External AIS plugin for OpenCPN

[sinbad8]

Is there a plugin for OCPN to display ALL available AIS targets within the map area? I know there is a setting in OCPN to use YOUR OWN AIS receiver,but I wish to be able to see remote targets and traffic in destination ports.

I am using a special html page,which can also be set to follow a specific named ship,by using this embed coding:

<p><script type="text/javascript">
width='100%'; //the width of the embedded map in pixels or percentage
height=700; //the height of the embedded map in pixels or percentage
border=3; //the width of border around the map. Zero means no border
notation=true; //true or false to display or not the vessel icons and options at the left
shownames=false; //true or false to display ship names on the map
latitude=38.0135; //the latitude of the center of the map in decimal degrees
longitude=000.4395; //the longitude of the center of the map in decimal degrees
zoom=7; //the zoom level of the map. Use values between 2 and 17
maptype=1; //use 0 for Normal map, 1 for Satellite, 2 for Hybrid, 3 for Terrain
trackvessel=0; //the MMSI of the vessel to track, if within the range of the system
fleet=''; //the registered email address of a user-defined fleet to display
remember=false; //true or false to remember or not the last position of the map
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/embed.js"></script></p>



Grateful for any ideas.

Sinbad8

[petter5]

Originally Posted by sinbad8

Is there a plugin for OCPN to display ALL available AIS targets within the map area? I know there is a setting in OCPN to use YOUR OWN AIS receiver,but I wish to be able to see remote targets and traffic in destination ports.

I am using a special html page,which can also be set to follow a specific named ship,by using this embed coding:

<p><script type="text/javascript">
width='100%'; //the width of the embedded map in pixels or percentage
height=700; //the height of the embedded map in pixels or percentage
border=3; //the width of border around the map. Zero means no border
notation=true; //true or false to display or not the vessel icons and options at the left
shownames=false; //true or false to display ship names on the map
latitude=38.0135; //the latitude of the center of the map in decimal degrees
longitude=000.4395; //the longitude of the center of the map in decimal degrees
zoom=7; //the zoom level of the map. Use values between 2 and 17
maptype=1; //use 0 for Normal map, 1 for Satellite, 2 for Hybrid, 3 for Terrain
trackvessel=0; //the MMSI of the vessel to track, if within the range of the system
fleet=''; //the registered email address of a user-defined fleet to display
remember=false; //true or false to remember or not the last position of the map
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/embed.js"></script></p>



Grateful for any ideas.

Sinbad8

If you feed the AIS stream to opencpn, it will show the targets,,,,,

If you contribute to AISHUB, you will be granted access over internet to the datastream from AISHUB wich will give you worldwide AIS data to display in Opencpn. Be aware that displaying tens of thousand AIS targets in opencpn will hammer the system and make opencpn slow and sluggish,,,

[sinbad8]

Hi Petter5

Apart from the possibility to display YOUR OWN antennas AIS targets, I am not aware that OCPN could display EXTERNAL targets received via Internet?

If so,I would appreciate your assistance how to set it up.

I have the embed link to Marine Traffic as listed in my previous message,and I am additionally subscribing to a ONE ship satellite access.

I frequently follow and assist vessels on their way around the worlds oceans using OpenCPN, so it would be very convenient not having to manually post the positions. Marine Traffic also have an API key to their AIS data.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais-...928c7f16a0725d



Regds

Sinbad8

[nohal]

sinbad8...
There is no way you can overlay your Marinetraffic webpage over the chart in OpenCPN, you would need to get the NMEA0183 feed for the area of interest.

OpenCPN does not care if the AIS messages come from your local AIS receiver or over a network, combined from many different receivers worldwide. But it still has to be stream of NMEA0183 messages. Configuring the connections is described in the manual at Connections | Official OpenCPN Homepage

AIShub provides such a worldwide AIS feed one can use with OpenCPN to it's contributors.

Marinetraffic does not seem to be providing NMEA1083 feed at all and has some kind of API instead, which seems to be only available to paying customers and is not supported by OpenCPN at all at the moment.

Pavel

[sinbad8]

Pavel..

Thanks for info. I looked at the AISHub page and downloaded aisdispatcher-1.4.zip and installed it. (presume that is required?)

I set up interface to use COM:1 but it shows error msg. 2 (?)

Do you have the time and inclination to help me set it up?
If aisdispatcher.exe is required,I can send screenshots of the setup boxes,if you could cross off the correct settings and return a copy to me.

I am following a small ship delivery to the Pacific at the moment using OCPN and it would avoid having to insert all positions manually.

Thanks in advance.

Tore

[petter5]

Originally Posted by sinbad8

Hi Petter5

Apart from the possibility to display YOUR OWN antennas AIS targets, I am not aware that OCPN could display EXTERNAL targets received via Internet?

If so,I would appreciate your assistance how to set it up.

I have the embed link to Marine Traffic as listed in my previous message,and I am additionally subscribing to a ONE ship satellite access.

I frequently follow and assist vessels on their way around the worlds oceans using OpenCPN, so it would be very convenient not having to manually post the positions. Marine Traffic also have an API key to their AIS data.

