U.S. AIS Vessel Tracks from National Coastal Network

2024 vessel tracks show the location and characteristics of commercial and recreational boats transmitted by the Automatic Identification System. Positions are collected from a national network of land-based antennas operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The data aids in understanding the risk of conflicting vessel uses within geographic areas.

Use Cases

• Analyze vessel track frequency and distribution to assess spatial conflict risk in coastal planning areas.
• Identify gaps in AIS signals within vessel tracks to study interference patterns and data reliability.
• Map vessel type and location sequences to understand commercial and recreational maritime traffic patterns.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative national AIS network operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
• Covers vessel tracks for the year 2024, providing recent temporal coverage.
• Includes both commercial and recreational vessel types, offering a broad operational view.

Limitations

• Specific data volume (row count, column count) and file sizes are unknown, hindering project planning.
• Data is susceptible to AIS signal interference, which can create gaps within individual vessel tracks.
• Sample data and a detailed schema (columns) are unavailable for preliminary inspection.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Collected and recorded from land-based antennas as part of the U.S. Coast Guard's national AIS network.

Time Range

2024

Freshness

Last updated on 2025-05-29, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

United States coastal areas, including the Outer Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone, and Territorial Sea.