Maritime awareness goes mobile

Smartphones and tablets may emerge as the next platform for maritime domain awareness. Mobile apps have become available that enhance situational awareness at sea, reports Trajectory, the magazine of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.

Among the apps Trajectory highlights:

• MarineTraffic, Ship Finder, Boat Watch, and VesselFinder all allow users to track ships, and some provide ship identification tools.
• Shipwatch, Fish DB, and similar apps make it easy for fishermen or others at sea to report illegal activity to authorities.

Trajectory reports that the macroview of maritime GEOINT is becoming more and more complete. All ships bound for the U.S. are now required to report their positions via satellite several times a day, and those locations are confirmed by Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. The growing number of apps brings the domain awareness down to a micro-level.

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