What's New at Pribilof Traffic

AIS History Database - Complete Vessel Tracking System New

November 19, 2025

We've launched a comprehensive vessel tracking history database that automatically logs every AIS detection in the Pribilof Islands area! This system provides detailed analytics, visit patterns, and fishing activity tracking for all vessels.

Key Features

• Live Statistics Dashboard: Unique vessels, total detections, visits, and currently active vessels
• Active Visits Display: Real-time view of vessels currently in the area with duration, distance, and speed
• Tracked Vessels Summary: Detailed cards for 19 monitored fishing vessels with comprehensive statistics
• Fishing Activity Analysis: Automatic detection of apparent fishing operations (speed ≤5 knots)
• Interactive Filtering: Sort by recent activity, hours in zone, sessions, or fishing activity
• Historical Links: Direct links to chagix.fish for multi-year tracking data

Tracked Vessels

We monitor 19 longline fishing vessels that frequently operate in the Pribilof Zone: ALASKA MIST, ALASKAN LEADER, ARCTIC PROWLER, BARANOF, BEAUTY BAY, BERING LEADER, BLUE NORTH, BRISTOL LEADER, CLIPPER ENDEAVOR, CLIPPER EPIC, CLIPPER SURPRISE, FLICKA, FRONTIER EXPLORER, FRONTIER MARINER, FRONTIER SPIRIT, LILLI ANN, NORTHERN LEADER, SIBERIAN SEA, and US LIBERATOR.

Two Databases

General AIS Database: Tracks all vessels with position history, visit sessions, and dwell time calculations.
Tracked Vessels Database: Special detailed tracking for monitored fishing vessels with fishing activity analysis.

Automatic Updates

The system runs automatically every 5 minutes, logging all vessel detections, updating visit sessions, identifying fishing activity, and generating JSON data for the web interface. The webpage auto-refreshes every 2 minutes to show the latest data.

CLI Query Tool

For advanced users, we've included a command-line tool (ais_report.py) that can query the databases for statistics, active visits, vessel history, long-duration vessels, and detailed tracked vessel reports.

Technical Details: SQLite databases, Python automation, JSON APIs, responsive web interface with dark mode support. All timestamps use America/Anchorage timezone (AKDT/AKST). Data retention is indefinite with automatic cleanup of stale sessions.

Share Buttons Now Site-Wide - Spread the Word!

November 12, 2025

We've added share buttons to over 20 pages across Pribilof Traffic! Now you can easily share weather conditions, approach status, timelapses, and more directly to Twitter/X with one click.

What Gets Shared?

Each share button is smart and includes relevant data:

• Weather Pages: Current temperature, wind speed, wind chill from SGXA2 (St. George) and PAUA2 (St. Paul)
• Approach Pages: Real-time status (Above/Below Minimums, Sensors Down), visibility, and ceiling
• METAR Sensor Status: Uptime percentages for both airports with #NWS #NWSAlaska tags
• Timelapses: Links to daily/weekly/monthly videos with #Timelapse #Wildlife tags
• Marine Traffic: Current vessel count near the islands
• AI Weather Observer: AI vs NOAA forecast comparisons

Hashtags for Discoverability

Every share includes relevant hashtags to help people discover the site:

• #PribilofIslands #Alaska #BeringSea
• #BushAviation #Aviation #Weather
• #NWS #NWSAlaska (for sensor status)
• #MarineTraffic #Fishing (for vessels)
• #Timelapse #Wildlife (for webcam content)

Pages with Share Buttons

SkyStats Page Redesigned - Now with Embedded Dashboard! New

November 11, 2025

The SkyStats page has been completely redesigned with a cleaner, card-based layout and an embedded live dashboard! No more text-heavy descriptions—now you can see the actual statistics right on the page.

What's New

• Embedded Live Dashboard: View real-time aircraft statistics directly on the page via iframe
• Card-Based Layout: Clean, visual presentation of features with icon cards
• Less Text, More Action: Condensed information into digestible cards instead of long paragraphs
• Mobile-Friendly: Responsive design with "Open Full Dashboard" button for better mobile experience

What Can You See?

