EO·Atlas
Vessel tracking
Vessel tracking combines AIS messages, SAR targets, optical detections, wakes, and maritime context to produce vessel detections, identity correlation, dark-ship flags, track history, and alerts.[1][2][3] Sentinel-1C and Sentinel-1D AIS payloads collect vessel identity, position, and direction signals for maritime traffic monitoring.[1] SAR and optical imagery support vessel detection, with AIS used to identify or corroborate targets.[2][3] Optical very-high-resolution sensors can differentiate vessel types in clear daylight, while SAR supports all-weather and day-night detection.[2] Operational tracking workflows correlate SAR detections, optical classification, and AIS to identify unmatched vessels and maintain track context between satellite passes.[1][2][3]
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- [1]ESA Sentinel-1 tracking maritime trafficagency doc2026-05-27
- [2]ESA Knowledge Hub: Ship detection EO capabilityagency doc2026-05-27
- [3]ESA Satellite Automatic Identification System archiveagency doc2026-05-27
How to cite this page
Plain text
Vessel tracking. EO-Atlas, SpectraWorks B.V., last reviewed 2026-05-27. https://eo-atlas.org/topics/vessel-tracking (CC BY 4.0)
BibTeX
@misc{eoatlas:topics:vessel-tracking,
title = {Vessel tracking},
author = {{EO-Atlas}},
publisher = {SpectraWorks B.V.},
year = {2026},
note = {Last reviewed 2026-05-27. CC BY 4.0},
url = {https://eo-atlas.org/topics/vessel-tracking}
}