exactEarth Europe Limited (the “Company”) (TSX: XCT), a leading provider of Satellite AIS data services, working in the United Kingdom with the Satellite Applications Catapult, Pole Star Space Applications, TeamSurv and OceanWise, have completed the demonstration of a new global maritime machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform/service. The project was part-funded from the European Space Agency’s Business Applications.
The new innovative global M2M/IoT data service, ‘Automatic Identification System (AIS) Sensor Network Service’ (A-SeNS), uses ’Application Specific Messaging’ (ASM) and exactEarth’s Satellite AIS constellation to upload sensor data from users’ remote maritime assets in real-time. In the demonstration, data retrieval from both navigational aid equipment installed at a UK port, and environmental sensors installed on two working boats were both successfully tested, with trial partners accessing the collected information in real-time using cloud services, for subsequent integration into their own information platforms.
“This is an exciting first step in bringing to market an effective maritime data collection service that provides data from remote assets to users in real-time,” said Peter Mabson, CEO of exactEarth. “This innovative approach using recent extensions to the AIS standard, supports the maritime industry’s desire to adopt more automated processes and is an important milestone for exactEarth in the IoT space.”
Stuart Martin, CEO, Satellite Applications Catapult, said: “This project has demonstrated the enormous potential to use AIS as a truly ubiquitous, low-cost IoT communications channel for maritime users, wherever they are in the world. The efficiency and productivity gains that an effective IoT service can deliver are well established, so this technology promises a major breakthrough.”
Mike Osborne, MD of OceanWise, said: “We are already using AIS to broadcast tide and weather data to vessels at sea under IMO Message 8, either from monitoring stations directly or via OceanWise’s Environmental Data Sharing and Publishing platform, Port-Log. A-SeNS has allowed us to extend the use of this technology to incorporate an additional data telemetry channel within Port-Log, thus providing the potential to include stations in more remote geographic areas and in countries where traditional satellite communications have been cost prohibitive.”
Julian Longson, CEO of Pole Star Space Applications, said: “The A‐SeNS proof‐of‐concept has successfully demonstrated the combined utility of M2M, IoT, and satellite‐AIS technologies as an alternative low‐cost maritime communications channel capable of supporting the emergence of e‐Navigation and Maritime Cloud.”
Tim Thornton, MD of TeamSurv, said: “This project has demonstrated a great way for us to take forward our collection of bathymetry and other sensor data from vessels, offering an automated, low-cost route for data acquisition from ships and other vessels equipped with AIS, and will form a useful addition to our other data collection methods.”
About exactEarth Ltd.
exactEarth is a leading provider of global maritime vessel data for ship tracking and maritime situational awareness solutions. Since its establishment in 2009, exactEarth has pioneered a powerful new method of maritime surveillance called Satellite AIS (“S-AIS”) and has delivered to its clients a view of maritime behaviours across all regions of the world’s oceans unrestricted by terrestrial limitations. exactEarth has deployed an operational data processing supply chain involving a constellation of satellites, receiving ground stations, patented decoding algorithms and advanced “big data” processing and distribution facilities. This ground-breaking system provides a comprehensive picture of the location of AIS equipped maritime vessels throughout the world and allows exactEarth to deliver data and information services characterized by high performance, reliability, security and simplicity to large international markets. For more information, visit exactearth.com.
