Maritime Industry Data

What Is Maritime Industry Data?

Maritime industry data includes information on sea-faring vessels, navigation systems, cargo, and employment in the fishing, hospitality, naval, and shipping industries. This category also includes supportive industry sector data, like ship-building and ports.

Changes to global shipping patterns and international trade following the Covid-19 pandemic have already impacted the industry and will continue to do so for a long time. Additionally, new technologies in navigation and IoT have already made their impact and will continue to be adopted going forward.

Where Does Maritime Industry Data Come From?

Government sources, especially economic and employment reports, and NGOs provide a lot of this data. However, industry and company reports are also vital resources, especially as maritime shipping accounts for nearly all international trade.

What Types of Columns/Attributes Should I Expect When Working with This Data?

Much of maritime data includes industry employment, divided by sector. For example, the number of people employed by cruise ships vs fishing vessels. Researchers will also find trade data, divided into ports and type of cargo—i.e., dry goods, oil, or vehicles.

Other important information includes weather, routes, shipping vessel types, and particular maritime hazards like piracy or slavery.

Workers on ships and in ports themselves also track routes in real time, and communicate with port authorities to ensure safe arrival and efficient unloading and reloading of cargo. New technologies data can also help these professionals make decisions on upgrades to improve safety and efficiency.

What Is Maritime Industry Data Used For?

Governments and international organizations use this data to improve trade, mitigate the risks of piracy or the effects of shipping on the environment. Businesses also use this information to plan better shipping routes, attract investors, or avoid dangerous conditions on the water.

Many shipbuilders have also taken to using maritime data to improve the design or function of ships.

How Should I Test the Quality of This Data?

Since accurate data in this field can determine whether a vessel and its crew and passengers make it to shore safely, researchers can trust a good deal of this data. However, not all industry data can be trusted implicitly: in some parts of the world, for example, forced labor is endemic. Seeking data from third-party sources may be the best plan in this case.

For data sets that require real-time updates, accurate coordinates and uniform data columns must be used. Data from disparate sources, then, must be standardized, at high speeds.

Interesting Case Studies and Blogs to Look Into

Marine Digital: Big Data in Maritime: How a shipping company can effectively use data
Global Slavery Index: Fishing

Tangible Examples of Impact

Approximately 60 commercial ships and several superyachts [will test] the beta version of the Eyesea app, the nonprofit announced. The reporting tool allows seafarers to collect and submit data on marine pollution by simply taking a photo and categorizing the pollution type. Images are then automatically GPS-tagged, anonymized, and vetted before being incorporated into a comprehensive database of pollution to enable Eyesea to create detailed oceanic maps and charts. [App developers plan to release the results] free of charge

The Maritime Executive: Shipping Industry Joins First Effort Mapping Ocean Pollution