Vessel Position Reports Across Australian Search and Rescue Region

Automatic Identification System signals from ships provide over a decade of vessel position reports across the entire Australian Search and Rescue Region. The data originates from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Craft Tracking System and Mariweb databases, covering September 2012 to the most recently completed month. The Australian Ocean Data Network processed monthly files into standardized annual datasets, applying H3 spatial indexing and a uniform schema.

Use Cases

• Analyze vessel traffic density and common shipping corridors using geographic coordinates and timestamps.
• Model typical vessel speeds and routes between ports by calculating distances between sequential position reports.
• Identify anomalies in vessel movements for search and rescue operations by detecting deviations from expected geospatial-temporal patterns.
• Assess seasonal or long-term trends in maritime activity across the region by aggregating position reports by month and year.

Strengths

• Temporal coverage spans from September 2012 to the most recently completed month, providing over a decade of records.
• Data processing includes cleaning, validation, and conversion to a uniform schema with H3 spatial indexing for consistency.
• Spatial coverage encompasses the entire Australian Search and Rescue Region, captured via terrestrial and satellite AIS receivers.

Limitations

• The exact number of rows, columns, and total data size is unknown, making it difficult to assess computational requirements.
• Invalid or duplicate reports are separated into a rejected records dataset, requiring users to understand and potentially merge data sources.
• Specific vessel identifiers, types, or metadata columns are not described, limiting the depth of vessel-specific analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Craft Tracking System and Mariweb databases.

Collection Method

Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals collected via terrestrial and satellite receivers, processed into standardized annual datasets.

Time Range

September 2012 to the most recently completed month.

Freshness

Updated monthly to include the most recently completed month; last metadata update was April 2026.

Geography

Australian Search and Rescue Region.