Getting started with Historical Geospatial Web Services – Historical Vessel Tracks (HVT) and Points (HVP)

Resource type:

Tutorial

Categories:

Maritime

Jump straight to

Introduction to Geospatial Web Services
Accessing Web Services
HVT data set content & schema
HVP data set content & schema
OGC Support
User Authentication Support
HVT example
HVP example
Web Services filtering
Further customization
Data definition guide

Written by
Spire Global

Start using Spire Maritime’s Historical Vessel Tracks and Points web services with this guide

Spire Maritime’s Geospatial Web Services™ (GWS) provide Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS) which allow on-demand access to Spire AIS data (Data-as-a-Service, DaaS) to retrieve vessel position, static, voyage, and historical track and position information.

The WMS services generated from Spire AIS data allow users to get requested images of Spire AIS data in a variety of formats including PNG, JPEG, KML, etc.
The WFS services generated from Spire AIS allow users to get features (data) in a variety of standard formats including CSV, GML, GeoJSON, and Shapefile.

An Identifier (eEID) has been generated for each unique vessel based on reported characteristics to help improve the detection of erroneous messages and track a vessel’s entire Voyage of Life (VoL).

Accessing Web Services

GWS uses HTTPS and user authentication via user token or user name and password to access information and is available at https://services.exactearth.com/gws.

Service type	URL
WMS	https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wms?service=wms&version=1.3.0&request=GetCapabilities
WFS	https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=wfs&version=1.1.0&request=GetCapabilities

The HVT and HVP data sets

Data sets returned by GWS in response to requests made by end users contain fields in a specific sequential order. The order in which those fields are returned is documented in the Data Schema tables listed in this section. Data ingest methods that depend on field order, specifically commas separated values (.csv) format, need to take this into account.

Historical Vessel Tracks (HVT) data set content

Abstract: Historical Vessel Tracks by MMSI or unique identifier (eEID). HVT is defined by a set of segments (LineStrings/MultiLineStrings) by vessel/ship in the time period specified within the exactAIS Archive starting July 2011. HVT implements land avoidance and de-densification or decimation to simplify the vessel tracks. Further, HVT handles any anti-meridian crossings by constructing a MultiLineString at the intersection of the anti-meridian. A segment is defined by two consecutive vessel positions where the segment inherits the latest vessel position, static, and voyage information from the most recent of the two consecutive vessel positions.
Data Sources: Satellite-AIS (S-AIS) or Satellites and Terrestrial-AIS (S/T-AIS)
Geographic Area of Interest: Global
Vessel Types: Class A and B
Geographic Data: LineString/MultiLineString (WGS84)
Vessel Identification Data Fields: mmsi, imo, vessel_name, callsign, vessel_type, vessel_type_code, vessel_type_cargo, flag_country, flag_code, vessel_class, vessel_type_main, vessel_type_sub, eeid
Vessel Positional Data Fields: ts_pos_utc, dt_pos_utc, segment (LineString/MultiLineString – WGS84), from_longitude, from_latitude, longitude, latitude, sog, cog, rot, heading, nav_status, nav_status_code, source, message_type, dtg
Vessel Static/Voyage Information Data Fields: ts_static_utc, dt_static_utc, length, width, destination, eta, draught
Geometry: LineString/MultiLineString (WGS84)

HVT data set schema

[0] id     #Json
    fid    #CSV, GML 2
    gml:id #GML 3 & 3.2 Xml Attribute
[1] mmsi
[2] imo
[3] vessel_name
[4] callsign
[5] vessel_type
[6] vessel_type_code
[7] vessel_type_cargo
[8] vessel_class
[9] length
[10] width
[11] flag_country
[12] flag_code
[13] destination
[14] eta
[15] draught
[16] segment
[17] from_longitude
[18] from_latitude
[19] longitude
[20] latitude
[21] sog
[22] cog
[23] rot
[24] heading
[25] nav_status
[26] nav_status_code
[27] source
[28] ts_pos_utc
[29] ts_static_utc
[30] dt_pos_utc
[31] dt_static_utc
[32] vessel_type_main
[33] vessel_type_sub
[34] message_type
[35] eeid
[36] dtg

