AIS Hub

About AIS Hub

AIS Hub provides a webservice API for retrieving AIS (Automatic Identification System) vessel tracking data in XML, JSON, or CSV format. Requests are made via a URL with parameters for output format, compression (ZIP, GZIP, or BZIP2), geographic bounding box (latitude/longitude min/max), specific vessel lookups by MMSI or IMO number, and maximum age of returned position data. Access requires an AISHub username obtained by joining the service, and the webservice may not be queried more than once per minute.

Returned vessel data includes MMSI, position (latitude/longitude), course and speed over ground, heading, rate of turn, navigational status, IMO number, vessel name, callsign, vessel type, dimensions, draught, destination, and estimated time of arrival, available in both raw AIS-encoded and human-readable formats. A separate stations endpoint returns data about individual AIS receiving stations, including station ID, location, country, last update time, and counts of ships in coverage.

This API is intended for developers and organizations building applications that require vessel tracking or maritime traffic data, such as shipping, logistics, or maritime monitoring tools.

Key features

• Retrieves live AIS vessel positions and voyage data via XML, JSON, or CSV webservice
• Filters results by geographic bounding box (lat/lon min/max)
• Filters results by MMSI or IMO number, including lists of multiple vessels
• Supports ZIP, GZIP, or BZIP2 compression of responses
• Returns AIS receiving station metadata including location, country, and ship counts
• Offers both raw AIS-encoded and human-readable output formats

Frequently asked questions