BigOceanData has upgraded the terrestrial component of its vessel tracking feed, doubling the number of vessels visible in some coastal waters and reducing the time between position updates.
The company compared its previous and upgraded feeds over the same 72-hour period across an identical Asia-Pacific geographic area, recording 137,075 unique vessels with the upgraded feed compared with 55,171 previously.
The comparison identified 89,569 vessels that were not visible on the previous feed, while position reports in the 60-120 nautical mile band offshore increased 6.6 times. Median position age fell by 43%, from 9.5 hours to 5.4 hours.
BigOceanData said the largest increases were among vessel types operating closer to shore, with fishing vessel position reports increasing 5.2 times and cargo vessel reports rising 4.8 times.
The upgraded terrestrial coverage is intended to reduce gaps between inshore waters and areas where satellite AIS becomes the primary source, affecting the monitoring of port approaches, coastal transits and regional fleets.
“Customers want one map, not separate terrestrial and satellite AIS feeds, and our job is making sure the right vessel is on it. We combine terrestrial and satellite AIS to create that picture,” said Wail Sabbagh, Commercial Director, BigOceanData.
The company combines multiple terrestrial and satellite AIS sources into a single feed and can also integrate position reports from Inmarsat-C, Iridium and FleetBroadband for customers requiring continuous visibility of specific vessels.