Historical Vessel Points (HVP) data set content

Abstract: Historical Vessel Positions by MMSI or unique identifier (eEID). HVP is defined by a set of all position reports (Points) by vessel/ship in the time period specified from the exactAIS Archive starting July 2011. A point inherits the latest vessel position, static, and voyage information at that time.
Data Sources: Satellite-AIS (S-AIS) or Satellites and Terrestrial-AIS (S/T-AIS)
Geographic Area of Interest: Global
Vessel Types: Class A and B
Geographic Data: Point (WGS84)
Vessel Identification Data Fields: mmsi, imo, vessel_name, callsign, vessel_type, vessel_type_code, vessel_type_cargo, flag_country, flag_code, vessel_class, vessel_type_main, vessel_type_sub, eeid
Vessel Positional Data Fields: ts_pos_utc, dt_pos_utc, position (Point – WGS84), longitude, latitude, sog, cog, rot, heading, nav_status, nav_status_code, source, message_type, dtg
Vessel Static/Voyage Information Data Fields: ts_static_utc, dt_static_utc, length, width, destination, eta, draught
Geometry: Point (WGS84)

HVT data set schema

[0] id     #Json
    fid    #CSV, GML 2
    gml:id #GML 3 & 3.2 Xml Attribute
[1] mmsi
[2] imo
[3] vessel_name
[4] callsign
[5] vessel_type
[6] vessel_type_code
[7] vessel_type_cargo
[8] vessel_class
[9] length
[10] width
[11] flag_country
[12] flag_code
[13] destination
[14] eta
[15] draught
[16] position
[17] longitude
[18] latitude
[19] sog
[20] cog
[21] rot
[22] heading
[23] nav_status
[24] nav_status_code
[25] source
[26] ts_pos_utc
[27] ts_static_utc
[28] dt_pos_utc
[29] dt_static_utc
[30] vessel_type_main
[31] vessel_type_sub
[32] message_type
[33] eeid
[34] dtg

OGC Support

GWS supports all OGC WMS operations from implementation WMS 1.1.1 and WMS 1.3.0 and all OGC WFS operations from implementations WFS 1.0.0 and WFS 1.1.0, excluding Transaction.

Service Type	Service Modes	Versions	Common Parameters	Output Formats	Output File Sizes	Response Times
WMS	`GetMap`, `GetCapabilities`, `GetFeatureInfo`, and `GetLegendGraphic`	1.1.1 and 1.3.0	`SERVICE`, `VERSION`, `REQUEST`, `LAYERS`, `STYLES`, `BBOX`, `WIDTH`, `HEIGHT`, `SRS`, `FORMAT`, and `FILTER`	PNG, JPEG, GIF, and KML/KMZ	Dynamic <1MB	< 3s
WFS	`GetCapabilities`, `GetFeature`, and `DescribeFeatureType`	1.0.0 and 1.1.0	`SERVICE`, `VERSION`, `REQUEST`, `TYPENAME`, `MAXFEATURES`, `OUTPUTFORMAT`, and `FILTER`	CSV, GML (2, 3.1, 3.2), GeoJSON, and Shapefile	Approx. 1 KB / Record	< 1.5s / 50 Records

User Authentication Support

GWS allows users to authenticate access to the services using either a token or basic authentication. Spire provides both a unique token and user name and password for each user. The [authKey] query string parameter of a WMS/WFS request provides the interface to enter a token to access the services using the following notation, “authKey=[TOKEN]”.

For basic authentication, users are required to enter user name and password credentials to access the services, for example, a web browser, OGC-compliant client, or application-level requestor.

