation, and economic stability, but there are significant challenges that threaten the safety and operations within it. Illegal trade, piracy, IUU fishing, and environmental violations are all challenges that highlight the need for robust solutions to help monitor and manage maritime activity.
One of the most effective and applicable strategies for monitoring and managing the maritime domain is using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. AIS Data enables near-real-time vessel monitoring that can help drive actionable intelligence through a data-backed approach and can even be used to assess historical trends to make informed decisions today.
By understanding the nuances of AIS data and how it can be used to drive awareness, government and private entities gain a unique opportunity to mitigate potential pitfalls and build resilience to the ever-evolving maritime landscape.
Let’s start by taking a look at the basics below.
Understanding AIS Data
AIS technology has been around for quite some time but remains one of the most commonly used tools to help track vessels and monitor industry-specific operations. The vessel tracking data provided by AIS gives robust insights to maritime authorities, shipping companies, and governments - and is widely considered one of the most accurate and valuable tools for doing so.
What is AIS Tracking Data?
AIS tracking data offers historical and real-time information about vessels equipped with AIS transponders. While some vessels aren’t AIS-enabled or choose to operate without it, most are required by law to operate with the technology.
While AIS was first invented to enhance safety at sea by broadcasting navigational data between vessels, its applications have grown into a much more expansive setting. AIS tracking data includes information about a ship’s identity, position, heading, speed, and status, which allows for precise vessel monitoring that helps authorities keep tabs on maritime traffic and identify anomalies in operations.
How AIS Works
AIS works through a network of vessels equipped with AIS transponders, sending data to other vessels, ground stations, and satellites. While ships can utilize ground stations and send data to other vessels nearby, they also transmit data to satellites that are tasked to monitor AIS data.
When AIS data is sent from a ship to a satellite equipped with AIS sensors, that data is processed and relayed back to Earth. The data is sent to AIS ground stations and distributed to AIS data users, which can then be integrated into maritime systems for enhanced operational awareness and other real-time applications like traffic management and more.
For governments and organizations operating heavily in the maritime domain, these insights enhance safety, ensure cargo transport, and mitigate risks that might impact operations.
What Insight Does AIS Data Provide?
Now, how exactly is the AIS data used to gain insight into the maritime domain and industry-specific operations?
By gaining knowledge about things like vessel behavior, traffic & congestion patterns, and broad-scale maritime activity, authorities and private entities can detect vessel and operator trends, monitor trade compliance and regulations, and identify risks involving vessels operating without AIS - otherwise known as dark ships.
Dark shipping is among the most destructive tactics used by those with ill intentions and is commonly used by those involved in illegal fishing, sanctioned trade, and trafficking. It’s also a tactic used by militaries, seen extensively in the ongoing conflicts in and around Ukraine and Israel.
AIS data also provides insights that allow for precise routing and scheduling, port management, and avoiding problems in some of the world’s most pirated waters, like those in the Malacca Strait and Somalia.
What are the Disadvantages of AIS?
While it’s a highly valuable tool, AIS has some disadvantages that make it vulnerable to malicious intent.
As stated above, AIS is mostly accurate and remains valuable for the sake of the maritime domain. Still, human error can lead to inaccurate information. Typically, this stems from a bad setup, but it is avoidable by following the AIS system configuration guide provided to you.
Another issue with AIS is that it is vulnerable to AIS manipulation techniques like dark shipping and AIS spoofing.
Dark shipping simply describes a ship operating without its AIS, while AIS spoofing describes the intentional manipulation of a ship’s navigational or physical data. Both are used by those looking to avoid monitoring and detection and are applied in a variety of situations that threaten the maritime domain.
Further, AIS data interpretation can be challenging and requires a well-rounded understanding of AIS data and the common manipulation tactics used by bad actors.
AIS Tracking Data for Enhanced Maritime Security
AIS tracking data helps secure the maritime domain in a number of ways, providing organizations that use it the opportunity for data-backed decision-making.
Below are a few of the most impactful applications of AIS tracking data.
Real-Time Vessel Monitoring
AIS tracking data provides real-time insights for vessel monitoring, allowing authorities to keep a close eye on maritime traffic dynamics.
With up-to-date access to vessel positions, speed, headings, and more, vessel operators and maritime agencies can optimize everything from managing the flow of vessel traffic to ensuring compliance with trade regulations.
