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Global Fixed Infrastructure Dataset

A satellite orbits above a coastal landscape, with website text reading Datasets and Code and listing fixed infrastructure detections from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2, including a downloadable data file.

Global Fishing Watch has released updates to the Data Download Portal. Anyone can now: 

  • Download Fixed infrastructure detections from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2
    • This dataset incorporates updated information derived from the models developed as part of the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature. It includes Offshore infrastructure between 2017 to 3 months ago.
    • Offshore fixed infrastructure is a global dataset that uses AI and machine learning to detect and classify structures throughout the world’s oceans. Classification labels (oil, wind, unknown, noise and lake_maracaibo) are provided, as well as confidence levels (high, medium, or low) reflecting our certainty in the assigned label.
  • Examples of use cases for this data:
    • Maritime domain awareness:
      • Infrastructure locations can support maritime domain awareness, and understanding of other activities occurring at sea.
      • Infrastructure data supports assessments of ocean industrialization, facilitating monitoring of areas experiencing build-up or new development
    • Monitoring vessels:
      • Infrastructure locations can be used to analyse the behaviour of vessels associated with infrastructure, including grouping vessels based on their interaction with oil and wind structures.
      • Interactions between vessels and infrastructure can help quantify the resources required to support offshore industrial activity: The impacts of infrastructure on fishing, including attracting or deterring fishing, can be analysed.
    • Marine protected areas (MPAs) and marine spatial planning: During the planning stage of the designation of new protected areas, knowing the location of existing infrastructure will be vital to understanding which stakeholders shall be included in the consultation process, potential conflicts, and easy wins.
    • Environmental impacts:
      • Infrastructure locations can be used to help detect marine pollution events, and to differentiate between types of pollution events (e.g. pollution from vessels versus pollution from platforms)
      • Impact of ocean wind turbines on fishing movements and marine ecosystems: analyzing fishing movements or changes due to ocean wind turbine installations helps assess the impact on marine ecosystems and fishing economies globally.
  • The discrepancy with data shown on the Global Fishing Watch Map
    • The data download portal includes all data, there is no filter.
    • In the Map, if you enable the OFFSHORE FIXED INFRASTRUCTURE (SAR, OPTICAL) layer, you can filter by Label which includes only oil, wind, and unknown. Specifically, we exclude data labeled as noise and lake_maracaibo and data from certain regions, such as Chile, Canada, and Norway. The coordinates being removed in the Map are:
      • (lat BETWEEN -50.6 AND -41.51 AND lon BETWEEN -80.44 AND -75.71) — chile
      • (lat BETWEEN 50.6 AND 74.02 AND lon BETWEEN -115.8 AND -60.53) — canada
      • (lat BETWEEN 64.2 AND 67.43 AND lon BETWEEN 10.58 AND 16.06) — norway_s
      • (lat BETWEEN 67.63 AND 71.19 AND lon BETWEEN 12.44 AND 31.08) — norway_n

Find our supporting information on the Global Fishing Watch website. Share feedback through our public Canny board. Email [email protected] for support.

Release – Thursday 27 June

Go to the Data Download Portal
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