These stunning images trace ships’ routes as they move

Using the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s marine cadastre tool, you can download 16 years of detailed daily ship movements, as well as “transit count” maps generated from a year’s worth of data showing the accumulated trajectories of each ship. The data is collected entirely from ground stations along the US coast.

I downloaded all the 2023 transit count maps and loaded them into a geographic information system software called QGIS to visualize this year of maritime traffic.

The cards are abstract and electric. With the landmass removed, ship tracks resemble long-exposure photographs of sprinklers, high-energy particle collisions, or strands of fiber optic wire.

DATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA

DATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA

DATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA

DATA: NOAA; MAP: JON KEEGAN / BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA

By zooming in on these maps, you might see strange geometric patterns of perfect circles or grid lines. Some of them are hunting grounds, others are scientific surveys that map the sea floor, and still others represent ships going to and from offshore oil rigs, especially along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

Hiding in plain sight

Having a near-real-time global system to track the precise movements of all ships at sea sounds like a great innovation—unless you’re trying to keep your ships’ movements and cargo secret.