Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Recreational boats using AIS by country

again, using code 36 and 37 of the AIS classification, we have compiled a table of the number of recreational boats (sailboats and powerboats) currently using AIS. This is based on a sample of approximately 4000 AIS MMSIs  reported in the period June-November 2013.

Country Sailboats Powerboats Total
Australia 15 18 33
Belgium 15 12 27
Bermuda 3 21 24
British Virgin Islands 8 28 36
Canada 23 28 51
Cayman Islands 43 482 525
China (People's Republic of) 28 146 174
Denmark 25 31 56
Finland 20 9 29
France 21 7 28
Germany (Federal Republic of) 105 34 139
Gibraltar 3 10 13
Greece 7 28 35
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 3 12 15
Italy 13 22 35
Japan 11 3 14
Korea (Republic of) 8 50 58
Luxembourg 3 10 13
Madeira (Portuguese isles of) 1 10 11
Malta 23 76 99
Marshall Islands (Republic of the) 13 107 120
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 155 525 680
Norway 45 36 81
Panama (Republic of) 15 16 31
Russian Federation 8 8 16
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 27 33
Singapore (Republic of) 19 1 20
Spain 23 14 37
Sweden 32 20 52
United Arab Emirates 5 14 19
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 256 257 513
United States of America 207 477 684
Vietnam  (Socialist Republic of) 6 4 10
Other 92 97 189
Total 1260 2640 3900

Monday, October 21, 2013

Top 20 World Marinas by unique AIS visitors

sQuidd.io tracks the number of times a Pleasure Craft (code 36 and 37 of the AIS classification) checks into a marina, anchorage or other sailing destination. Below is the ranking of the most popular destinations during the month of September 2013.

Destination Type City State Country Unique Visitors
1 20648905 Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (Anchorage) Anchorage Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 70
2 Laspalmas Puerto Palma Marina Palma Islas Baleares Spain 60
3 91484475 Fort Lauderdale (Harbour) - Las Olas Circle Marina Fort Lauderdale Florida United States 49
4 85331741 Port Hercules Marina Monaco France 36
5 50535928 Port de Plaisance Cap D Ail Marina Cap-d'Ail Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 36
6 79136805 Monaco (Anchorage) Anchorage Monaco Monaco 36
7 13936027 Heikendorf (Anchorage) Anchorage Heikendorf Schleswig-Holstein Germany 31
8 28279899 Baia di Porto Venere Anchorage Porto Venere Liguria Italy 30
9 43610558 Oneglia (Harbour) Marina Imperia Liguria Italy 25
10 1309458 Antibes (Anchorage) - Rue des Saleurs Anchorage Antibes Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 25
11 13556965 Cannes (Harbour) - Jetée Anchorage Cannes Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 25
12 48314346 Marina di Imperia Marina Imperia Liguria Italy 24
13 11778381 Antibes (Anchorage)- Route du Bord de Mer Anchorage Antibes Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 24
14 21589566 Antibes (Anchorage) - Boulevard Maréchal Juin Anchorage Antibes Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 24
15 91173659 Port Vauban Antibes Marina Antibes Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 24
16 11333197 Cagnes Sur Mer (Anchorage) - Promenade de la Plage Anchorage Cagnes Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France 23
17 43850153 Calvià (Harbour) - Carrer Antoni M. Alcover Marina Calvià Islas Baleares Spain 23
18 61078734 Marina di Sestri Ponente Marina Sestri Ponente Liguria Italy 20
19 9383232 Falls At Marina Bay Marina Fort Lauderdale Florida United States 20
20 50379847 Fort Lauderdale (Harbour) - Southwest 20th Street Marina Fort Lauderdale Florida United States 20

Those Côte d'Azur destinations were pretty busy this last summer! Time to head to the Caribbeans? We expect things to get pretty busy over there too once the 2013 hurricane season is over. Look forward to the December report to see how many of those sQuidders have headed over to the warm waters of St Barth!

Granted, when the ITU refers to these boats as "Pleasure Crafts", the emphasis is on the word pleasure: some of these boats are over 100mt in length, have a helicopter landing pad and gold-plated shower faucets, but, regardless, the number of recreational boats (i.e. the type you and I are likely to ever own) using AIS is increasing by the day. More on that subject in a later post.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

sQuidd.io supports AIS for member-to-member position tracking

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is an automatic tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and AIS Base stations. While originally intended for large cargo and passenger ships, low-cost AIS transponders are becoming more affordable and are increasingly popular among pleasure boaters. In addition to providing a vital anti-collision warning service, the AIS has enabled the advent of an accurate and inexpensive peer-to-peer position tracking system, particularly useful in areas where cellular coverage is poor or nonexistent.

sQuiddio is enhancing its popular Follow-me feature by adding AIS support. The Follow-me feature allows members to constantly advertise their position and track their friends' boat's position on a map. You can also  post position updates on your Facebook page. 

