ShippingAPR - Real-Time Ship Tracker

A modern desktop application for real-time ship tracking in Swedish waters and beyond, powered by live AIS data.

Install

1. Go to the latest release and download ShippingAPR-Setup.exe from the assets
2. Double-click the installer and follow the setup wizard
3. Open ShippingAPR from your desktop

That's it. No .NET or developer tools needed. Windows 10 or later (64-bit).

Note: Windows SmartScreen may show a warning since the app is not code-signed. Click More info → Run anyway. This is normal for open-source apps.

Prefer the command line? Run the quick installer, which downloads the latest release for you:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File Install.ps1

Getting Started

1. Launch ShippingAPR — you'll see the welcome screen
2. Sign up for a free API key at aisstream.io (it's free)
3. Paste your API key and click Get Started
4. The map shows Gothenburg harbor by default
5. Click Start Tracking in the bottom bar to begin receiving live ship data

You can also click Explore without API key to browse the app interface first. You can add your key later from within the app.

Features

• Real-time AIS streaming via aisstream.io WebSocket API
• Interactive map with OpenStreetMap tiles (Mapsui)
• Area selection — click two points to define a tracking zone
• Smart ETA calculation — course-deviation-corrected arrival time estimates
• Ship details — MMSI, IMO, call sign, speed, heading, destination, dimensions
• Vessel type color coding — cargo, tanker, passenger, fishing, tug, etc.
• Track history — vessel trail visualization (up to 200 points)
• Search — find vessels by name, MMSI, or IMO
• Filtering — by vessel type and speed range
• Area monitoring — notifications when ships enter/leave your selected area
• Dark/Light themes
• Bilingual UI — English and Swedish (toggle with one click)
• Port database — 80+ major ports with UN/LOCODE for destination resolution

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Developer Guide

The sections below are for developers who want to build from source. Regular users should use the installer above.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11
• .NET 8 SDK
• Free API key from aisstream.io

Build & Run

git clone <repo-url>
cd ShippingAPR
dotnet restore
dotnet build
dotnet run --project src/ShippingAPR.App

Running Tests

dotnet test

Publishing a Release

git tag 1.0.4
git push origin 1.0.4

The GitHub Actions workflow will automatically build, test, and publish a release with ShippingAPR-Setup.exe and the portable zip attached as assets. The installer is never committed back into the repository.

Architecture

ShippingAPR.Core           Zero-dependency domain models, calculations, interfaces
ShippingAPR.Infrastructure AIS providers (AisStream WebSocket, Datalastic/DataDocked REST) behind a
                           provider factory + fallback, VesselFinder enrichment, weather, port database
ShippingAPR.Services       VesselStore, TrackingService, AreaMonitor, Notifications, and more
ShippingAPR.App            WPF views, MVVM viewmodels, themes, localization

Key design decisions:

• MVVM with CommunityToolkit.Mvvm source generators
• Batched UI updates (250ms intervals) to handle 300+ AIS messages/second
• ConcurrentDictionary vessel store with UI-thread event dispatching
• Auto-reconnect WebSocket with exponential backoff
• Course-corrected ETA: effectiveSpeed = SOG × cos(courseDeviation)

Technology Stack

Component	Technology
Framework	WPF / .NET 8
Map	Mapsui 5.x (SkiaSharp)
MVVM	CommunityToolkit.Mvvm 8.4
AIS Data	aisstream.io (WebSocket, default), Datalastic / DataDocked (REST)
Enrichment	VesselFinder API (optional)
DI	Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting
Testing	xUnit + FluentAssertions + Moq