Changes at AISlive.com

For a while now, a free registration at AISlive.com was possibly the best way to appreciate how valuable this anti-collision transponder technology actually is…short of, say, getting in trouble crossing the English Channel in zero visibility. AISlive has numerous coastal receivers listening for AIS messages, which it then charts on the Web in nearly real time. The screen shot below shows Amsterdam Harbor a few minutes ago. I’ve clicked on a boat called Unfurled and learned that it’s an 34m sailboat, one of the growing number AIS equipped yachts; Yme could probably stroll over and check it out! I can also go to the Straits of Dover, New York Harbor, and lots of other places and imagine how fabulous this information would be if I were cruising there right now (I wish).

But the IMO never contemplated Web broadcasting when it developed the AIS standard and some ships (and megayachts) apparently aren’t that pleased to see themselves so publicly tracked. There was talk of shutting AISlive down, but a much better resolution has been achieved. On May 3, what you see now on the site will become an expensive service limited to commercial and government subscribers. It’s an understandable change and the great news for us “private users/ship enthusiasts” is that “We have decided to create a public website (at our own cost) which is similar to the current AISLive but delayed by a minimum of one hour.  We will not be charging for this service and hope you continue to enjoy the website.” Thank you, AISlive.com.