[akshayn]

I imagine the data sources are proprietary; i.e. I as a layperson could not call some API to find the exact location of every ship in the world.

So I imagine Bloomberg must negotiate for access to this data, and that's what I'm really paying for? The actual terminal application is secondary.

[apaprocki]

It's not really as simple as that. Just because you have data doesn't mean you have (sometimes dizzyingly complex) analytic tools to make sense of the data. An API and Excel plugin exist for people who want to do things themselves, but the Terminal app is definitely not secondary for the vast majority. You're paying for service, which includes everything as well as continued enhancement, new features and data sources, and 24/7 technical and analytic support.