HVT example

A sample WFS request, GetFeature, for historical vessel tracks for a specific vessel (MMSI: 372934000 / eEID: 4875242366182262128) in the last 15 days is included below.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVT&filter=<Filter><And><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>mmsi</PropertyName><Literal>372934000</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>duration</PropertyName><Literal>15</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo></And></Filter>

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVT&filter=<Filter><And><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>eeid</PropertyName><Literal>4875242366182262128</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>duration</PropertyName><Literal>15</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo></And></Filter>

<gml:featureMembers>
 <exactAIS:HVT gml:id="f46687ba-a2c3-4171-be39-7ealOde451f1">
  <exactAIS:mmsi>372934000</exactAIS:mmsi>
  <exactAIS:imo>9335173</exactAIS:imo>
  <exactAIS:vessel_name>COSCO BOSTON</exactAIS:vessel_name> 
  <exactAIS:callsign>3ELF2</exactAIS:callsign> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type>Cargo</exactAIS:vessel_type> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_code>71</exactAIS:vessel_type_code>
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_cargo>
   Carrying DG,HS or MP,IMO hazard or Pollutant Category X 
  </exactAIS:vessel_type_cargo>
  <exactAIS:vessel_class>A</exactAIS:vessel_class> 
  <exactAIS:length>293</exactAIS:length>
  <exactAIS:width>32</exactAIS:width> 
  <exactAIS:flag_country>Panama</exactAIS:flag_country> 
  <exactAIS:flag_code>372</exactAIS:flag_code> 
  <exactAIS:destination>NINGB0</exactAIS:destination> 
  <exactAIS:eta>05081830</exactAIS:eta>
  <exactAIS:draught>9.7</exactAIS:draught>
  <exactAIS:segment>
   <gml:MultiLineString srsName="urn:x-ogc:def:crs:EPSG:4326" srsDimension="2"><gml:lineStringMember>
    <gml:lineStringMember>
     <gml:LineString>
      <gml:posList>29.93528333 121.87095 29.93528333 121.871</gml:posList>
     </gml:LineString>
    </gml:lineStringMember>
   </gml:MultiLineString>
  </exactAIS:segment> 
  <exactAIS:from_longitude>121.87095</exactAIS:from_longitude> 
  <exactAIS:from_latitude>29.935283333333334</exactAIS:from_latitude> 
  <exactAIS:longitude>121.871</exactAIS:longitude> 
  <exactAIS:latitude>29.935283333333334</exactAIS:latitude>
  <exactAIS:sog>0.0</exactAIS:sog>
  <exactAIS:cog>97.0</exactAIS:cog>
  <exactAIS:rot>0.0</exactAIS:rot>
  <exactAIS:heading>291.0</exactAIS:heading> 
  <exactAIS:nav_statusMoored</exactAIS:nav_status> 
  <exactAIS:nav_status_code>5</exactAIS:nav_status_code> 
  <exactAIS:source>T-AIS</exactAIS:source> 
  <exactAIS:ts_pos_utc>20190508223109</exactAIS:ts_pos_utc> 
  <exactAIS:ts_static_utc>20190508221407</exactAIS:ts_static_utc> 
  <exactAIS:dt_pos_utc>2019-05-08 22:31:09</exactAIS:dt_pos_utc>
  <exactAIS:dt_static_utc>2019-05-08 22:14:07</exactAIS:dt_static_utc> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_main>Container Ship</exactAIS:vessel_type_main> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_sub/>
  <exactAIS:message_type>3</exactAIS:message_type> 
  <exactAIS:eeid>4875242366182262128</exactAIS:eeid> 
  <exactAIS:dtg>2019-05-08T22:31:09Z</exactAIS:dtg>
 </exactAIS:HVT>
</gml:featureMembers>

HVP example

A sample WFS request, GetFeature, for historical vessel points for a specific vessel (MMSI: 372934000 / eEID: 4875242366182262128) in the last 15 days is included below.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVP&filter=<Filter><And><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>mmsi</PropertyName><Literal>372934000</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>duration</PropertyName><Literal>15</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo></And></Filter>

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVP&filter=<Filter><And><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>eeid</PropertyName><Literal>4875242366182262128</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>duration</PropertyName><Literal>15</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo></And></Filter>

