Comprehensive Analysis of Automatic Identification System (AIS) Data in Regard to Vessel Movement Prediction

AIS was primarily developed to exchange vessel-related data among vessels or AIS stations by using very-high frequency (VHF) technology to increase safety at sea. This study evaluates the formal integrity, availability, and the reporting intervals of AIS data with a focus on vessel movement prediction. In contrast to former studies, this study is based on a large data collection of over 85 million AIS messages, which were continuously received within a time period of two months. Thus, the evaluated data represent a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the current usage of AIS systems installed on vessels. Results of previous studies concerning the availability of AIS data are confirmed and extended. New aspects such as reporting intervals are additionally evaluated. Received messages are stored in a database, which allows for performing database queries to evaluate the obtained data in an automatic way. This study shows that almost ten years after becoming mandatory for professional operating vessels, AIS still lacks availability for both static and dynamic data and that the reporting intervals are not as reliable as specified within the technical AIS standard.