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The automatic identification system (AIS) is an automatic tracking system that uses transponders on ships to locate them. There are also databases which provide information about the ship - size/type/owner/registration, etc
Does anyone know of a free API to access any of this data? I need rel-time data, and would prefer it for the river Thames or English Channel; failing that Singapore, Hong Kong or any major European (preferably German) river or port.
AIS data for the USA is available from https://marinecadastre.gov/ais/.
I don't know about an API, but the site offers a variety of Arc Python-based tools that may lead you to a solution.
The data available below contain records for U.S. coastal waters for calendar years 2009 through 2017. Records are filtered to one minute" BUT "Ship name and call sign fields have been removed, and the MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) field has been encrypted for the 2010 through 2014 data" Still very useful, though
– Mawg says reinstate Monica
Jun 2 '19 at 11:19
I cannot find anything free. if you want it enough, then you can join AIS hub, BUT they require that you provide a feed before you can share the feeds of all other members.
The cheapest AIS receiver that I can find costs about $60, plus antenna.
If it's worth it, only you can decide.
