Is South China Sea is the most dangerous area?

ANTI-SHIPPING ACTIVITY MESSAGES (ASAM)

Anti-shipping Activity Messages (ASAM) provide crucial information about incidents involving hostile acts against ships and mariners. These reports play a significant role in enhancing situational awareness, aiding in the recognition, prevention, and avoidance of potential threats to maritime security (Maritime Safety Information, n.d.).

In the accompanying animated map, the Temporal Controller panel is utilized with a yearly footstep to illustrate the geographical locations, chronological occurrences, and severity levels of ASAM events. Severity levels are determined based on the hostility_D  field in the ASMA_event layer. To effectively visualize and analyze these events, different weights are assigned to various categories, allowing for a nuanced representation of the data.

CASE 
WHEN  "hostilit_D" = 'Suspicious Approach' THEN 1
WHEN  "hostilit_D" = 'Kidnapping' THEN 2
WHEN  "hostilit_D" = 'Pirate Assault' THEN 5 
WHEN  "hostilit_D" = 'Naval Engagement' THEN 10 
ELSE 1
END

Mapping Approach:

The severity categories are assigned weights using an expression, a technique acquired from the Advanced QGIS course. This ensures that each type of event is appropriately represented, taking into account its impact and significance. The utilization of the Temporal Controller provides a dynamic and interactive way to explore the temporal aspect of ASAM events, offering insights into patterns and trends over the years.

Key Features:

• Temporal Analysis: The map dynamically unfolds over time, offering a chronological overview of ASAM events.

• Severity Categorization: Events are categorized based on the hostility_D field, allowing for a nuanced representation of severity.

• Weighted Representation: The use of weighted expressions ensures that the map reflects the varying impact of different event categories.

• Situational Awareness: The visualization aids in enhancing situational awareness by providing a comprehensive view of hostile activities against ships.
  

Data and instruction credit:

• Advanced QGIS Course by Ujava Gandhi www.spatialthoughts.com

• Anti-shipping Activity Messages: Maritime Safety Information portal , National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from ASAM Geospatial Files.