Getting started

NTHMAP is a physical-world intelligence platform. It layers live vessels, infrastructure, world events, commodity prices, and AI insights on a single interactive map. The same data is available through a REST API, a command-line tool, and an MCP server for AI agents.

This page gets you from zero to a working request in five minutes.

1. Get an account

NTHMAP is set up desk by desk. Request access — register your details and we'll call you to talk through your coverage, then switch your account on.

Once it's live, sign in at the app with the password you chose. The map, the REST API, the CLI and the MCP server all come with it.

2. Explore the map

The app is divided into:

• Topbar — universal search (vessels, ports, signals, terminals), AI dock toggle (✨), Tables dropdown (Vessels & Fleet, Infrastructure, Route Planner, Charter Board, Storms, Inventories, Prices, Arb Monitor, Briefing), CLI playground (>_), satellite/globe toggles
• Left sidebar — layer toggles, per-layer filters, draw tools, saved views, saved prompts, scheduled queries
• Map — Leaflet canvas with vessel markers (60k+ MMSIs), infrastructure icons (56 categories), event pulses, chokepoint pressure zones, and Google-style place labels
• Right panel — appears when you click any vessel, asset, or event. For vessels: position, speed, estimated cargo, load %, destination, sanctions badge if applicable, and (on Pro) AI trading context summary + 7-day track with speed sparkline
• AI chat dock — bottom-center floating panel for natural-language queries. Open with the ✨ icon
• Bottom ticker — live commodity prices

Pro-tier highlights

• Route Planner (Tables → Route Planner) — pick origin + destination, toggle 12 maritime gateways (Suez, Panama, Malacca, Drake, Magellan, Kiel, Oresund, Corinth, Messina, NE/NW Passage, Gibraltar). Save planners for later
• Polygon Flow A↔B — draw two polygons, see how many vessels moved A→B and B→A in the lookback window
• OFAC sanctioned vessel directory — auto-cross-references your live AIS data
• Scheduled queries — automate any view (daily on Pro, hourly/10-min on Enterprise)

3. Create your first API key

On Pro, you can generate API keys for automated access:

1. Launch the map at /app
2. Click your avatar in the top-right
3. Click Account settings (coming soon — use the CLI login command for now to generate a key)

Or via the API directly while logged in:

curl https://nthmap.com/api/keys/ \
  -X POST \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -b cookies.txt \
  -d '{"name":"My laptop","scopes":["read"]}'

The response includes a token field starting with ntm_live_ — copy it now, it's only shown once.

4. Make your first API request

With your API key, you can hit any read endpoint:

curl "https://nthmap.com/api/vessels?bbox=54,25,58,28&types=Crude+Tanker" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ntm_live_..."

You'll get a JSON array of crude tankers in the Persian Gulf. That same query from the CLI:

$ nthmap vessels list --bbox 54,25,58,28 --types "Crude Tanker"

Or via an AI agent using the MCP server:

"How many crude tankers are currently in the Strait of Hormuz?"

5. Where to next

• Concepts — how NTHMAP models the physical world
• API reference — every endpoint, every parameter
• CLI — command-line tool installation and usage
• MCP server — give your AI agents physical-world context
• Use cases — 16 vertical market playbooks

Status & support

NTHMAP is under active development. File issues, request features, or ask questions by emailing hello@nthmap.com.