NASA AIS Receivers
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a global, shipboard broadcast VHF transponder system, which sends data about the identity of a vessel, including its name, MMSI number, Latitude, Longitude, Speed, Bearing and Course. All Vessels over 300 gross tonnes and all passenger vessels are obliged by international maritime law to carry an AIS transponder. Click here to read the AMSA Fact Sheet on AIS.
NASA now have two products designed for the leisure craft market. The NASA AIS RADAR, which is the first stand-alone AIS receiver/plotter in the world, and the NASA AIS Engine, which is designed to convert the AIS signals into an NMEA format and send it to a PC with AIS compatible software.