AIS data : real-time operation support, incident investigations, and waterway use analysis

Abstract

This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) presents examples of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data and capabilities used to support real-time operations, assist in incident investigations, and contribute to waterways usage analysis projects for a variety of infrastructure management needs across the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). These case study presentations serve as examples for those who are new to AIS technology or navigation infrastructure operations. INTRODUCTION: The development of AIS technology for ocean-going vessels was active in the 1990s, but implementation became more widespread after the year 2001. By 2016, carriage requirements had expanded to include most commercial self-propelled vessels on US navigable waters including any vessel over 65 ft 1 in length, towing vessels over 26 ft in length with a greater than 600 hp engine, vessels certified to carry 150 or more passengers, dredges in or near a commercial channel, and vessels moving certain dangerous cargo (USCG 2018; US Code of Regulations 2019). In addition, many private recreational vessels have also chosen to carry AIS transceivers to improve on-water awareness. Beyond the improved situational awareness for mariners that real-time AIS provides, historical AIS records have proven useful to a variety of maritime stakeholders, including infrastructure operators (Mitchell and Scully 2014; Scully and Mitchell 2015). AIS vessel position data can be purchased through commercial vendors or received from the US Coast Guard (USCG) Nationwide AIS (NAIS) archive. Two software programs developed by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have access to AIS data feeds and make AIS data available to USACE personnel. These programs are the Lock Operations Management Application (LOMA) (USACE-ERDC 2017) and the AIS Analysis Package (AISAP) (USACE-ERDC 2018), both described in the next section. Further information about AIS technical standards and history can be found online through international associations involved in setting technical standards (IALA 2008; IEC 2001; ITU-R 2014; PIANC 2019). This CHETN will describe how AIS data have been applied across the USACE in the areas of real-time waterway operations, incident investigations, and waterway use analysis. METHODS Lock Operations Management Application (LOMA). LOMA is a web-based tool designed primarily for real-time operational use by infrastructure operators, primarily at navigation locks. LOMA presents AIS data in a graphic user interface in conjunction with electronic charts, aerial imagery, and other information.

Resilience-Focused Analysis of the United States Maritime Transportation System Using Automatic Identification System Data

“…AIS is a tool originally developed as an aid to maritime domain awareness and vessel collision avoidance. It has matured sufficiently that the archive of vessel-generated data can be interrogated for a variety of maritime interests and waterway maintenance concerns (31,33,(55)(56)(57)(58). The information available from AIS includes dynamic time-stamped vessel operating conditions, such as a vessel's current position, course, heading, and speed-over-ground.…”

AIS data case study : evaluating reception of AIS position reports on the Missouri River by LOMA AIS sites in April and August 2020

“…The availability of historical vessel position reports from the US Coast Guard (USCG) Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS) archive (USCG 2018) has dramatically improved the ability to examine how commercial vessels use navigable waterways (DiJoseph et al 2019;Mitchell and Scully 2014;Scully and Mitchell 2015) to inform freight demand models (Asborno et al 2020) and has provided waterway managers with a valuable tool for understanding their local navigation traffic (Kress et al 2020;Mitchell et al 2020;Tabbert et al 2020). Since 2016, AIS carriage requirements include most commercial self-propelled vessels on US navigable waterways including any vessel over 65 ft 1 in length, towing vessels over 26 ft in length with a greater than 600 hp engine, vessels certified to carry 150 or more passengers, dredges in or near a commercial channel, and vessels moving certain dangerous cargo (USCG 2018; US Code of Regulations 2019).…”

AIS data case Study : identifying AIS coverage gaps on the Ohio River in CY2018

“…The ability to access historical vessel position reports through the USCG Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS) archive (USCG 2018) has expanded the tools available for commercial vessel waterway utilization studies (DiJoseph et al 2019;Mitchell and Scully 2014;Scully and Mitchell 2015) and provided waterways managers with a valuable tool for understanding local navigation traffic and related dredging needs (Kress et al 2020;Mitchell et al 2020;Tabbert et al 2020). AIS is also used for transmitting real-time electronic aids to navigation for navigational safety and security.…”