The live SkyStats dashboard shows comprehensive aircraft tracking statistics including:

• Above Me: The 5 nearest aircraft with full routing information
• Aircraft Counts: How many aircraft flew over in the past hour, day, and all-time
• Speed & Altitude Records: Fastest, slowest, highest, and lowest aircraft detected
• Route Data: Top airports, airlines, countries, and most common routes
• Interesting Aircraft: Military, government, and notable civilian aircraft

Chagix̂ Chagix̂! - A Game of Chance Now in the Sandbox New

November 1, 2025

We're excited to announce Chagix̂ Chagix̂! (Unangan for "fish fish"), a game of chance and skill now available in our experimental sandbox. This isn't just a simple fishing game—it's a comprehensive simulation of fishing in the Bering Sea waters around the Pribilof Islands.

The Numbers

Game Features

• Multiple Fish Species - Catch halibut, salmon, rockfish, and more with unique behaviors
• Real-Time Weather - Dynamic weather affects fishing conditions and catch rates
• Tide System - Fish behavior changes with tidal cycles
• Equipment Upgrades - Earn money to buy better rods, reels, and bait
• Online Leaderboard - Compete with other players worldwide
• Unangan Language - Learn fish names in the indigenous language
• Progression System - Level up and unlock new fishing spots

Why It's in the Sandbox

This is an experimental project—a labor of love and a technical showcase. We're still tweaking gameplay balance, adding features, and squashing bugs. Your feedback helps shape the game's development!

Note: This game is part of our Sandbox - a space for experimental Pribilof Islands projects. Expect active development and occasional changes!

Help Train Our Weather AI - Pattern Recognition Now Live! New

October 26, 2025

We're launching an exciting new project where YOU can directly contribute to improving our weather AI! The Pattern Recognition system lets visitors help label webcam images to build a training dataset.

How It Works

1. View Random Images - See webcam captures from St. George Island
2. Label What You See - Select from 9 categories: Rainbow, Snow Squall, Rain Squall, Rough Seas, Clear Sky, Fog, Dramatic Clouds, Night/Dark, or Normal Conditions
3. Submit Your Vote - Your contribution is saved and counted
4. Build Consensus - After 3+ votes with 60% agreement, images are validated

Why This Matters

• Train Future AI - Validated images will train our AI to automatically detect weather events
• St. George Specific - Generic AI models don't understand our unique Bering Sea conditions
• Improve Accuracy - More labeled data = smarter AI = better automatic detection
• Citizen Science - Be part of building something unique for remote Alaska

What We're Looking For

What You Get

• Track Your Contributions - See how many images you've labeled
• Never See the Same Image Twice - Smart system remembers what you've labeled
• Help Build Something Unique - Be part of creating the first St. George weather pattern database
• Future Benefits - Once trained, the AI will automatically flag interesting moments for the Historical Gallery

Start contributing: https://pribiloftraffic.com/seaskystg/patterns/

Goal: 50 validated images to start training our first AI model!

AI Weather Observer - Forecast Verification System New

October 26, 2025

Introducing the AI Weather Observer - an intelligent system that analyzes webcam images to verify NOAA weather forecasts for St. George Island!

What the AI Analyzes:

• Sky Conditions: Clear, cloudy, overcast, fog
• Visibility: How far can it see?
• Precipitation: Rain, snow, or clear
• Sea State: Calm, choppy, or rough (focusing on distant ocean, not shoreline)
• Temperature: SGXA2 vs forecast (±3°F = accurate)
• Wind: SGXA2 vs forecast (±5 mph = accurate)

Key Features:

• Accuracy Tracking: Historical database tracks forecast accuracy over time
• Visual Verification: See the exact webcam image the AI analyzed
• Honest Comparisons: AI calls out forecast misses, not just successes
• History Page: View past observations and accuracy trends
• Efficient AI: Uses Moondream vision model - runs on local GPU

View the AI Observer: https://pribiloftraffic.com/aistgwx/

Part of: SeaSky STG Hub - St. George Island Webcam Enhancement Projects

Technical Infrastructure Page - Behind the Scenes New

October 26, 2025

Ever wondered what powers Pribilof Traffic? We've created a comprehensive Technical Infrastructure page that showcases all the hardware, software, and systems running 24/7 to bring you real-time data from the Pribilof Islands!