<gml:featureMembers>
 <exactAIS:HVP gml:id="Bc9a05db-Blbb-4002-b6cc-d22a48deead0">
  <exactAIS:mmsi>372934000</exactAIS:mmsi>
  <exactAIS:imo>9335173</exactAIS:imo>
  <exactAIS:vessel_name>COSCO BOSTON</exactAIS:vessel_name> 
  <exactAIS:callsign>3ELF2</exactAIS:callsign> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type>Cargo</exactAIS:vessel_type> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_code>71</exactAIS:vessel_type_code> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_cargo>
   Carrying DG,HS or MP,IMO hazard or Pollutant Category X
  </exactAIS:vessel_type_cargo>
  <exactAIS:vessel_class>A</exactAIS:vessel_class> 
  <exactAIS:length>293</exactAIS:length>
  <exactAIS:width>32</exactAIS:width> 
  <exactAIS:flag_country>Panama</exactAIS:flag_country> 
  <exactAIS:flag_code>372</exactAIS:flag_code>
  <exactAIS:destination>NINGB0</exactAIS:destination> 
  <exactAIS:eta>05081830</exactAIS:eta> 
  <exactAIS:draught>9.7</exactAIS:draught>
  <exactAIS:position>
   <gml:Point srsName="urn:x-ogc:def:crs:EPSG:4326" srsDimension="2">
    <gml:pos>29.93525 121.87095</gml:pos>
   </gml:Point>
  </exactAIS:position> 
  <exactAIS:longitude>121.87095</exactAIS:longitude> 
  <exactAIS:latitude>29.93525</exactAIS:latitude> 
  <exactAIS:sog>0.0</exactAIS:sog>
  <exactAIS:cog>97.0</exactAIS:cog>
  <exactAIS:rot>0.0</exactAIS:rot> 
  <exactAIS:heading>291.0</exactAIS:heading> 
  <exactAIS:nav_status>Moored</exactAIS:nav_status> 
  <exactAIS:nav_status_code>5</exactAIS:nav_status_code> 
  <exactAIS:source>T-AIS</exactAIS:source> 
  <exactAIS:ts_pos_utc>20190508224310</exactAIS:ts_pos_utc>
  <exactAIS:ts_static_utc>20190508221407</exactAIS:ts_static_utc> 
  <exactAIS:dt_pos_utc>2019-05-08 22:43:10</exactAIS:dt_pos_utc> 
  <exactAIS:dt_static_utc>2019-05-98 22:14:07</exactAIS:dt_static_utc> 
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_main>Container Ship</exactAIS:vessel_type_main>
  <exactAIS:vessel_type_sub/>
  <exactAIS:message_type>3</exactAIS:message_type> 
  <exactAIS:eeid>4875242366182262128</exactAIS:eeid> 
  <exactAIS:dtg>2019-05-08T22:43:102</exactAIS:dtg>
 </exactAIS:HVP>
</gml:featureMembers>

Web Services filtering

OGC Filtering

GWS supports OGC Filtering to allow for dynamic/ad-hoc customization of data responses based on geography, time, and AIS message attributes. The below table provides a set of examples using OGC XML-based Filtering.

Filter Example	Filter example syntax
Equal To (MMSI: AIS Message Attribute)	&filter=<Filter><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>mmsi</PropertyName><Literal>372934000</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo></Filter>
Between (SOG: AIS Message Attribute)	&filter=<Filter><PropertyIsBetween><PropertyName>sog</PropertyName><LowerBoundary><Literal>10</Literal></LowerBoundary><UpperBoundary><Literal>20</Literal></UpperBoundary></PropertyIsBetween></Filter>
Geography	&filter=<Filter xmlns:gml=”http://www.opengis.net/gml”><Intersects><PropertyName>position</PropertyName><gml:Polygon srsName=”EPSG:4326″><gml:exterior><gml:LinearRing><gml:posList>-120 -8 -120 30 55 30 55 -8 -120 -8</gml:posList></gml:LinearRing></gml:exterior></gml:Polygon></Intersects></Filter>
Latest Insert Update (Fetch Delta Updates)	&filter=<Filter><PropertyIsGreaterThanOrEqualTo><PropertyName>ts_insert_utc</PropertyName><Literal>20130724134900</Literal></PropertyIsGreaterThanOrEqualTo></Filter>

HVT WFS Filtering example

A GML 3.2 output for historical vessel tracks for a specific vessel (eEID: 4875242366182262128) and time span (anytime in the last 90 days; start and end timestamps defined as YYYYMMDDHHmmss).

