If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you might see a theme: I’ve bought an AIS receiver to pick up ships broadcasts and have been playing with what I can do with the data. Now I’ve got thinking about how that data is transmitted. AIS receivers make the data available in a standard format via IP or serial connection, and various AIS collection services have leveraged that by providing publicly accessible IPs you can configure directly on your AIS device to sent the traffic their way. ...

Following on from my article about setting up an AIS receiver,, I’ve been comparing the benefits of different services you can send your data to and what you get in exchange. Each of these websites lets you forward your AIS data to them, in exchange for some kind of premium access, whether it’s to features on their website or API. There’s so many that I’ve decided to write them down to compare the benefits. If you only want to send to one or a few, this might help you decide which ones to choose. ...

Intro First off, what is AIS? The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires certain vessels to be fitted with AIS, the “Automatic Identification System”. AIS allows ships to report details about the ship along with position, heading, speed and some other navigational properties. The data is transmitted and received over VHF, and ships can use it as an aid to avoid collisions. Quoting from the International Maritime Organisation: ...