With two satellite partnerships and one of the largest privately-owned and operated global terrestrial antenna networks, Genscape Vesseltracker™ tracks more than 144,000 vessels around the world in near-real-time daily.
Why do 98 percent of the messages collected by Genscape come from the terrestrial antenna network?
Satellites only pass over an area every 30-90 minutes, which means that the frequency of the messages they can receive and transmit is fairly low. In dense areas, the way that AIS messages are broadcast can also make it quite difficult for satellites to retrieve them.
Additionally, because of satellite locations, atmospheric conditions, and other factors, a strong AIS signal is required to ensure that a vessel’s location is picked up by the satellite. The AIS antennas on vessels are not equally strong, so there is always a chance that a vessel’s location isn’t picked up when satellite alone is used.
When is terrestrial coverage particularly important?
The differences in satellite versus terrestrial AIS coverage are extremely evident in inland waterways where there is heavy vessel density, especially with a large number of smaller, more nimble vessels.
“Every year, Louisiana ships more than $100 billion worth of commodities and finished goods to the rest of the United States while simultaneously receiving an almost equal amount of agricultural produce, machinery and other products from factories, farms and urban areas in the Mississippi River Valley and other sections of the country. Many of these inbound shipments are destined for international markets: In 2010 alone, more than $30 billion in exports passed through the Port of New Orleans on their way to important trade destinations such as China, Japan and Mexico.” - The Mississippi River Delta
In the case of the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico watershed, heavy vessel density requires a high frequency of messages to make sense of activity and monitor it in near-real-time. With a large number of small vessels making frequent turns to navigate the waterways, timely, accurate information is especially critical.
Genscape Vesseltracker has invested heavily in developing visibility for inland waterways as part of a larger global coverage expansion initiative. With the terrestrial network alone, an extreme level of detail is available for all commercial and non-commercial activities on rivers.
Genscape Maritime, powered by the industry-leading Vesseltracker AIS network, delivers exceptional transparency and insight into global vessel movements and activities, providing the market with an unrivaled understanding of the global commodity supply chain. Click here to learn more or request a free trial of Genscape Vesseltracker.