12 ms·

Vessel Finder

104 points by gscott 6y ago

cinbun8 6y ago
10 points to you if you were able to zoom in correctly on the Suez Canal
- Black101 6y ago
  https://i.imgur.com/uGHmeOI.png https://i.imgur.com/uGHmeOI.png ... The 6th of October gave it away....
- not2b 6y ago
  I just typed 'ever given' and it found it for me.
- flemhans 6y ago
  For me it started out there. But anyway the canal is clearly visible in the most zoomed out view due to the many ships there.
argvargc 6y ago
https://myshiptracking.com https://myshiptracking.com is an alternative without as many paywall restrictions. (Note that initial load of ship data can be slow.)
slowhand09 6y ago
Also https://marinetraffic.com https://marinetraffic.com
- ernesth 6y ago
  There is also Localizatodo https://www.localizatodo.com/html5/ https://www.localizatodo.com/html5/ They have less coverage. I am not sure if they have a business model, but they do not try to sell me premium feature.
  - slowhand09 6y ago
    Cool! Never seen that one before.
not_knuth 6y ago
I was quite surprised that this website seems to use a self-made map viewer. Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but it feels like by now everyone either just uses Google Maps and a minute, hardy fraction uses something based on OSM.
- rst 6y ago
  It could be a custom rendering of OSM data... whatever it is has full street grids for land-locked villages in the middle of France, which I can't imagine them gathering on their own. And their requirements (particularly for the vessel overlays) are peculiar enough that having their own renderer seems pretty reasonable.
  - RicoElectrico 6y ago
    Clicking [i] in the bottom right corner reveals this is indeed based on OSM data. Kind of stupid design, as the [i] button is so big that a small always visible attribution could have fit better (just like on osm.org). This is seemingly one of default options in OpenLayers (my guess based on how often I see this type of attribution). I wonder why people choose OL anyway. Sites using it in my experience have on average jankier UX than those based on Leaflet.
- tyingq 6y ago
  If you pull up a map through their embed functionality, you can see OpenLayers (https://openlayers.org/ https://openlayers.org/) and OSM is in there somewhere: https://www.vesselfinder.com/aismap?zoom=8&lat=36.00&lon=-5.40&width=100%&height=400&names=false&track=false&fleet=false&fleet_name=false&fleet_hide_old_positions=false&clicktoact=false&store_pos=true&ra=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vesselfinder.com%2Fembed https://www.vesselfinder.com/aismap?zoom=8&lat=36.00&lon=-5....
  - not_knuth 6y ago
    Thanks! Good to know...
- Etheryte 6y ago
mik3y 6y ago
If you're interested in building your own ship tracker, have I got an incomplete (but functioning!) quarantine boredom project for you: https://github.com/mik3y/airdash The hobbyist AIS tracking world seems to be a bit less popular than the plane tracking (ADS-B) world. I started the project above to try to build a common frontend where one could show both; mainly because there weren't any frontends I could find for AIS traffic. If you just want to decode the data, try rtl-ais: https://github.com/dgiardini/rtl-ais I wrote up some quick instructions on getting it working on rasberry pi here: https://github.com/mik3y/airdash/wiki/Running-RTL-AIS-on-Raspberry-Pi And a dockerized version here: https://github.com/mik3y/rtl-ais-docker
- hrishi 6y ago
  this is awesome, will definitely be checking it out. ADS-B is definitely more popular than AIS, and I've always wondered why. Perhaps it's that airplanes evoke more wonder, and is more accessible over land than poor old ships? Do DM me if you're looking for a position, or if you'd just like to chat about vessels, AIS and anything maritime. We're building maritime intelligence at Greywing (https://grey-wing.com https://grey-wing.com), and I'd love your input. In fact we have a Launch HN post up right now, so if you have any thoughts do drop them in!
  - mik3y 6y ago
    Neat product! I'm a novice in this space but I'll definitely keep eyes on. On adoption.. I think your hunch is at least part of it. I think another part, one that is very solvable, is there are not a whole lot of instructions for DIY hardware & software setups out there. My impression is most AIS hobbyists use kits & proprietary hardware shipped from commercial providers (eg MarineTraffic), while rtl-ais is pretty obscure. Documenting what I can as I go to change it.
    - floathub 6y ago
      While we don't have a standalone AIS hardware product, we do have hardware and software that lets you relay AIS data both to us and out to other vessel monitoring systems. More data here: https://support.floathub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001334348-New-Feature-AIS-Relaying https://support.floathub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001334348-... software only version here: https://github.com/floathub/sfh https://github.com/floathub/sfh drop a note if you want any more info.
spockz 6y ago
What astounds me is that we have ships ferrying things from all over the world which are available nearby as well. Take this LPG Tanker, taking lpg from Egypt to the states and now its way to Singapore. You would think there are less roundabout ways of getting lpg ...
- rob74 6y ago
  What's even more mind-boggling to me is that container logistics are so cheap that a pair of jeans now goes from Kazakhstan (cotton) via Turkey (spinning) via Taiwan (weaving) via Poland (dying) via the Philippines (sewing) via Tunisia (finishing) to finally be sold in Germany (or elsewhere in Europe) - see http://competendo.net/en/A_Pair_of_Jeans http://competendo.net/en/A_Pair_of_Jeans . So, because shipping costs next to nothing (or, at least, it used to), you can optimize your supply chain and find the cheapest alternative (probably also with the laxest regulations) for each and every step in a global race to the bottom. Capitalism at its best...
  - runarberg 6y ago
    As a hard liner socialist I take issue with capitalism owning the wonders that is today’s amazing system of global shipping. The current state of affairs is due in most part because of standardization. Standardizing container size and loading mechanism makes shipping very efficient indeed. It would be stupid not to do it. If we lived in my socialist utopia I’m pretty sure shipping would still be standardized and shipping would be just as efficient. And we would still experience the global trade network in all its glory (plus workers would get paid a fair share of the profits). In fact I’m gonna be so bold as to claim that we live in this wonderful world of standardized global shipping despite capitalism, not because. A capitalist loves their proprietary technology so they can patent it and gain exclusive markets. A capitalist would dream of having the market dominant container spec which they can sell proprietary equipment, provide exclusive training and monopolize the market for containers.
    - runarberg 6y ago
      Also note that global shipping relies heavily on socialist infrastructure. Docks are expensive and can often only be built by nation states funded by tax money. Sea charts, weather data, emergency response, positioning satellites, lighthouses, etc. are also almost always provided by nation states free of charged. One can definitely argue that global shipping is socialism at its best...
valentin_ivan 6y ago
https://www.vesselfinder.com/ https://www.vesselfinder.com/ This is for any ship longer than 10 m. They need to have AIS. You will probably see why too many ships. https://www.cruisemapper.com/ https://www.cruisemapper.com/ This is for passengers, ro-ro, ferry, etc
standardUser 6y ago
Amazing to see how far inland some routes go.
- walrus01 6y ago
  On the US west coast, it's possible for fairly large ocean-going vessels to get as far as Lewiston, Idaho

