Northwest Atlantic Vessel Density Maps from 2013 to 2022

Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides vessel density maps derived from Automatic Identification System (AIS) data for the Northwest Atlantic region. The dataset covers a 10-year period from 2013 to 2022, offering yearly and monthly aggregations for all vessel classes combined and yearly maps for individual vessel classes. These geospatial products support marine spatial planning and analysis of maritime traffic patterns.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal shipping patterns in the Northwest Atlantic using yearly and monthly vessel density maps from 2013 to 2022.
• Compare pre- and post-pandemic maritime transport activity using the 2019 baseline year and subsequent vessel density maps.
• Support marine spatial planning decisions by integrating vessel density maps for all vessel classes or specific vessel classes into GIS analyses.
• Study changes in vessel traffic density for different vessel classes over the 10-year time series provided in the dataset.

Strengths

• Covers a 10-year time series from 2013 to 2022, enabling longitudinal analysis of maritime traffic.
• Includes both yearly and monthly vessel density aggregations, providing multiple temporal resolutions.
• Provides separate density maps for all vessel classes combined and for individual vessel classes, allowing for targeted analysis.
• Based on AIS data, which is a standardized global tracking system for vessels over 300 gross tonnage.

Limitations

• The data is derived from AIS, which primarily tracks larger vessels (typically 300+ gross tonnage), potentially missing smaller craft.
• The core data product is processed density maps (raster/vector), not the raw AIS point data, limiting granular analysis.
• The description notes the 2019 data was selected as a pre-COVID baseline, implying potential anomalies in later years that may require contextual interpretation.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking data.

Time Range

2013 to 2022

Freshness

The dataset metadata was last updated in March 2026 and includes data through 2022.

Geography

Northwest Atlantic region