Announcing gTrax! AIS Vessel Tracking for the iPhone
gCaptain.com has teamed up with the good folks at Maritime Information Systems (MIS), the leading US provider of vessel tracking solutions to the maritime industry, to bring you gTrax, Vessel Tracking For The iPhone.
gTrax harnesses MIS's network of redundant secure, Automatic Identification System (AIS), antennas to gather information directly from commercial ships and boats underway in the harbor. Once processed through MIS's server, the information is pushed out to your iPhone and the location of each ship is plotted on the app's built in google map.
The vessel's location is just the start. Each ship is color coded according to its speed and oriented by course giving you an accurate "heads-up" view of the marine traffic around you. Clicking on the vessel brings additional information including the ship's destination, job function, navigational status and more.
Advanced sorting capabilities allow you to sort by the vessel's name and function. For example, if you want to find the exact location of a ferry, you can select to view only "Passenger" vessels. If you know the name of a specific ferry, simply type it in and the map will automatically center on the vessel's current location.
You can sort ships by type including:
• Cargo of Tanker (Large Commercials Ships)
• Passenger (Ferry's & Cruise Ships)
• Law Enforcement (Coast Guard & Police)
• Oil Spill Response
• Fishing Boats
• Plus 14 other categories.
In addition the app tracks Super-yachts, sailing ships and pleasure boats equipped with AIS-B transmitters.
Whether you are a boater in the harbor, commuter that relies on local ferries, manager of a JIT supply chain or simply enjoy watching ships from the window of your office or home, this application will give you specific details on the movement of ships around you.
Locations currently supported include:
• San Francisco, CA
• New York City, NY
• Baltimore, MD
• Beaumont, TX
• Boston, MA
• The Great Lakes
• Miami
• Seattle, WA
• Shanghai, China
• Tampa, FL
The purchase of gTrax for $4.99 gives you once daily updates on the location of vessels throughout supported harbors. Up-to-the minute tracking of vessels requires a monthly subscription of $9.99 per month for each location supported. The addition of up-to-the minute tracking is an option you will be able to subscribe to from within the app, no additional application or download will need to be purchased.
gTrax is currently available for download in the iTunes Store. Click HERE to get started with GTRAX.