System and method for generating commodity flow information

摘要

This invention provides a global strategic picture of commodity movements generated by tracking ships from satellite and other sources and then combining ship location and movement information with at least one other data set, such as vessel, port, cargo, weather, or market data. Ship positions are integrated with other data, such as vessel, port, cargo, weather, and market information, to create a global strategic picture of commodity flows. A global strategic picture may then be generated by combining (i) ship movements gathered by satellite and other sources, with (ii) vessel, port, cargo, weather, market, and other data from existing sources, and (iii) a time history of these data sets.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a server receiving and combining vessel position information for a vessel, vessel identification and characteristic information for the vessel and port data associated with a port, wherein:
the vessel position information for the vessel is determined from at least one of an automatic identification system (AIS) message from the vessel and an image of the vessel;the vessel identification and characteristic information for the vessel comprises at least one of a vessel type of the vessel, a name of the vessel, a number associated with the vessel, a status of the vessel, a size of the vessel, and a capacity of the vessel; andthe port data associated with the port comprises at least one of an operational status of the port, a position of the port, a capacity of the port, a size of the port, a number and location of berths within the port, draft restrictions at the port, cargos handled by the port, and cargos handled by the berths within the port; and a module, operating on the server, configured, based on the vessel position information and at least one of the vessel identification and characteristic information and the port data, to perform one or more operations comprising:
inferring a loaded or empty status of the vessel;inferring a cargo type for cargo on the vessel;quantifying an amount of cargo on the vessel;aggregating the amount of cargo on multiple vessels;estimating one of an origin and a destination of the vessel; andmeasuring a quantity of vessels.