what is ais

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is an automatic tracking system used on ships for identifying and locating vessels to avoid collisions. It uses transceivers on ships and is also used by vessel traffic services. AIS transmits a ships position, making vessels trackable even in remote areas of the ocean. The system is intended to allow ships to view marine traffic in their area and to be seen by that traffic, which is critical for navigators to make decisions to avoid collision with other ships and dangers such as shoals or rocks. AIS is also used for fleet and cargo tracking, as well as for infrastructure protection, allowing owners of marine seabed infrastructure to monitor the activities of vessels close to their assets in close to real time. The technology has been developed under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) by its technical committees.