Use of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on Autonomous Weather Buoys for Maritime Domain Awareness Applications

The United States Coast Guard (USCG), as part of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for a wide variety of missions in the maritime domain. In order to support the accomplishment of these missions, the USCG needs to collect as much information as possible on activities occurring in the maritime domain. A large part of maritime activity relates to the movement of vessels. Therefore, detection, classification, identification and monitoring of vessels are a key component of what is known as Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a technology that is used primarily as a tool for maritime safety, including vessel collision avoidance and as a means for coastal nations' Vessel Traffic Services (VTSs) to get information on vessels operating near their coasts. AIS equipment aboard vessels continuously and autonomously transmits information about the vessel including its identity, position, course, and speed to enhance safety. These transmissions can be received by other vessels or by land-based stations equipped with AIS receivers. The USCG sees the capability AIS provides, particularly for vessel tracking, as a major contributor to MDA and VTS. To extend the capability of USCG land-based AIS monitoring stations further offshore, the USCG Maritime Domain Awareness Program Integration Office sponsored the development of a near real-time, autonomous automatic identification and telemetry system based on AIS technology for installation on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather buoys through the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) and its technical support contractor, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).