This makes me want to buy a bunch of AIS receivers and take a week or two off to travel to far flung locations to setup remote receiving locations.
We've been putting them at our HF radar sites to log ship data, so that we can use the ship data in a hack to get the radars to self calibrate. The radars measure ocean currents and are in some pretty 'far flung locations'. Yes it's fun!
Besides the fun this is, setting up the recievers I mean, great hack with the self-calibrating radars, elegant and effetive, respect!
Maybe one should integrate ship data to freight tracking services, so you can actually locate your container, well more the vessel!
Nerd level: Extreme
Bonus points that you cite Calculated Risk blog.