Vessel Finder

104 points by gscott 6y ago

cinbun8 6y ago

10 points to you if you were able to zoom in correctly on the Suez Canal

Black101 6y ago
https://i.imgur.com/uGHmeOI.png https://i.imgur.com/uGHmeOI.png ... The 6th of October gave it away....
not2b 6y ago
I just typed 'ever given' and it found it for me.
flemhans 6y ago
For me it started out there. But anyway the canal is clearly visible in the most zoomed out view due to the many ships there.

argvargc 6y ago

https://myshiptracking.com https://myshiptracking.com is an alternative without as many paywall restrictions. (Note that initial load of ship data can be slow.)

slowhand09 6y ago

Also https://marinetraffic.com https://marinetraffic.com

ernesth 6y ago
There is also Localizatodo https://www.localizatodo.com/html5/ https://www.localizatodo.com/html5/ They have less coverage. I am not sure if they have a business model, but they do not try to sell me premium feature.
- slowhand09 6y ago
  Cool! Never seen that one before.

not_knuth 6y ago

I was quite surprised that this website seems to use a self-made map viewer. Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but it feels like by now everyone either just uses Google Maps and a minute, hardy fraction uses something based on OSM.

rst 6y ago
It could be a custom rendering of OSM data... whatever it is has full street grids for land-locked villages in the middle of France, which I can't imagine them gathering on their own. And their requirements (particularly for the vessel overlays) are peculiar enough that having their own renderer seems pretty reasonable.
- RicoElectrico 6y ago
  Clicking [i] in the bottom right corner reveals this is indeed based on OSM data. Kind of stupid design, as the [i] button is so big that a small always visible attribution could have fit better (just like on osm.org). This is seemingly one of default options in OpenLayers (my guess based on how often I see this type of attribution). I wonder why people choose OL anyway. Sites using it in my experience have on average jankier UX than those based on Leaflet.
tyingq 6y ago
If you pull up a map through their embed functionality, you can see OpenLayers (https://openlayers.org/ https://openlayers.org/) and OSM is in there somewhere: https://www.vesselfinder.com/aismap?zoom=8&lat=36.00&lon=-5.40&width=100%&height=400&names=false&track=false&fleet=false&fleet_name=false&fleet_hide_old_positions=false&clicktoact=false&store_pos=true&ra=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vesselfinder.com%2Fembed https://www.vesselfinder.com/aismap?zoom=8&lat=36.00&lon=-5....
- not_knuth 6y ago
  Thanks! Good to know...
Etheryte 6y ago

