Developing a GIS for global vessel movements

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Developing a GIS for global vessel movements

• Mark Deverill - Shipping Database Manager.
• Email Mark.Deverill_at_lloydsmiu.com
• John Mclure Senior Developer
• Email John.Mclure_at_lloydsmiu.com

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• Project Overview
• Brief Demonstration
• Reasons for development
• LMIU History
• AIS - the advancement of maritime movement
  information
• Requirements
• Why Caris
• Keeping Control
• Data Is key
• Maps are helpful too

• The value of integration
• Future Plans
• Lessons Learnt
• Technical overview
• Control from the Database
• Spatial Fusion
• Development process
• Demonstration of SeaSearcher-AIS

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Brief Demonstration
Click on Image to Play Movie
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Infrastructure
Clustered Apache Web Server
Load Balanced
Caris SpatialFusion
Tomcat Application
Tomcat Application
Tomcat Application
Maps
Caris SpatialFusion
Result Sets
Request For Data
Database
Caris SpatialFusion
Data
PL/SQL Procedures
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• Reasons for development
• Meeting the future
• Continually changed with the times as technology
  leads
• Paper, Post, Telex, Fax, Computer Storage,
  Database, Email, Internet, AIS
• Maintaining market position
• LMIU primary provider of global commercial
  maritime data.
• Only provider of global shipping movements
• AIS
• AIS clearly established. Buzz word of maritime
  data
• Competition
• Competitors already offering AIS applications
• LMIU needed the timeliness of AIS data
• Image and perception

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LMIU History
Over the last 250 years Lloyds Marine
Intelligence Unit (LMIU) has established itself
as the worlds leading provider of the highest
quality shipping intelligence 1734 The first
edition of Lloyds List is published. It
includes shipping movements produced by LMIUs
predecessor, Lloyds Intelligence 1880 Lloyds
Intelligence publishes the first Lloyds Shipping
Index. This remains the publication dedicated
solely to the provision of global shipping
movements 1886 Lloyds Intelligence publishes
the first Lloyds Confidential Index. This
remains the only publication able to unravel the
complex ownership structures behind the merchant
fleet 1980 Lloyds Shipping Index is launched
weekly publication of shipping movements 1990 Llo
yds Shipping Index online is launched as dial-up
application for shipping movements 1999 Seasearch
er www.seasearcher.com is launched to deliver
real time shipping movements integrated with
ownership, characteristics and casualty
information 2000 Automated capture of movements
by e-mail starts to replace traditional methods
of reporting 2001 Lloyds Marine Intelligence
Unit is formed to house all of the Lloyds
Shipping Intelligence titles, teams and
functions 2004 Seasearcher expands with ETA
information for better future voyaging
data. 2005 Seasearcher integrates AIS data in
GIS
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LMIU Data
Lloyds Agents, Coastguards, Ports,
Movements
Classification Societies, Brokers, Registers,
Internet
AIS
Company Contacts Structures
Characteristics
Ports, Operator Companies,
LMIU Database
Schedules
Specialist company investigations team.
Company Performance
Port information
Casualties
Lloyds Agents, Salvage Companies, Ship Owners
News
Port Authorities and Agents,
Journalists
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AIS - the advancement of maritime movement
information

• Originally designed as an anti-collision system,
  the Universal Automatic Identification System is
  used for identifying and monitoring maritime
  traffic.
• AIS signals are received via VHS radio
  transmission on public frequencies
• Standard signal range 20 50 nm.
• Data can be relayed between vessels with
  transponders or range extended by Tropospheric
  Ducting thus increasing range up to hundreds of
  miles.
• Data transmitted at high frequency, every 6-15
  seconds.
• Data received almost immediately, lt 2 minutes
  from ship to internet.
• Vessel details also transmitted every 10 minutes
  including
• vessel name, radio call sign, navigational status
• Speed, heading, type of ship/cargo, destination
  and estimated time of arrival

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Requirements

• Global collection of AIS Data
• AIS Data stored in or integrated with existing
  LMIU Oracle Database
• GIS for mapped display of positions reported by
  AIS
• GIS must be able to show historical vessels
  tracks along with dynamic real time reports.
• GIS must be able to optionally display labels on
  the map for plotted objects.
• GIS must be able to display other static data
  sets.
• GIS must display Maritime charts, showing clear
  harbour, coastal and waterway areas
• Integration with existing internet systems,
  Linux/JSP/HTML web applications.
• Extendable and configurable system.
• Data sourced from Oracle database
• Options for adding further optional layers to GIS
  both from in and outside database
• GIS maintainable by LMIU staff post phase 1
  development
• Application capable of handling large data sets.
• GIS provider able to undertake and then hand over
  initial development
• GIS development ideally based on existing and
  proven GIS toolkit
• GIS solution able to meet complex requirements of
  LMIU Software Requirements Specification.
• GIS provider able to meet project timescales
• GIS solution cost effective and scalable.

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Why Caris

• Many GIS developers but many are also PC
  focussed.
• Caris vastly experienced with both GIS and
  maritime charting
• Caris have many maritime customers in same market
  sectors as LMIU. Good partnership.
• Caris had proven products on which to base
  development. IE PORTIS SpatialFusion
• Caris costs competitive with most and
  significantly cheaper than main rival in
  selection process
• Caris were committed to meet very tight
  timescales
• Caris pre sales consultancy was excellent
• Caris products flexible enough to provide future
  expansion
• Summary Maritime experience with very closely
  matched products, good support and cost.

