AIS data – Enabler in Marine Spatial Planning

Marine regions which dominate the surface of the Earth have a pivotal role in various aspects of life. It is, therefore, imperative that the marine regions and activities thereof be examined, planned and controlled for overall benefit. Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is related to economy, ecology and environment and involves planning and segregation of marine areas for use considering overall dynamics. Key elements in this are the vessels that traverse the marine regions that can be monitored using the Automatic Identification System (AIS). To analyse AIS data, various steps need to be undertaken, which range from the initial preparation of the data right up to determining insights using data analytic techniques. This paper examines the relevance of AIS data to MSP, bringing out the data analytics techniques that are generally used in this context, along with certain enhancements and recommended frameworks. Planning beyond the coast MSP is proposed with an example of Bunkering. In addition, optimisation of DBSCAN by considering extrinsic parameters to assist in better trajectory analysis for use in MSP activities is also proposed.