AIS to CoT Converter

This tool converts AIS (Automatic Identification System) vessel data to Cursor on Target (CoT) format in real-time. It connects to the AISstream.io service to receive vessel positions and information, converts them to CoT format, and forwards them to a specified destination.

Features

• Real-time AIS data conversion to CoT
• Support for both TCP and UDP forwarding
• Vessel type differentiation with distinct icons:
  • US Military vessels
  • NATO/Allied military vessels
  • Law Enforcement vessels
  • Fishing vessels
  • Passenger vessels
  • Cargo vessels
  • Tankers
  • High-speed craft
  • Other civilian vessels
• Filtering options to include/exclude specific vessel types
• Automatic reconnection on connection loss
• Proper handling of vessel metadata and position information

Requirements

python >= 3.7
websockets
asyncio

Install requirements using:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

1. Edit the API_KEY variable in ais_to_cot.py with your AISstream.io API key
2. (Optional) Modify the military MMSI prefixes in the military_prefixes dictionary

Usage

1. Activate the virtual environment:

source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

2. Run the script:

python ais_to_cot.py

3. Follow the prompts to enter:
   • Destination IP address
   • Destination port
   • Protocol (TCP/UDP)
   • Vessel types to include/exclude

Vessel Type Filters

Available vessel type filters:

• mil-us : US Military vessels
• mil-nato : NATO/Allied military vessels
• law : Law Enforcement vessels
• fishing : Fishing vessels
• passenger : Passenger vessels
• cargo : Cargo vessels
• tanker : Tankers
• highspeed : High-speed craft
• other : Other civilian vessels

Example filter combinations:

• Show all vessels: Enter 'all' when prompted for inclusion
• Military only: mil-us,mil-nato
• Commercial only: cargo,tanker,passenger
• Everything except passenger ships: Use 'all' for include and passenger for exclude

CoT Types Used

Vessel Category	CoT Type	Description
US Military	a-n-G-U-C-F	US Navy vessels
NATO Military	a-n-G-E-V-A	Allied military vessels
Law Enforcement	a-f-G-U-L-E	Coast Guard/Police vessels
Fishing	a-f-G-E-V-F	Commercial fishing vessels
Passenger	a-f-G-E-V-P	Passenger ships/ferries
Cargo	a-f-G-E-V-C	Cargo ships
Tanker	a-f-G-E-V-T	Tanker vessels
High-speed	a-f-G-E-V-H	High-speed craft
Other	a-f-G-E-V	Generic civilian vessels

Notes

• Military vessel detection is based on MMSI prefixes and AIS ship type codes
• Some military vessels may not broadcast AIS or may use civilian identifiers
• AIS data quality depends on vessels properly configuring and broadcasting their information
• The script automatically reconnects if the connection to AISstream.io is lost

Error Handling

The script includes error handling for:

• Invalid IP addresses
• Invalid port numbers
• Connection losses
• Invalid AIS messages
• Socket errors