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Why Caris
compare
Previous Caris developments
Seasearcher LMIU
Key Caris Products PORTIS, SpatialFusion, Carta,
EasyENC
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Keeping Control

• We didnt have extensive Java development skills
• LMIU predominantly database orientated
• Wanted GIS to be database orientated also
• Did not want dependency on external party for all
  future developments
• Proven experience with internet database
  application indicated that the database changes
  frequently and keeping control of applications in
  the database allows applications to be easily
  updated for new data models without having to
  always recode the internet site. John to expand
• Wanted to be able to vary parameters for GIS
  easily, and even on a per user basis.
• Significant decision was in deciding whether a
  java client was required. It was not!

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Data Is Key

• GIS application would be useless without data
• Collection, Aggregation and Archiving of AIS Data
  was the first requirement, the database was the
  foundation on which it was all built.
• Quantities of AIS data immense. Predict up to 10
  million records per day in 2006.
• SeaSearcher AIS value is in integrating GIS with
  extensive maritime database.
• Maps and Charts are data and also need to be of
  appropriate quality.
• Initial Network of data from over 50 receivers in
  key locations worldwide, covering every major
  continent. 100 by end of 2005. 100 more in 2006!

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Data Is Key Data Issues

• Latitude and Longitude values previously held in
  the database needed revising as GIS display
  proved them sometimes less accurate than we
  imagined.
• Taking a data warehouse approach to the data was
  required for performance with aggregated views
  and pre calculated queries.
• Archiving of data was required. We settled for 7
  days online.
• We still see errors, but its errors in the data
  transmitted and beyond LMIU control.
• Reduced number of points when drawing vessel
  tracks, contrast drawing 24 hour track of a
  vessel with positions reported every 10 seconds
  and positions reported every 100 metres when
  travelling at 20knots.First example 24606010
  864000 points or 7200
• Asked questions about what was actually important.

Functionality and performance of GIS wasted if
quality of data not appropriate to usage..
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Maps are helpful also
Seasearcher AIS with detailed Maritime Chart
contrast
Seasearcher AIS with crude map of the world
Accuracy of vessel positions is unchanged but
data derived from GIS is far increased by
accurate charts.
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The Value of Integration
SeaSearcher links to GIS. Data displayed
alongside Maps
GIS can trigger the database application and vice
versa
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Timescales it always takes longer

• Concept to Launch 18 months
• Pre project budget planning 1 week
• Development of data collection network 6 months
• Selection of GIS provider and development partner
  4 months
• Production of Software Requirements Specification
  3 months
• Initial development 4 months
• Time allowed for testing before launch 1 month
• Major changes specified before launch 2. Both
  as results of testing.
• Number of users testing before launch 50.

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Future plans

• Other background layers
• Meteorological data
• Utilisation of as yet unused SpatialFusion
  functionality
• OGC (Open GIS Consortium) data feeds (ref.
  Session at Caris 2005 conference)
• Client specific customisations.
• Integration of Oracle spatial data
• Geo-coding of address data

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Lessons Learnt

• Assumptions are always dangerous.
• Thought specification of S-57 ENC charts was
  precise enough but IHO and Commercial ENC only
  available in S-63 or proprietary format.
• KISS Keep things simple, dont add unnecessary
  complicated functionality.
• SMART Plan project or products in achievable
  phases
• Plan ahead from the beginning, this was important
  in selection of Caris
• Allow contingency in budget
• Allow contingency in timescales
• The more dedicated the project management the
  better. Try and be free of previous work when
  undertaking a major development.

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Technical Overview

• Right from the very early stages of producing the
  requirements document we recognised that we did
  not have the necessary skills and experience to
  develop the web component of the application,
• We did know our database, its content and the
  best way to access it.
• Important to remain tight control of SQL queries
  on our database
• Experience from our other major web based product
  www.seasearcher.com proved the benefits of
  database driven application.
• Decided major requirements would be that GIS
  database access would also be via Oracle stored
  procedures returning Oracle reference Cursors.

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Technical Overview Advantages of Oracle
Procedures

• Caris developers do not need to know about
  database/schema complexities
• Caris developers need not be concerned with query
  performance
• We have complete control over what runs and how
  it runs on the database.
• We can leverage full database functionality, in
  particular complex plsql.
• Because we have access to all the database code,
  tuning becomes much simpler.

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Technical Overview Disadvantages of Oracle
Procedures

• Close cooperation required between us and Caris,
  we need to know what they need out and they need
  to know how they will get it.
• 2. Caris become reliant on us to provide any new
  procedures as required in a timely manner, any
  delays by us will invariably lead to delays for
  them.
• 3. Both parties needed to be accessing the same
  development database, so care was needed when
  making changes as not to leave the database
  unusable for any length of time.

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Technical Overview Other factors

• We did not like the idea of using xml config
  files stored on the web server that had to be
  maintained, edited and then probably require an
  application restart to take effect. As with
  PORTIS.
• Configuration changes without downtime was
  important. 24x365 internet application.
• Opted to store environment variables, user
  security details and any other parameters that
  may need changing in the database thus allowing
  us much greater flexibility to make dynamic
  changes to the system.
• Carefully considered HTML (HTML, JavaScript) vs
  Java solution. Wanted thinnest client as possible
  without issues of java development or support.