Spatial modeling and analysis based on spatial information of the ship encounters for intelligent navigation safety

•A modeling–analysis method for ship encounters in the dynamic space–time domain.•The proposed method achieves GIS modeling and analysis of latent danger trends.•The spatial–temporal modeling and analysis of encounter-danger surface sources spatial distributions is achieved.•Information on the hazard trends of ships in different spatial–temporal dynamic domains is obtained.•A promising theoretical basis is provided to develop intelligent navigation safety.