Google AIS Map will track every ship in the world

[MtnBiker2005]

[Interesting....]

Google Map function that tracks every ship in the world through their Automatic Identification System transponders.

Google paid several million dollars for the satellite technology to pinpoint ships' locations. "These things cost three million dollars for the whole program,"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...g-US-Navy.html
http://defense.aol.com/2012/05/17/go...cluding-us-na/
http://www.afcea.org/signal/signalsc...2/05/17/17637/

[mmckenna]

Interesting, but poorly written.

AIS traditionally uses VHF. It would be helpful to know if they are tracking the vessels via the VHF AIS system from satellites or from shore based systems. If it is via the VHF, I'm curious how successful that will be as the ship board antennas are designed to radiate towards the horizon, not up to a satellite. Makes me think there is a different way.

As was stated, you can simply turn off the AIS transmitter. They are neat tools and make life much easier and safer, but we survived before they came along. Anyone who doesn't want to be tracked can just turn the box on their ship off, be it a US Navy vessel, or a drug smuggler. Also, I doubt that anyone doing anything illegal is going to be using AIS, especially if they want to hide.

Makes me wonder if they have a different way of doing this. If they are using something other than traditional AIS, it would all depend on how many ships have this capability. Inmarsat could likely do it, but not every vessel has an Inmarsat system.

A lot of missing info in the articles. Also, combining the sea floor mapping with the AIS info just made it confusing.

[MtnBiker2005]

Just waiting to hear more information from Google...
It's being received by Satellite(s) from the AIS VHF transmitter from ships.


The USCG has been studying the feasibility of receiving maritime automatic identification system signals from space since 2001.
Studies done in the past from Receiving AIS using Satellites reports from USCG & gcaptain.com , COM DEV from exactearth.com , AIS From Space .

Others:

May 1, 2012 - exactEarth and VesselTracker (Global Satellite AIS) Strike Up Agreement
http://www.exactearth.com/news/2012-05-01/

ORBCOMM.com - Satellite-based AIS data service
ORBCOMM was the first commercial satellite network with AIS Data Service.
In 2008, ORBCOMM launched low-earth orbit satellites specially equipped with the capability to collect AIS data, and has plans to include these capabilities on all future satellites for ongoing support of global maritime safety and security initiatives.
ORBCOMM has recently launched two dedicated AIS microsatellites, one in an equatorial orbit and the other in a polar orbit, which allows ORBCOMM to provide complete global AIS coverage. ORBCOMM will be launching 18 additional AIS-equipped next generation satellites beginning in the middle of 2012.
http://www.orbcomm.com/services-ais.htm

Hoping this will make tracking cruise ships a lot easier out in the open ocean

[ipfd320]

ais system gets turned off and there you go....no 1 knows where you are....just what the other side needs...to see where we are....thats a great idea (not in my book)

[DaveNF2G]

Is this related to the "Marine Vessel Tracker" add-on to Google Earth?

[MtnBiker2005]

"Marine Vessel Tracker" is powered by MarineTraffic.com. MarineTraffic doesn't use a satellite data source. Mostly from land based receivers & some from ships uploading to marinetraffic.com.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/ge.aspx
http://www.gelib.com/marine-vessel-tracking.htm

From the main story about Google. They will provide satellite received AIS data onto Google Earth & Map. Mostly from area that isn't covered on MarineTraffic.com plus the coastal area like you see on MarineTraffic. It will help AIS coverage like in Alaska area or some of those 3rd countries with lack of AIS coverage. It also could be Realtime or Delayed by few hours. Possibly FREE to Google users

It should mostly be the same type of display like on Vesseltrack.com Satellite AIS (they charge $ 3300 per year!).
you can also watch the demo video about satellite AIS on exactearth.com


Sounds like Google will make big changes in the AIS area

[mmckenna]

Interesting, thanks for posting those articles. I didn't think there would be enough signal up that high to be useful, but I guess there is. Should be interesting to see it.

[kp12]

I have the feeling that Google will use Orbcomm satellites...

[vagrant]

That will be interesting for public access to the ships. Well, some ships. Some of the time.

There's also this site that gathers it's data from a shared network of receivers.
Ship Finder | Live Marine Traffic | AIS Ship Tracker and Tracking

[MtnBiker2005]

Navy dismisses Google's alarm over ship-tracking - May 26, 2012

"There's not too many days and weeks left until this could be live on Google Earth for a billion people,"

http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/navy...r-shiptracking

[ecps92]

70% of the Military that visit Boston Harbor never turn the AIS on.

Gonna be hard for Google to handle that. Also in the past I have heard the USCG mention Secure AIS with their craft

Originally Posted by ipfd320

ais system gets turned off and there you go....no 1 knows where you are....just what the other side needs...to see where we are....thats a great idea (not in my book)

[archduke]

"70% of the Military that visit Boston Harbor never turn the AIS on."

Here in the Chesapeake Bay, I would say it's more like 95% Navy etc keeps it off unless it serves them to turn it on. Once I did notice a warship at anchor in a fairway, not an anchorage, turned their AIS on briefly.

Another time one of those new high speed littoral combat ships steamed by Annapolis with it turned on but they had SPOOFED their GPS coordinates to show them about 20 miles off shore of San Diego, CA. So IMO I don't expect to ever see anything that THEY don't want me to see on my AIS screen.

[WZ1]

Google = CIA/Spooks

[luv2cruiserccl]

Very interesting look forward to hear more.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9630 using Tapatalk

[AIS_GOD]

USCG and DOD use blueforce tracking, a method of AIS encryption. If you have enough stations in an area you can sort of gt idea of fleet postion by comparing # of blue force messages with average range of station and overlapping range

[BCFlash]

In the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii area I've never seen the Navy or Coast Guard ships appear on regular AIS. I suppose they turn it on if necessary.

[Darth_vader]

"Google = CIA/spooks."

+1.