At best, a yachtsman far out to sea experiences an
exhilarating solitude to equal any space traveller. But
too much isolation at sea can give rise to loneliness,
disorientation and multiple dangers.

A new ESA-developed technology enables boat crews to check
their positions, stay in constant contact with shore,
receive urgent emergency warnings, and enable friends and
family to remotely track them on the internet.

If a boat becomes dangerously water-logged or its power
system is on the verge of failure, an onboard GlobalWave
MT2000 terminal can send an automatic SOS message together
with its exact GPS co-ordinates back to dry land, via
satellites orbiting 35,000 km above the ocean waves.

Less dramatically, a yachtsman can also use his satellite
terminal to book engineering or concierge service before
he puts into shore. And even if his vessel is laid up for
the winter the service remains useful — satellite-linked
security sensors keep guard against intrusion.

Boat accessories company Volvo Penta has begun making this
two-way communications service available to yachtsmen.
It utilises a pre-existing satellite network called
GlobalWave, operated by Canadian-based firm Vistar
Telecommunications.

The GlobalWave network has been operational since 1999,
employing geostationary satellites to give businesses
the ability to remotely track and control assets such
as trucks, storage tanks and construction equipment.
End-users access data from GlobalWave with internet-
linked servers.

As a boat represents probably the most expensive purchase
someone makes after buying a home, extending GlobalWave
to leisure and commercial boats seemed a good move.

But problems emerged. The prototype GlobalWave server
software was difficult to use, failed to permit
customisation for marine or other specialist uses and
was unreliable and buggy.

It was here that ESA (pledged to encourage research and
development by European and Canadian industry) stepped
in, signing a contract to develop a new application
server with Vistar and perform pilot trials in a marine
environment. The project commenced in July 2001, with
marine trials starting in September that year.

ESA worked with a company called Navigation Research to
fit five vessels with GlobalWave MT2000 terminals linked
to bilge, voltage and intrusion sensors. These self-
contained GPS-linked terminals are extremely energy-
efficient, capable of functioning for a minimum of three
years on battery power alone.

Ranging from a sailboat to a catamaran to a power cruiser
to a trawler, these boats sailed along both coasts of the
United States during the five month trial, one roaming as
far as Hawaii. Users toured a number of boat shows during
the trial, generating wide interest in the technology.

Trial feedback helped improve the services now offered by
Volvo Penta, anticipated to rapidly become very popular.
GlobalWave coverage was initially limited to the vicinity
of the US but through regional operators the network is
due to cover the globe by the end of this year.

“The GlobalWave Value-Added Application Server (GWVAS),
developed by Vistar as part of the ARTES 3 programme
element, provides a flexible and user friendly way to
access the mobile GlobalWave terminals from a specific
business entry point. The Marine Pilot phase run in the
ARTES 3 project has been instrumental to demonstrate on
the field the potential of the system.” says Francesco
Feliciani, Head of Applications Section in ESA.

Thanks to ESA, yachtsmen have the chance to sail secure,
knowing they’re making tracks through cyberspace as well
as waves through the ocean.

Related links

* ESA Telecom homepage
http://telecom.esa.int/telecom/www/language/index.cfm?flanguageid=5
* ESA Telecom — User segment
http://telecom.esa.int/telecom/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=20
* GWVAS
http://telecom.esa.int/telecom/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=732
* Vistar
http://www.vistar.ca

IMAGE CAPTIONS:

[Image 1:
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/ESADZ17708D_index_1.html]
If a boat becomes dangerously water-logged or its power
system is on the verge of failure, an onboard GlobalWave
MT2000 terminal can send an automatic SOS message together
with its exact GPS co-ordinates back to dry land, via
satellites orbiting 35,000 km above the ocean waves.

Credits: Volvo Penta Corporation

[Image 2:
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/ESADZ17708D_index_1.html#subhead1]
Sensors are fitted into mobile and fixed assets such as
boats, trucks and storage tanks. Alert signals coming from
the sensors are combined with GPS co-ordinates using an
onboard GlobalWave MT200 terminal. This information is
sent via satellite to Local Earth Stations (LES) and put
onto the GlobalWave Network where the GlobalWave Value-
added Application Server (GWVAS) makes this information
available over the Internet to end-users.

Credits: ESA

[Image 3:
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/ESADZ17708D_index_1.html#subhead2]
A shipping trawler in high seas.