Tools for tracking and investigating ships, aircraft, trains, and vehicles using AIS, ADS-B, and other data sources.
Choosing Tools
- Start with the strongest identifier available, such as an IMO/MMSI, tail number, flight number, or registration plate.
- Compare tracking sources and normalize timestamps before inferring a route, ownership, or event.
Tools
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADS-B Exchange | Live flight tracker (including many miltiary aircraft). | Free | Live flight tracker (including many miltiary aircraft). Live data available for the past month. Historical data avail... | |
| Airframes | A database of aircraft details | Free | A database of aircraft details | |
| Aviation Safety Network | Aircraft incident database; can be searched by country, registration, year, etc. | Free | Aircraft incident database; can be searched by country, registration, year, etc. | |
| Chronotrains | A free interactive map designed to explore the reach of Europe’s extensive rail network. | Free | Chronotrains is a free interactive map designed to explore the reach of Europe’s extensive rail network. Enter a star... | Details |
| Equasis | Vessel ownership and safety records, as well as shipping company fleet information. | Free | Equasis provides vessel ownership and safety records, as well as shipping company fleet information. | Details |
| Federal Aviation Administration | Nationwide Plane Registry. | Free | Nationwide Plane Registry. Search by N-Number (a.k.a. callsign). Comprehensive list of privately owned planes in the US. | |
| FlightAware | A global flight-tracking platform that provides real-time data on aircraft movements. | Partially Free | FlightAware is a global flight-tracking platform that provides real-time data on aircraft movements. It offers live t... | Details |
| Flightradar24 | , a real-time flight tracking service, that provides comprehensive information about… | Partially Free | Flightradar24, a real-time flight tracking service, that provides comprehensive information about aircraft positions,... | Details |
| Global Fishing Watch | A digital platform for investigating fishing activities and vessel movements worldwide by… | Free | A digital platform for investigating fishing activities and vessel movements worldwide by utilising satellite and AIS... | Details |
| GPSJam | .org is a daily map that visualizes the GPS/GNSS disruptions on aircraft worldwide. | Free | GPSJam.org is a daily map that visualizes the GPS/GNSS disruptions on aircraft worldwide. It collects and presents 24... | Details |
| Illegal, unreported, unregular fishing Vessels List | A combined list of known illegal, unreported, unregular fishing vessels | Free | A combined list of known illegal, unreported, unregular fishing vessels | |
| IMO Registry | Ship/shipping-related information from the IMO | Free | Ship/shipping-related information from the IMO | |
| License Plate Maps | Collection of tools and maps for discerning license plates by country | Free | Collection of tools and maps for discerning license plates by country | Details |
| Live ATC | Audio from air traffic control towers in the United States. | Free | Audio from air traffic control towers in the United States. Aircraft have to identify themselves to ATC towers, so in... | |
| MarineTraffic | An open, community-based project, providing (near) real-time information on the movements… | Partially Free | An open, community-based project, providing (near) real-time information on the movements of ships and their location... | Details |
| OpenRailwayMap | A detailed online map of the world's railway infrastructure | Free | a detailed online map of the world's railway infrastructure | |
| OpenSky-Network | Community, open source flight tracking network. | Free | Community, open source flight tracking network. | |
| ShipFinder | An application designed to track vessels in near real-time across the globe, available on… | Partially Free | ShipFinder is an application designed to track vessels in near real-time across the globe, available on iPhone and An... | Details |
| VesselFinder | Live marine vessel tracker | Partially Free | Live marine vessel tracker | Details |
Investigation Tips
- For ships: cross-reference MarineTraffic, VesselFinder, and Equasis for ownership and movement history
- For aircraft: use Flightradar24, FlightAware, and ADS-B Exchange (includes military aircraft)
- Check Global Fishing Watch to identify fishing vessel activity vs regular shipping
- GPSJam shows GPS interference patterns that may indicate electronic warfare activity
- Use Live ATC for air traffic control audio as a supplementary tracking source
- License Plate Maps helps identify vehicle registration plates by country