IMPORTANT: sQuiddio relies on AIS position updates available on the Internet and provided by a network of private and independently operated AIS Base stations around the world. Coverage is therefore limited to certain areas, mostly within a 20-50 mile radius of heavily populated areas. THIS SERVICE IS THEREFORE PROVIDED ON A BEST EFFORT BASIS and should not be relied upon when sharing your position with others at all times is critical. Check our AIS service provider's coverage map to find out what areas are currently served. To update your follow list in areas not covered by AIS you should continue to rely on cellular phone or satellite phone updates.


To enable AIS tracking, simply add your MMSI to your sQuidd.io Boat profile (please allow between 10 and 30 minutes for the first position update to be reflected on sQuidd.io).





Check our FAQ for additional information on Follow-lists ans AIS.



Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Places API released

For the technically inclined sQuidders out there, we have just released a new Places API which allows you to retrieve all marinas, anchorages and other sQuidd.io places based on lat/lon coordinates from our database of over 10,000 boating destinations of interest worldwide. The API may be useful if you are creating geo-based applications such as marine charts and cruising guides. The results you get by using this particular API  call are the same you would obtain by searching for places through web UI, only in machine readable format.

The use of the API requires a sQuidd.io Business Account. If you have not yet signed up for one you can do so  at http://squidd.io/accounts/new. Business Accounts are free. Our APIs are REST-ful, and all responses are in JSON format. The basic request for a list of sQuidd.io Places looks like this:

http://squidd.io/places/?api_key=2CJ4ZIFWLPkuVitGs&latitude=37.589&longitude=-122.317&frame_size=1000

  • api_key: the API key associated with your business account. To obtain your key, go to your Account/Contact Info view and look for the value at the bottom of the form. 

  • latitude/longitude: the coordinates for the center of the search, in decimal format (south and east are negative numbers). 
  • frame_size: the half size of an approximate square centered on your lat/lon position, in meters. For instance, if you ar searching for all marinas and anchorages in the San Francisco Bay Area (latitude = 37.589, longitude=-122.317) with a frame_size of 1000, the results will include all places located in an area extending 1 Km north, 1 Km south, 1Km east and 1km West of  the specified coordinates. The maximum allowed value is 10,000.
And here is an example of the JSON response that this request would generate:

[
  {
    "address": "385 Oyster Point Blvd # 8A",
    "address2": null,
    "ais_unique_visitors": null,
    "city": "S San Francisco",
    "country_code": "US",
    "elevation": 6.615729808807373,
    "id": 1496,
    "latitude": 37.66389846801758,
    "longitude": -122.38500213623047,
    "name": "Oyster Cove Marina",
    "place_type": "Marina",
    "postal_code": "94080",
    "squiddio_url": "http://192.168.1.155:3000/places/1496",
    "state_code": "CA",
    "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
  },
  {
    "address": "400 Sierra Point Parkway",
    "address2": null,
    "ais_unique_visitors": null,
    "city": "Brisbane",
    "country_code": "US",
    "elevation": 5.1478800773620605,
    "id": 1493,
    "latitude": 37.673301696777344,
    "longitude": -122.37999725341797,
    "name": "City of Brisbane: Brisbane Marina",
    "place_type": "Marina",
    "postal_code": "94005",
    "squiddio_url": "http://192.168.1.155:3000/places/1493",
    "state_code": "CA",
    "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
  }
]

Monday, July 1, 2013

sQuidd.io introduces: Business Accounts

Manage your Charter Agency through sQuidd.io

Announcing the first SaaS (Software as a Service) solution for Chartering Agencies

Do you own a Charter Agency, or plan on starting one soon? Do you manage a fleet of third-party owned boats and are looking at ways to grow the fleet? Are you frustrated with the limitations of your web-based reservation system, or overwhelmed by the cost and complexities of acquiring or developing one? The sQuidd.io Business account may be the solution you are looking for.

By signing up to a business account you can:
  • Start your chartering business or expand your existing fleet: Use sQuidd.io to manage your own or  third-party owned boats
  • Grow your revenue: Reach thousands of potential customers by appearing in searches from renters all over the world
  • Reduce risk: View renters' sailing resumes and ratings prior to accepting reservations
  • Manage more effectively!: Eliminate paperwork by handling the entire registration process online, including contracts and check-in/out documents. Reduce cruising dead times by allowing your customers to submit their pre and post-cruise checklists though a smartphone.
  • Simplify payments and speed up collections: Receive payments securely ans directly on your PayPal account.
  • Keep close tabs on your fleet: View your boats positions on a map. Receive automatic notifications when your renters reach recommended sailing locations, or stray into dangerous waters.