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typenames=exactAIS:HVT&maxFeatures=10&outputformat=gml32&filter=<Filter><And><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>eeid</PropertyName><Literal>4875242366182262128</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>start</PropertyName><Literal>20150903113000</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyIsEqualTo><PropertyName>end</PropertyName><Literal>20151020183530</Literal></PropertyIsEqualTo></And></Filter>

CQL Filtering

Extended Common Query Language (ECQL) is a query language supported by GWS and offers familiar text-based syntax with strong similarities to SQL for filtering. For more information, please refer to https://docs.geoserver.org/stable/en/user/filter/ecql_reference.html#filter-ecql-reference.

The below table provides a set of examples using ECQL:

Filter Example	Filter example syntax
Equal To (MMSI: AIS Message Attribute)	&cql_filter=mmsi=372934000
Between (SOG: AIS Message Attribute)	&cql_filter=sog BETWEEN 10 AND 2
Geography	&cql_filter=INTERSECTS(position, POLYGON((-120 -8, -120 30, 55 30, 55 -8, -120 -8)))
Latest Insert Update (Fetch Delta Updates)	&cql_filter=ts_insert_utc>=20130724134900

HVT CQL filter example

A sample WFS request, GetFeature, for historical vessel tracks for a specific vessel (MMSI: 372934000 / eEID: 4875242366182262128) in the last 15 days is included below.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVT&cql_filter=mmsi=372934000 AND duration=2

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVT&cql_filter=eeid=’4875242366182262128′ AND duration=2

HVP CQL filter example

A sample WFS request, GetFeature, for historical vessel positions for a specific vessel (MMSI: 372934000 / eEID: 4875242366182262128) in the last 15 days is included below.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVT&cql_filter=mmsi=372934000 AND duration=2

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVT&cql_filter=eeid=’4875242366182262128′ AND duration=2

Spatiotemporal filtering

GWS 3.0 introduced the concept of spatiotemporal filtering based on a specific time range and area of interest. Per request, the maximum area cannot exceed 50,000 KM2 and temporal duration cannot be longer than any 24-hour period.

HVT spatiotemporal filtering example

A sample WFS request, GetFeature, for historical vessel tracks for a specific time range (2020-03-01T22:00:00Z and 2020-03-02T01:00:00Z) and area of interest (San Francisco Bay Area) in JSON format.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVT&maxFeatures=5&outputFormat=json&cql_filter=start=20200301220000 AND end=20200302010000 AND BBOX(segment,-122.6,37.7,-122.4,37.9)

HVP spatiotemporal filtering example

A sample WFS request, GetFeature, for historical vessel positions for a specific time range (2020-03-01T22:00:00Z and 2020-03-02T01:00:00Z) and area of interest (San Francisco Bay Area) in JSON format.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:HVP&maxFeatures=5&outputFormat=json&cql_filter=start=20200301220000 AND end=20200302010000 AND BBOX(position,-122.6,37.7,-122.4,37.9)

Further customization

Layer style and Symbolization support

GWS allows users to request styles (symbolization) to be applied to Web Map Service (WMS) GetMap (image) responses. exactEarth provides a variety of styles that can be used to customize the look and feel of rendered maps. The [styles] query string parameter of a WMS request provides the interface to enter a style to define the symbology to apply to the map output, “styles=[STYLE]”.

Historical Vessel Positions

Vessel (Default): Vessel symbol, single color, rotation by [cog]
VesselByType: Vessel symbol, color by [vessel_type], rotation by [cog]
VesselBySpeed: Vessel symbol, single color, rotation by [cog], leader line symbol by [sog]
VesselBySpeedGrouped: Vessel symbol, color by [sog], rotation by [cog]
VesselByTypeSpeed: Vessel symbol, color by [vessel_type_code], rotation by [cog], leader line symbol by [sog]
VesselSpeedVector: Leader line symbol by [sog], rotation by [cog]
VesselBySource: Vessel symbol, color by [source], rotation by [cog]
VesselByClass: Vessel symbol, color by [class], rotation by [cog]
VesselLabel: Vessel symbol, single color, rotation by [cog], label by [vessel_name]
VesselLabelOverlay: Label by [vessel_name]
VesselLabelDateTime: Circle point symbol, single color, label by [ts_pos_utc]
VesselLabelDateTimeOverlay: Label by [ts_pos_utc]