Infrastructure Highlights:

• 2 Raspberry Pi Nodes: PAPB (Downtown St. George) and PASN (St. Paul Harbor)
• 15+ Docker Containers: ADS-B, ACARS, AIS, Ollama AI server
• 3 AI Models: Weather Observer, Pribobs Commentary, Bush Pilot Commentary
• 20+ Python Scripts: Data collection, monitoring, automation

What You'll Learn:

• Remote Data Collection: How we track aircraft, decode ACARS, monitor marine traffic
• AI & Machine Learning: Local GPU-powered models analyzing weather and generating commentary
• Docker Applications: Complete containerized stack for data processing
• Python Applications: Custom scripts running everything from webcam archival to sensor monitoring
• Data Sources: NOAA, METAR, ADS-B, ACARS, AIS - where all the data comes from
• Web Infrastructure: Nginx, SSL, databases, and automation

Explore the tech: https://pribiloftraffic.com/technical/

See exactly how we collect, process, and display real-time data from one of the most remote locations in Alaska!

St. George Webcam Timelapses Now Live! New

October 22, 2025

The first St. George Island webcam timelapse is now available! Watch an entire day compressed into a beautiful 60-second video.

How It Works

• Automatic Daily Videos - Generated every night at 10 PM Alaska time
• Intelligent Filtering - Uses astronomical calculations to determine sunrise/sunset times
• Seasonal Adaptation - Longer videos in summer (more daylight), shorter in winter
• 30 FPS Smooth Playback - High-quality H.264 encoding at 30 frames per second
• Weekly & Monthly - Coming soon: longer-term timelapses showing weather patterns

Technical Details

The system captures images every 15 seconds throughout the day. For October, this means:

• ~12 hours of daylight captured (9 AM - 9 PM)
• ~1,800 images per day during daylight hours
• 60 seconds of video showing the entire day
• 67% reduction in nighttime images automatically excluded

First timelapse available: October 21, 2025 - Watch the fog roll in, the light change, and the island's daily rhythm!

St. George Live Conditions Dashboard New

October 21, 2025

We're excited to introduce the St. George Live Conditions Dashboard - a comprehensive, real-time view of everything happening on St. George Island!

What's Included

• Live Webcam - Updates every 15 seconds with click-to-fullscreen on mobile
• Wind & Temperature - Real-time data from SGXA2 weather station
• Sunrise/Sunset Times - Accurate astronomical calculations for St. George
• Marine Traffic - Live AIS vessel tracking near the island
• 7-Day Forecast - Complete weather outlook with temperatures and conditions
• Marine Forecast - Pribilof Islands nearshore waters forecast
• Timelapse Videos - Quick link to daily/weekly/monthly timelapses

Mobile-Optimized

The dashboard is fully responsive and works great on mobile devices. Tap the webcam image to view it fullscreen - perfect for checking conditions on the go!

Part of SeaSky STG

This dashboard is the second active project in the SeaSky STG webcam enhancement hub, which also includes:

• Timelapse Videos - Daily, weekly, and monthly compilations (already live!)
• AI Weather Observer - Coming soon
• Object Detection - Track aircraft, vessels, and wildlife (coming soon)
• Historical Gallery - Best/worst weather moments (coming soon)

Quick Links:

• Live Conditions Dashboard
• Timelapse Videos
• SeaSky STG Hub

New Marine Traffic Hub with AI Commentary NEW

October 21, 2025

We've launched a unified Marine Traffic Hub that combines AIS vessel tracking from both St. George and St. Paul Islands with AI-powered commentary about current marine activity in the Bering Sea!

Features:

• ✅ Unified Dashboard - View vessels from both islands in one place
• ✅ AI Marine Observer - Real-time commentary about vessel activity, similar to our weather observers
• ✅ Vessel Alert System - Flashing red banner when vessels approach within 20 nautical miles
• ✅ Detailed Vessel Info - Name, type, distance, heading, speed, and callsign for each vessel
• ✅ Unlimited Range - Track all vessels detected by our VHF AIS receivers
• ✅ Direct Links - Quick access to individual island AIS maps for detailed views

Our two VHF AIS receivers continuously monitor marine traffic around the Pribilof Islands. The AI observer analyzes vessel positions, types, and movements to provide engaging commentary about what's happening on the water—from fishing vessels and Coast Guard cutters to cargo ships passing through the Bering Sea.

METAR Sensor Status - Real-Time Weather Station Monitoring New

October 20, 2025

Introducing METAR Sensor Status - a comprehensive monitoring system that tracks the health of individual weather sensors at both PAPB and PASN airports!

