The Automatic Identification System (AIS)

A valuable navigation aid

By Michael Kelly
Bayland Enterprises
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The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is one of the most important aids to navigation you can add to your navigations system.

In the past, we had to depend on visual observation, radar or ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) to identify boats in the vicinity so factors such as fog and limited visibility presented a challenge. AIS allows boaters to identify other vessels equipped with AIS transceivers, which show other vessels as targets on AIS-capable chartplotters and computer screens. Not limited to line-of-sight (such as radar), boaters can see around bends and behind land masses. A short coastal tracking system, AIS also enables an exchange of navigation status between boats and shoreside traffic monitoring centres.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has declared AIS mandatory for international voyaging ships over 299 gross tons (GT). These ships must carry AIS transceivers that transmit their position, speed, heading and other static information, such as vessel name, ship dimensions and voyage details.

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