Historical Vessel Tracks

Track (default): Location symbol, single color, label by [ts_pos_utc]
TrackBySpeed: Location symbol, color by [sog], label by [ts_pos_utc]

Legend support

GWS allows users to generate legends based on supported styles (symbolization). The [request] query string parameter, GetLegendGraphic, of a WMS request provides the interface to generate legends. The [scale], [style], and [layer] query string parameters control the appearance of the legend. The below WMS 1.3.0 request provides a PNG image (legend) for the latest vessel information data set using the [style] and [scale] parameters to generate a legend based on the VesselByTypeSpeed style at a map scale of 1:80,000.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wms?request=GetLegendGraphic&service=WMS&format=image/png&version=1.3.0&style=VesselByTypeSpeed&layer=exactAIS:LVI&scale=80000&legend_options=fontStyle:bold;forceLabels:on;fontName:Helvetica;fontAntiAliasing:true;fontColor:0x000000;fontSize:9;bgColor:0xFFFFFF;dpi:120;

Web Services WMS Custom Symbolization

GWS supports custom symbology to allow for dynamic/ad-hoc rendering of vessels. The [env] query string parameter of a WMS request provides the interface to change the vessel symbols using the following notation, “env=[PARAM]:[VALUE]”. [env] query string parameters are delimited by “;”, for example, “env=[PARAM1]:[VALUE1];[PARAM2]:[VALUE2]”.

Custom color

To adjust the rendering of vessels by color, add the [color] parameters to the [env] query string parameter of a WMS request using the following notation, “env=color:hexadecimal”. The hexadecimal is an RGB color code, defined as RRGGBB. The below WMS 1.3.0 request provides a PNG image for all global vessels from the latest vessel information data set using the [env] parameter specifying all vessel be rendered as magenta (FF3366).

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wms?service=WMS&version=1.3.0&request=GetMap&layers=exactAIS:LVI&styles=&bbox=-180.0,-90.0,180.0,90.0&width=640&height=480&crs=crs:84&format=image/png&env=color:FF3366

Custom point size

To adjust the rendering of vessels location symbol size for HVT/HVP, add the [psize] parameters to the [env] query string parameter of a WMS request using the following notation, “env=psize:Value”. [env] query string parameters are delimited by “;”. The value is a numeric integer. The below WMS 1.3.0 request provides a PNG image for a vessels’ 30 day historical track using the [env] parameter specifying all line segments be rendered as green (78AB46) with location symbol sizes of 7 pixels.

https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wms?service=WMS&version=1.1.0&request=GetMap&layers=exactAIS:HVT&styles=&bbox=-180.0,-90.0,180.0,90.0&width=660&height=330&srs=EPSG:4326&format=image/png&env=color:78AB46;psize:7&filter=eeid4875242366182262128duration30

Optional parameters

GWS supports optional parameters and capabilities to enhance the usability of the service.

Maximum Features (maxFeatures): Provides an ability to limit the number of features by request to the WFS services.; https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=wfs&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeNames=exactAIS:LVI&outputFormat=json&maxFeatures=10
Sorting (sortBy): Provides an ability to sort the values in a column in ascending or descending order by request to the WFS services. Sorting by ascending order is the default setting, using “+D” will change the response to sorting by descending order.; https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=wfs&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeNames=exactAIS:LVI&maxFeatures=1&outputFormat=json&sortBy=ts_pos_utc+D
Feature Counts (resultType): Provides an ability to retrieve the number of features by request to the WFS services.; https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?service=wfs&version=1.1.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=exactAIS:LVI&resulttype=hits
Fields / Columns (propertyName): Provides an ability to specify the output fields / columns per request. The [propertyName] query string parameter of a WFS request provides the interface to limit the fields / columns returned in the GetFeature request, for example, “propertyName=eeid,mmsi,vessel_name,ts_pos_utc”.; https://services.exactearth.com/gws/wfs?typenames=exactAIS:LVI&service=wfs&version=1.1.0&request=getfeature&propertyName=eeid,mmsi,vessel_name,ts_pos_utc&outputFormat=json&maxFeatures=1

