The automatic identification system (AIS) is a tracking system for ships, originally developed for collision avoidance. I n the recent years, it is also used for analyses from various fields. The data is automatically transmitted every few seconds over very high frequency (VHF) radios from  approximately 100,000 vessels worldwide. 

If you have any questions regarding the AIS courses, please do not hesitate to contact us at support@officialstatistics.org.

What is AIS Data?

This introductory course aims to raise awareness of what AIS data is and shows how it can be applied at a National Statistical Organisation (NSO). Information will be shared on how to obtain AIS data, plus the opportunities and challenges it presents for incorporating its use at the NSO.


Acquiring AIS data via the UNGP

This course aims to build the skills for acquiring and performing simple analysis of AIS data via the UN Global Platform. It includes an introduction to the UN Global Platform AIS data, procedures to request access to the platform, methods of acquiring both AIS and Ships Register data, an introduction to their data structures, and samples of reading and filtering AIS data using PySpark.

Note: Access to this course is restricted. If you are interested, send a request to support@officialstatistics.org.