SHIP SPEED WATCH

Oceana's "Ship Speed Watch" allows users to monitor ship speeds in voluntary and mandatory speed restricted zones that were established to protect marine mammals like North Atlantic right whales along the East Coast of Canada and the United States in near real-time. When mandatory and enforced, speed restriction zones can help prevent collisions with ships, one of two leading causes of North Atlantic right whale injury and death. Ship Speed Watch was created using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from Global Fishing Watch, an independent non-profit founded by Oceana in partnership with Google and SkyTruth, which uses cutting-edge technology to interpret data from various ship tracking resources. AIS was initially designed as a safety mechanism for ships to avoid collisions at sea. Using ship identifying information reported by operators, AIS can be used to monitor and track ship movements over time since it transmits a ship's identity, speed, and GPS location.