Data definition guide

MMSI: Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) [Number]
IMO: International Maritime Organization (IMO) [Number]
VESSEL_NAME: Vessel Name [Text]
CALLSIGN: Vessel Call Sign [Text]
VESSEL_TYPE: Vessel Type [Text]
VESSEL_TYPE_CODE: Vessel Type Code [Number]
VESSEL_TYPE_CARGO: Vessel Type Cargo [Text]
VESSEL_TYPE_MAIN: Vessel Type Main [Text]
VESSEL_TYPE_SUB: Vessel Type Sub-Category [Text]
FLAG_COUNTRY: Country of Registration [Text]
FLAG_CODE: Country of Registration Code [Number]
VESSEL_CLASS: Class of Vessel (A/B) [Text]
EEID: exactEarth Identifier (eEID) [Number]

TS_POS_UTC: Date and Time of Last Position AIS Message in UTC [YYYYMMDDHHmmSS]
DT_POS_UTC: Date and Time of Last Position AIS Message in UTC [YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS]
POSITION: WGS84 Point, Geographic Location [Geometry]
SEGMENT: WGS84 LineString/MultiLineString, Geographic Segment [Geometry]
LONGITUDE: WGS 84 Longitude Coordinate [Number, Decimal Degrees]
LATITUDE: WGS 84 Latitude Coordinate [Number, Decimal Degrees]
SOG: Speed over Ground [Number, Knots]
COG: Course over Ground [Number, Degrees]
ROT: Rate of Turn [Number, Degrees / Min]
HEADING: Heading [Number, Degrees]
NAV_STATUS: Navigational Status [Text]
NAV_STATUS_CODE: Navigational Status Code [Number]
SOURCE: Source of Position Report (Satellite AIS [S-AIS], Terrestrial AIS [T-AIS], or Vessel AIS [V-AIS]) [Text]
FROM_LONGITUDE: WGS 84 Longitude Coordinate [Number, Decimal Degrees]
FROM_LATITUDE: WGS 84 Latitude Coordinate [Number, Decimal Degrees]
DTG: ISO 8601 Date and Time of Last Position AIS Message in UTC [YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ]

TS_STATIC_UTC: Date and Time of Last Static AIS Message in UTC [YYYYMMDDHHmmSS]
DT_STATIC_UTC: Date and Time of Last Static AIS Message in UTC [YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS]
LENGTH: Length of Bow to Main Tower and Main Tower to Stern [Number, Metres]
WIDTH: Length of Port to Main Tower and Main Tower to Starboard [Number, Metres]
DESTINATION: Port of Destination [Text]
ETA: Month, Day, Hour, and Minute of Estimated Time of Arrival in UTC [MMDDHHmm]
DRAUGHT: Vessel Draught [Number, Metres]
TS_INSERT_UTC: Date and Time of Last Insert in UTC [YYYYMMDDHHmmSS]
DT_INSERT_UTC: Date and Time of Last Insert in UTC [YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS]
MESSAGE_TYPE: AIS Position Message type (1,2,3,4,18,19,27) [Number]

Getting started with Historical Geospatial Web Services – Historical Vessel Tracks (HVT) and Points (HVP)

Accessing Web Services

The HVT and HVP data sets

Historical Vessel Tracks (HVT) data set content

HVT data set schema

Historical Vessel Points (HVP) data set content

HVT data set schema

OGC Support

User Authentication Support

HVT example

HVP example

Web Services filtering

OGC Filtering

HVT WFS Filtering example

CQL Filtering

HVT CQL filter example

HVP CQL filter example

Spatiotemporal filtering

HVT spatiotemporal filtering example

HVP spatiotemporal filtering example

Further customization

Layer style and Symbolization support

Historical Vessel Positions

Historical Vessel Tracks

Legend support

Web Services WMS Custom Symbolization

Custom color

Custom point size

Optional parameters

Data definition guide

More Tutorials

Getting started with the Latest Vessel Information (LVI) Geospatial Web Service

How to process GRIB2 weather data for maritime applications (GeoJSON)

How to get started with GRIB2 weather data and Python

How to process GRIB2 weather data for maritime applications (Shapefile)