AIS API Documentation | AIS Marine Traffic



Regds

Sinbad8

Create an account with AISHUB Join us - AISHub

Fill inn the information you get from AISHUB in the connections window like: data.aishub.net:your-AISHUB-port-Number
Press 'apply' and start watching world wide AIS in realtime.

Pleas note that AISHUB requires you to send your own AIS data to them before they assigns you an account with your own port number

/Petter

[petter5]

Originally Posted by sinbad8

Pavel..

Thanks for info. I looked at the AISHub page and downloaded aisdispatcher-1.4.zip and installed it. (presume that is required?)

I set up interface to use COM:1 but it shows error msg. 2 (?)

Do you have the time and inclination to help me set it up?
If aisdispatcher.exe is required,I can send screenshots of the setup boxes,if you could cross off the correct settings and return a copy to me.

I am following a small ship delivery to the Pacific at the moment using OCPN and it would avoid having to insert all positions manually.

Thanks in advance.

Tore

A raspberry PI loaded with openplotter Sailing with free hardware | Sailoog and any type of AIS receiver will do the job.

I'm using a dAISy reciever priced at $ 59,- witch does a great job. https://www.tindie.com/products/astu...-ais-receiver/

If you want to transmit AIS , you will of course need a Calass 'A' or class 'B' AIS.

[sinbad8]

Petter5

Thanks for all the info. I WAS using an SR162 receiver earlier but I do´nt want to go back to that. My area is covered sufficiently as it is.
BUT, that closes the gate for AISHub I am afraid.

I shall have to continue inputting positions manually until OpenCPN accepts an API connection from Marine Traffic.

I am presently using an EMBEDDED connection in a simple html script and Google Earth.

Thanks for your help everybody...

Tore

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by petter5

Opencpn. Be aware that displaying tens of thousand AIS targets in opencpn will hammer the system and make opencpn slow and sluggish,,,

It would be easy to optimize opencpn to be not slow, even 1 million targets or more you wouldn't notice the difference. The same tree could be used for tide stations and waypoints.

As far as actually getting ais updates from thousands of targets might use a lot of bandwidth? Or do they update very infrequently?

[nohal]

Sean...
AIShub is right now tracking ~24000 targets, the approximate size of the AIS messages and update frequency for class A/B you know, so you can do the math - the result is not alarming for average broadband connection, but sure unaccessible over anything low-speed. To receive the combined feed you have to provide them with a fixed IP so you can probably deploy your own non bandwidth constrained machine, do filtering to limit both coverage area and update frequency, employ some compression scheme and have bandwidth over slow/expensive media sort of under control. If needed.

Pavel

[nohal]

Sean...
AIShub is right now tracking ~24000 targets, the approximate size of the AIS messages and update frequency for class A/B you know, so you can do the math - the result is not alarming for average broadband connection, but sure unaccessible over anything low-speed. To receive the combined feed you have to provide them with a fixed IP so you can probably deploy your own non bandwidth constrained machine, do filtering to limit both coverage area and update frequency, employ some compression scheme and have bandwidth over slow/expensive media sort of under control. If needed.

Pavel

[sinbad8]

Nohal..Peter5

Marine Traffic do not display ALL AIS target at ANY zoom level as you can see from the attached. The relatively small number of targets VISIBLE in each tile would not delay the OCPN display.

Would it be so difficult to use either the embed html routine listed earlier, or the API key available from Marine Traffic in order to display AIS targets on OpenCPN maps?

MT even offer a satellite AIS tracking service for 1 vessel at a small monthly fee.

Tore

[nohal]

Originally Posted by sinbad8

Nohal..Peter5

Marine Traffic do not display ALL AIS target at ANY zoom level as you can see from the attached. The relatively small number of targets VISIBLE in each tile would not delay the OCPN display.

What MT displays on the website is unfortunately irrelevant for us.

Would it be so difficult to use either the embed html routine listed earlier, or the API key available from Marine Traffic in order to display AIS targets on OpenCPN maps?

No, it is not technically so difficult. To "abuse" the data they feed to that HTML widget is more than likely illegal though.
It is even technically simpler and legally sure kosher to implement the API they offer. What I lack here completely is motivation to implement it. Can someone give me a good reason why I should pay to them so that I can invest my free time to implement their service? (I think we already talked about this some time ago)

MT even offer a satellite AIS tracking service for 1 vessel at a small monthly fee.

Yes, I know, but it still does not increases my motivation to implement their API, sorry.

Pavel

[sinbad8]

Pavel.

OK, I see you are not interested bringing external AIS info into OCPN although it could be very useful to our shipmates crossing the oceans,with the advent of a reasonable monthly fee for 1 vessel satellite coverage.

In my opinion also useful to discover shipping outside your own range,to check the traffic in a destiny port or simply search for friends locations.

You seem not to be so happy with MT but they have the largest coverage and you can set up each user to pay whichever service suits him. Setting up a routine to catch their API information surely is not THEIR business?

Anyway,I hear what you say,and will just have to wait and see future developments. Thanks for your advice otherwise.

Tore