• Real-Time Status - See which sensors are working or down at PAPB and PASN
• Downtime Tracking - Shows how long sensors have been offline
• Historical Database - All sensor checks logged to SQLite database
• Uptime Statistics - Calculate monthly and yearly uptime percentages
• Incident History - Track all sensor outages with start/end times
• Collection Start Dates - Shows when data collection began for each airport
• Auto-Refresh - Page updates every 2 minutes automatically

Check it out: View Sensor Status →

SkyStats - Comprehensive ADS-B Statistics Dashboard New

October 19, 2025

Introducing SkyStats - a powerful aircraft tracking statistics platform that provides detailed insights into all the air traffic flying over the Pribilof Islands!

• Above Me - Live view of the 5 nearest aircraft with full routing information
• Aircraft Counts - Total aircraft seen in the past hour, day, and all-time
• Route Tracking - Complete routing data including origin and destination airports
• Top Airlines - See which airlines fly over the islands most frequently
• Geographic Stats - Unique countries, airports, and most common routes
• Interesting Aircraft - Military, government, police, and notable civilian aircraft
• Speed & Altitude Records - Fastest, slowest, highest, and lowest aircraft tracked
• Top Airports & Countries - Most common domestic/international airports and origin/destination countries

Check it out: Launch SkyStats Dashboard → | Learn More →

Daily Data - Your Daily Digest of Island Highlights New

October 19, 2025

Introducing Daily Data - an AI-powered page that automatically finds the most interesting things happening around the Pribilof Islands every day!

• Interesting Aircraft - Catches bizjets, military planes, and aircraft with fun tags like "Must Be Nice!" and "Flying Rust Bucket"
• Weather Extremes - Highlights crazy wind gusts, temperature swings, and brutal conditions
• Marine Traffic - Spots vessels near the islands in the middle of the Bering Sea
• ACARS Messages - Live datalink messages from aircraft overhead
• Live Webcam - During daylight hours, links to the St. George webcam with fun comments
• AI Commentary - Enthusiastic intro that points out the coolest stuff and encourages exploration

Check it out: The Daily Data button is now featured at the top of the homepage with a purple gradient and star ⭐ - you can't miss it!

Monthly Weather Records & Enhanced System Monitoring New

October 19, 2025

Two major updates to help you track weather patterns and system reliability across the Pribilof Islands!

• Monthly Tracking - Records automatically reset on the 1st of each month
• Complete History - Data available from October 1, 2025 onwards
• Side-by-Side Comparison - See which island had the most extreme conditions
• Real-Time Updates - Records update every 30 seconds as new data arrives

• Individual Sensor Tracking - Wind, Temperature, Visibility, and Pressure sensors monitored separately
• Downtime Logging - Shows "down for X days" or "down for X hours" for each sensor
• Partial Outage Detection - PAPB METAR often has some sensors working while others are down
• Visual Status Indicators - ✓/✗ for each sensor shown inline
• Sensor Downtime Section - Yellow warning boxes at bottom of page show current issues

Check it out:

• Monthly Weather Records (Islands Comparison)
• METAR Sensor Status (System Monitor)

Bush Pilot Approach Commentary New

October 18, 2025

We've launched an exciting new feature: AI-powered bush pilot commentary for both PASN and PAPB approach pages! Get real-time, entertaining updates about approach conditions with traffic awareness and local personality.

• Traffic Awareness - Detects approaching aircraft within 15 miles and overhead cruise traffic within 50 miles
• Dynamic Updates - Switches to 2-minute updates when active traffic is detected
• All Approaches Monitored - PASN: ILS 36, RNAV 18/36, LOC/DME BC 18 | PAPB: RNAV 11/29, VOR 11
• Runway Wind Analysis - Calculates headwind/crosswind components and favored runway
• METAR Validation - Honest "no data" commentary when weather station is offline
• Island-Specific Humor - PASN: reindeer, fur seals, auklets | PAPB: puffins, blue foxes, Flyby Mary Ann, Emil
• Overhead Traffic - Mentions cargo flights cruising overhead when no active approaches
• Local AI Processing - Runs on Ollama (Llama 3.2 3B) with zero cloud costs

Check it out:

• PASN Approaches (St. Paul)
• PAPB Approaches (St. George)

AI-Powered Weather Commentary

October 17, 2025

We've introduced an exciting new feature: AI-generated humorous weather commentary on our Islands Comparison page!