The insights provided are essential to maintaining robust situational awareness and expediting interventions when necessary.
Identification of Unauthorized and Illicit Vessel Activity
Tracking vessels operating with the purpose of conducting illicit activity can be challenging, but AIS data makes that challenge more manageable.
One of the best ways to use AIS data to identify illicit vessel activity is by assessing current and historical data for patterns and trends. If authorities already have suspicions about a certain vessel or fleet, it makes the job even easier.
Route diversions, gaps in AIS history, or unexpected navigational data points can all signal illicit vessel activity, and since a single ship can be monitored through AIS, identifying anomalies is much easier than without it.
This type of proactive monitoring helps task the appropriate resources to a location and swiftly stop or mitigate threats.
Search and Rescue
When it comes to search and rescue missions, AIS tracking data is a must. AIS data provides the information needed to assess an emergency situation, locate the vessel in question, and dispatch the appropriate response teams in a timely manner.
Rather than fumbling through rushed or distressed calls for help, authorities can pull the AIS data from the ship and make quick response decisions that could save lives and more.
Case Study: How AIS Data Was Used to Mitigate Illegal Fishing
In 2019, a South Korean-flagged fishing vessel, the Oyang 77, stopped transmitting its AIS signal in the fishing-rich waters off the coast of Argentina. Over the next couple of weeks, the vessel’s AIS transponder was turned on and off at least eight times, leaving gaps in its navigational data that raised concern about its exact whereabouts.
When the vessel’s AIS data began transmitting again without gaps, Argentinian authorities quickly snagged it because of the anomalies.
After finding information about the Oyang 77 and its operators, it became clear that the ship was known for illegal fishing, and its AIS historical data further corroborated this. The vessel was caught in all sorts of illicit activity, from illegally dumping catch in the ocean to underpaying its crew - a type of human trafficking that often goes overlooked.
The situation involving the Oyang 77 is a clear example of how AIS tracking data can be used to secure the maritime domain. For more information about this case specifically, you can read the full report here.
Leveraging Historical AIS Data for Present-Day Needs
Historical AIS data complements the real-time capabilities of these systems by providing deeper insights into the past operations of a specific vessel or fleet.
Why is this important?
By identifying trends in illicit activity or suspicious behavior, authorities can make better-informed decisions and strategize to mitigate recurrences rather than making an educated guess based on one event or situation.
How is Historic Data Collected and Stored?
Historic AIS data is collected through a combination of satellites and AIS ground stations that capture vessel transmissions over time. Once received, the AIS data is stored in a centralized database, where it is cataloged and maintained for future analysis.
Different providers may have different historical AIS databases, but not all AIS data providers are created equal.
Spire Global, for example, has one of the most robust catalogs of historical AIS data, which is offered to its clients in a variety of ways. Users can request AIS data from a specific period or gain access to a much deeper catalog, both of which can be highly valuable to end users with particular needs.
The good news is that cataloged historical data is readily accessible to those who need it, facilitating deeper investigations into vessel history at the drop of a hat.
Use Cases for Historic AIS Data
Historical AIS data has many uses, including trend analysis, compliance checks, and incident research. Regardless of the application, this data proves useful for enhanced decision-making and strategic planning in maritime operations.
Identifying Patterns and Trends
One of the most common uses of historical AIS data is analyzing trends and patterns in vessel behavior. The data provides insights into how specific routes or operations change over time, which can help indicate operators who consistently raise suspicions.
By recognizing when these scenarios occur, authorities can anticipate future situations that might raise flags and respond accordingly.
Suspicious Behavior and Anomaly Detection
Another common use for historical AIS data is to compare standard operating procedures against a vessel’s AIS transmissions. When irregularities occur, especially on a common basis, it becomes easier to identify and prevent things like illegal fishing, drug trafficking, or sanctioned trade, to name a few.
Looking for the Most Trusted AIS Data Providers?
We know how important it is to work with the most trusted industry figures, so we took the time to curate a list of the top AIS data providers for enhanced maritime domain awareness. While the list in this resource is anything but exhaustive, it will give you a headstart in pinpointing the right partner for you and your needs.
To read the full article and gain a deeper insight into potential AIS data partners, follow this link HERE.