Ship localization using AIS signals received by satellite

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of ship localization by using the messages received by satellites and transmitted by the automatic identification system (AIS). In particular, one considers the localization of ships that do not transmit their actual position in AIS signals. The proposed localization method is based on the least squares algorithm and uses the differences of times of arrival and the carrier frequencies of the messages received by satellite. A modification of this algorithm is proposed to take into account the displacement model of the ships as additional measurements. This modification shows a significant localization improvement.