Highways in the Sea
Topics:
Keywords: Maritime Shipping, Environmental Geography, Open Source Geographic Information System, AIS Data
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract
Authors:
Jeff Dickey, University of New Mexico
Alissa Dickey, University of New Mexico
Kathryn Overton, University of New Mexico
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Abstract
Maritime shipping is an essential and growing part of the global economy. However, many problems can arise from this activity. Increased maritime traffic has intensified congestion leading to more collisions and increased air, sea and noise pollution resulting in negative effects on marine life. Knowing where ships are, where they should be, and where they are going can provide stakeholders with valuable information to help prevent and mitigate adverse effects from shipping. Ships traveling across the open ocean tend to follow a path that approximates a great circle. Mapping these highways in the sea where ships are most likely to occur can facilitate research into ship routing, anomalous behavior, and potential harm from activities. In this presentation we present a method to create transoceanic shipping lanes in the north Pacific from Automatic Information System (AIS) data using an open source Geographic Information System (GIS). Results from our research show several major shipping lanes from the west coast of North America to the east coast of Asia.
Highways in the Sea
Category
Paper Abstract
