Construction of maritime traffic network based on DBSCAN

Abstract Trajectory data is essentially a sequence of spatial points ordered by timestamps, usually with some descriptive information in addition to basic spatiotemporal information. This paper investigates how publicly available Automatic Identification System (AIS) data can be used to analyze maritime traffic and transform it into directed graphs for estimating potential destination points of trajectories. In the maritime field, analyzing and modeling maritime traffic is crucial for vessel safety and efficiency, creating pathways with waypoints and segments, and further forming traffic networks. Our approach incorporates a detailed analysis of the distribution characteristics of different types of navigational points, leading to the adoption of tailored clustering parameters and methods. This differentiation allows for a nuanced understanding of stationary points at docks and anchorages, as well as navigational changes along shipping routes. Using the DBSCAN algorithm, we successfully cluster similar waypoints, considering cluster density and shape without needing to predefine the cluster count.