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How are received positions attributed to certain AIS Stations?
How are received positions attributed to certain AIS Stations?
Sebastian Olias avatar
Written by Sebastian Olias
Updated over 4 months ago

The MarineTraffic network consists of thousands of AIS receiving stations worldwide, which continuously receive and forward large amounts of information. To display these stations on the Live Map, you can activate the "Stations" Layer. Clicking on a station icon will open an information window with all relevant details and options, such as coverage maps and vessels in range.

The number of stations in the MarineTraffic network is steadily increasing, and, as expected, there are regions of the world that are covered simultaneously by two or more stations.

In such cases where coverage areas overlap, the MarineTraffic platform handles the situation as follows:

  • Data is downsampled server-side to one position report per MMSI per minute to manage the increased load.

  • The contact report with the most recent network timestamp is considered by the server. If duplicate records still exist, the station with the fastest report is given priority on a "first come, first served" basis.

  • These processes run concurrently, and the station that last provided an AIS signal is credited in the information window of the respective vessel. Therefore, it is possible for another station to be mentioned even if you are viewing vessels within the range of a specific station.

Due to the volume of incoming information, even the smallest network delay can cause your station to lose credit for a contact on the Live Map, creating the impression that fewer data are transmitted than is actually the case.

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