Vessel Density Maps for the Northwest Atlantic from AIS Data

Vessel density maps derived from Automatic Identification System (AIS) data for the Northwest Atlantic region. The dataset provides yearly and monthly density visualizations for all vessel classes combined, as well as yearly maps for individual vessel classes, covering the years 2013 through 2022. It was created by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to support marine spatial planning and analysis.

Use Cases

• Analyze yearly vessel density patterns across the Northwest Atlantic for marine spatial planning.
• Compare monthly shipping density fluctuations for all vessel classes to identify seasonal maritime traffic trends.
• Examine yearly density maps of specific vessel classes to understand the spatial footprint of different maritime sectors.
• Use the pre-COVID 2019 depiction as a baseline for studying pandemic-related impacts on maritime transport density.

Strengths

• Covers a 10-year time range from 2013 to 2022, enabling longitudinal analysis.
• Includes both yearly and monthly temporal aggregations for combined vessel classes.
• Provides separate yearly density maps for individual vessel classes, allowing for sector-specific study.
• Created by a national government agency (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) for official marine spatial planning.

Limitations

• Underlying AIS data is limited to vessels typically over 300-500 gross tonnage, excluding smaller craft.
• Data is presented as processed density maps (rasters/PDFs), not raw AIS point data, limiting granular analysis.
• The description notes the 2019 data is a pre-COVID depiction, which may not reflect current shipping patterns.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of satellite and terrestrial Automatic Identification System (AIS) data.

Time Range

2013 to 2022

Freshness

Data covers up to 2022; metadata was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Northwest Atlantic