Enhanced Satellite AIS sets the new industry standard for AIS ship tracking

Enhanced Satellite AIS Delivers No Gaps to Become the New Standard in AIS Data

Spire Maritime launched Enhanced Satellite AIS to address the growing problem of gaps in AIS data. Gaps in data directly impact ship safety, trading, revenue, and insurance claims. Enhanced Satellite AIS solves the growing data gap problem and delivers more unique MMSIs (up to ten thousand per day) with near-real-time latency, and up to six million additional AIS messages per day.

Enhanced Satellite AIS is a groundbreaking innovation from Spire Maritime that allows you to benefit from thousands of satellite-enabled AIS receivers traveling throughout the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

How It Works

Spire Maritime combines three types of AIS collection (Terrestrial, Satellite, and Enhanced Satellite AIS) into one service. In a sample taken over a 24-hour period, we delivered 56% more messages and 25% additional unique MMSIs in the South China Sea. Maritime intelligence and data analytics customers found the results groundbreaking.

Our more than 1,500 satellite-enabled AIS receivers track vessels and the traffic within 60 nautical miles and send this data to communication satellites. This process occurs at least every 15 minutes. Look for Spire to grow its satellite-enabled AIS receivers to nearly 2,000 by the end of 2020.

The true value comes when layering S-AIS, T-AIS, and Enhanced Satellite AIS and delivering it through one service. This means you benefit from unprecedented volumes of MMSI in high traffic zones (HTZs) through a simple API integration or a raw data feed.

Beta Test Results

In beta test results, Spire Maritime reported overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers. A key player in maritime intelligence and analytics said: “This finally solves the AIS gap problems after over a decade of struggle.”

Enhanced Satellite AIS delivered a 17% average increase in global position updates which helped ship operators gain a competitive advantage in terms of fuel efficiency and route allocation.

Other Data Gap Solutions Are Years Away

VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) is an exciting upcoming solution to the overloading of the AIS, but this advancement is still several years away. Maritime industry leaders continue to look for solutions to AIS data gaps that can be implemented now and are re-examining the way data is transmitted in high traffic zones (HTZs).

With more than 200,000 AIS users communicating across just two channels, the combined network of terrestrial and satellite equipment tracks ships throughout most of the ocean; developed on top of the 20-year-old AIS standard, it allows receivers to pull out a signal from anywhere on the planet. However, there are still some issues with receiving these signals on many overcrowded trade routes.

With the number of ships transmitting outside of the range of terrestrial collection increasing again this year, satellite collections are dealing with heightened message collision issues. Additionally, firms focused on ship tracking in the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and seas bordering China, Singapore, and more will spend millions of dollars investigating causes of AIS data gaps and lose cargo revenue due to unreliable forecasting. With new technology to help manage this problem still years away, Maritime executives require a solution now.