• Local AI Processing - Runs entirely on our server using Ollama (no cloud costs!)
• Island-Specific References - Mentions local landmarks like High Bluffs, Ulakia Hill, Polovina Hill, and the Harbor
• Wildlife & Locals - References puffins, blue foxes, fur seals, and even local resident Emil
• Real Weather Data - Uses actual conditions from SGXA2 and PAUA2 weather stations
• Humorous Tone - Colorful, slightly sarcastic commentary that makes weather fun!
• Updates Every 30 Minutes - Fresh commentary 48 times per day

Check it out: Islands Comparison Page

New Islands Comparison Page

October 17, 2025

Ever wonder how different the weather is between St. George and St. Paul, even though they're only 40 miles apart? Our new comparison page shows you at a glance!

• Live Comparison Stats - Temperature difference, windier island, better flight conditions, and wind chill comparison
• Side-by-Side Current Conditions - Real-time weather from both islands displayed together
• Airport Conditions (METAR) - Flight category, visibility, clouds, and wind for PAPB and PASN
• Weekly Records - Highest gusts, warmest/coldest temps for both islands this week
• Auto-Refresh - Updates every 30 seconds with the latest data

Visit: Pribilof Islands Weather Comparison

PAPB Approaches - Complete Overhaul

January 17, 2025

St. George Island approach pages have been completely modernized to match the PASN implementation!

• New Approaches Hub - Central page showcasing all 3 St. George approaches
• Flight Category Badges - VFR/MVFR/IFR/LIFR indicators with color coding
• Modern Wind Compasses - Resized and optimized (220px desktop, 160px mobile)
• Back Navigation - Easy return to approaches hub from individual pages
• Fixed Ceiling Display - Shows "Unlimited (Clear)" instead of "99999 feet"
• Removed Trend Analysis - Cleaned up outdated 6-hour trend displays

View approaches: PAPB Approaches Hub

PASN Approach Pages - Standardized

October 17, 2025

All 4 St. Paul approach pages now have consistent modern features:

• ILS 36 - Complete modernization with new dedicated JavaScript
• RNAV 36, RNAV 18, LDBC 18 - Added Font Awesome icons and collapsible disclaimers
• Consistent Layout - Separated wind compass and runway analysis sections
• Modern UI - All pages use approach-specific JavaScript files
• Mobile Responsive - Optimized for all screen sizes

View approaches: PASN Approaches Hub

PlaneFence & Plane-Alert Showcase

January 17, 2025

New showcase page highlighting our aircraft tracking services:

• PlaneFence - Low-altitude aircraft tracking (under 10,000 ft)
• Plane-Alert - Special interest aircraft monitoring (military, Coast Guard, emergency services)
• Educational Content - Explains ADS-B technology and how tracking works
• Community Benefits - Shows why these services are useful for islanders

Learn more: PlaneFence & Plane-Alert

Weather Page Improvements

October 17, 2025

Both St. George and St. Paul weather pages received major updates:

• Weekly Highlights - Shows highest gust, warmest/coldest temps, and more for the current week
• Removed Duplicate Dependencies - Cleaned up Font Awesome and CSS references
• Added Missing Components - Status badges, back-to-top button, mobile menu
• Removed Empty Sections - Deleted placeholder Marine Forecast sections

Simplified Navigation

October 17, 2025

We've simplified navigation across all pages for a cleaner, less cluttered experience:

• Just Home Button - Simple, uncluttered navigation bars
• Updated 16+ Pages - Consistent navigation across the entire site
• Better UX - Homepage is well-organized with all services easily accessible

ACARS Hub - Mobile Improvements

January 17, 2025

Better mobile experience for ACARS tracking:

• Direct Link Button - Opens full ACARS page in new tab
• Mobile-First Design - Hides iframe on mobile, shows button only
• Better Performance - No struggling with embedded iframes on small screens

Under the Hood

Ongoing

Continuous technical improvements for better performance and reliability:

• Cache-Busting - Prevents mobile browser caching issues
• Dark Mode Support - Enhanced readability in dark theme
• Independent Commentary Loading - AI commentary loads even if weather APIs fail
• Alaska Timezone - All timestamps now properly display in AKDT
• Error Handling - Graceful fallbacks when data is unavailable
• Responsive Design - Optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile

By the Numbers

Site-wide Statistics

Coming Soon

Future Enhancements

We're always working on new features and improvements. Some ideas in the pipeline:

• Historical weather commentary archive
• Seasonal AI personality adjustments
• Enhanced marine forecast integration
• User-submitted local weather reports
• More AI-powered features using local LLMs

Have suggestions? Let us know!