mik3y 6y ago

If you're interested in building your own ship tracker, have I got an incomplete (but functioning!) quarantine boredom project for you: https://github.com/mik3y/airdash The hobbyist AIS tracking world seems to be a bit less popular than the plane tracking (ADS-B) world. I started the project above to try to build a common frontend where one could show both; mainly because there weren't any frontends I could find for AIS traffic. If you just want to decode the data, try rtl-ais: https://github.com/dgiardini/rtl-ais I wrote up some quick instructions on getting it working on rasberry pi here: https://github.com/mik3y/airdash/wiki/Running-RTL-AIS-on-Raspberry-Pi And a dockerized version here: https://github.com/mik3y/rtl-ais-docker

hrishi 6y ago
this is awesome, will definitely be checking it out. ADS-B is definitely more popular than AIS, and I've always wondered why. Perhaps it's that airplanes evoke more wonder, and is more accessible over land than poor old ships? Do DM me if you're looking for a position, or if you'd just like to chat about vessels, AIS and anything maritime. We're building maritime intelligence at Greywing (https://grey-wing.com https://grey-wing.com), and I'd love your input. In fact we have a Launch HN post up right now, so if you have any thoughts do drop them in!
- mik3y 6y ago
  Neat product! I'm a novice in this space but I'll definitely keep eyes on. On adoption.. I think your hunch is at least part of it. I think another part, one that is very solvable, is there are not a whole lot of instructions for DIY hardware & software setups out there. My impression is most AIS hobbyists use kits & proprietary hardware shipped from commercial providers (eg MarineTraffic), while rtl-ais is pretty obscure. Documenting what I can as I go to change it.
  - floathub 6y ago
    While we don't have a standalone AIS hardware product, we do have hardware and software that lets you relay AIS data both to us and out to other vessel monitoring systems. More data here: https://support.floathub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001334348-New-Feature-AIS-Relaying https://support.floathub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001334348-... software only version here: https://github.com/floathub/sfh https://github.com/floathub/sfh drop a note if you want any more info.

spockz 6y ago

What astounds me is that we have ships ferrying things from all over the world which are available nearby as well. Take this LPG Tanker, taking lpg from Egypt to the states and now its way to Singapore. You would think there are less roundabout ways of getting lpg ...

rob74 6y ago
What's even more mind-boggling to me is that container logistics are so cheap that a pair of jeans now goes from Kazakhstan (cotton) via Turkey (spinning) via Taiwan (weaving) via Poland (dying) via the Philippines (sewing) via Tunisia (finishing) to finally be sold in Germany (or elsewhere in Europe) - see http://competendo.net/en/A_Pair_of_Jeans http://competendo.net/en/A_Pair_of_Jeans . So, because shipping costs next to nothing (or, at least, it used to), you can optimize your supply chain and find the cheapest alternative (probably also with the laxest regulations) for each and every step in a global race to the bottom. Capitalism at its best...
- runarberg 6y ago
  As a hard liner socialist I take issue with capitalism owning the wonders that is today’s amazing system of global shipping. The current state of affairs is due in most part because of standardization. Standardizing container size and loading mechanism makes shipping very efficient indeed. It would be stupid not to do it. If we lived in my socialist utopia I’m pretty sure shipping would still be standardized and shipping would be just as efficient. And we would still experience the global trade network in all its glory (plus workers would get paid a fair share of the profits). In fact I’m gonna be so bold as to claim that we live in this wonderful world of standardized global shipping despite capitalism, not because. A capitalist loves their proprietary technology so they can patent it and gain exclusive markets. A capitalist would dream of having the market dominant container spec which they can sell proprietary equipment, provide exclusive training and monopolize the market for containers.
  - runarberg 6y ago
    Also note that global shipping relies heavily on socialist infrastructure. Docks are expensive and can often only be built by nation states funded by tax money. Sea charts, weather data, emergency response, positioning satellites, lighthouses, etc. are also almost always provided by nation states free of charged. One can definitely argue that global shipping is socialism at its best...

valentin_ivan 6y ago

https://www.vesselfinder.com/ https://www.vesselfinder.com/ This is for any ship longer than 10 m. They need to have AIS. You will probably see why too many ships. https://www.cruisemapper.com/ https://www.cruisemapper.com/ This is for passengers, ro-ro, ferry, etc

standardUser 6y ago

Amazing to see how far inland some routes go.

walrus01 6y ago
On the US west coast, it's possible for fairly large ocean-going vessels to get as far as Lewiston, Idaho