The purpose of AIS pings is to tell nearby vessels of your position and where you are going. The reason why we see collections of these in databases is because

The purpose of AIS pings is to tell nearby vessels of your position and where you are going. The reason why we see collections of these in databases is because there are large networks of coastal AIS receivers that records the pings. Some vessel carry transponders that can reach satellites. One thing that companies like Kpler and Spire can do is to equip their customers fleet with receivers that record when and where a signal was picked up. If one or two receivers picks up the same ping hundreds of miles away from where the ping says it is, then the position can be tagged and corrected in the database. And if your business is to sell correct positional data, then, hey.