Why ships speak many languages
Navigation gear, engines, automation and sensors were built by different vendors over different decades. The result is a mix of serial buses, CAN networks and industrial protocols that do not naturally talk to each other — which is exactly why integration work is needed before any analytics.
Instrument and navigation buses
NMEA 0183 is the legacy serial standard still seen in VHF and AIS messages, while NMEA 2000 (a CAN-based network using PGN messages) is today's de-facto standard for instruments. Newer Ethernet-based layers such as NMEA OneNet and IEC 61162-450 carry far more data across the bridge.
Machinery and industrial protocols
Engine and machinery data often travels over SAE J1939 on CAN, with Modbus and OPC-UA common in automation and SCADA systems. Gateways translate between these and the instrument buses, which is how disparate equipment is stitched into a single feed.
Standardising the data
ISO 19848 defines a standard structure and naming for shipboard machinery data channels, and ISO 19847 covers the onboard data servers that share it. Lightweight messaging such as MQTT then moves that normalised data efficiently, even over weak links.