Building Resilient Connectivity for Offshore Monitoring
Founded in 1990, Mobilis is a French maritime engineering company with equipment deployed in more than 90 countries. Combining in-house R&D, manufacturing and project expertise, it develops solutions for navigation, mooring and ocean observation, helping customers operate safely and make better informed decisions in demanding marine environments.
The Challenge
Mobilis’ environmental monitoring systems support applications including port operations, dredging, marine construction, environmental compliance, offshore projects and scientific research.
Depending on the application, they can measure meteorological conditions, waves, currents, water quality, position and system health, alongside more specialist project-specific data. For customers, continuous access to this information can reduce the need to send vessels offshore simply to understand what is happening.
But collecting the data is only part of the challenge. Mobilis also needs to get it reliably back to shore. Many deployments sit beyond dependable terrestrial coverage, while LTE/GSM and radio links can be interrupted by network outages, roaming issues, antenna problems or local conditions. For systems expected to remain offshore for months or years, losing that connection can mean losing operational visibility.
Mobilis therefore needed a communications model that could maintain connectivity when terrestrial networks were unavailable, without making satellite airtime unnecessarily expensive.
The Solution
Mobilis integrated Ground Control’s RockREMOTE Mini into its own data-acquisition architecture, alongside its datalogger, power management and sensor interfaces.
The resulting hybrid model can adapt to each deployment. Where LTE/GSM or radio is available, Mobilis can use it for bulk telemetry, with satellite providing an independent backup. At more remote sites, satellite can become the primary connection.
Mobilis also separates routine telemetry from remote engineering access. For everyday data transmission, it uses Iridium Messaging Transport (IMT). Sensor measurements are compressed into compact binary payloads before transmission, replacing verbose text with short identifiers, compact timestamps and efficient numeric formats. This can reduce data volumes by an order of magnitude or more compared with plain text, helping Mobilis transmit regularly while keeping airtime predictable.
Data passes through the Mobilis datalogger and RockREMOTE Mini to Iridium and Ground Control’s Cloudloop platform. From there, it’s routed into Mobilis’ cloud environment, decoded and delivered to web platforms, mobile applications and customer dashboards.
When engineers need direct access to a deployed system, Mobilis uses an Iridium Certus 100 IP connection. If LTE or radio is unavailable, this gives the team a remote route into the datalogger for diagnostics, configuration and maintenance, including SSH access.
Using IMT for efficient routine telemetry and Certus 100 for IP-based remote access allows Mobilis to use the most appropriate type of satellite connectivity for each task.
The Results
The hybrid model helps Mobilis maintain visibility across its satellite-enabled fleet, even when cellular or radio communications fail.
Remote Certus 100 access allows engineers to investigate and potentially recover systems from shore, reducing the need for costly offshore visits. At the same time, binary compression and IMT help keep routine satellite costs under control as sensor sets and projects grow.
Once ashore, measurements flow directly into Mobilis’ applications, giving ports, project teams and environmental specialists near real-time access to offshore conditions.
The architecture is also repeatable. The same combination of Mobilis datalogger, RockREMOTE Mini and Cloudloop can be used across international projects while adapting the sensor configuration and connectivity model to each deployment.
“What we appreciate is support that understands real buoy constraints power, intermittent sky view, metered messaging, and the need to separate telemetry from remote access. CLS and Ground Control feel more like a technology partner, rather than a hardware supplier.”
Alberto Dallolio, Ph.D. Eng.
Ingénieur Senior Robotique Marine | Senior Marine Robotics Engineer
Looking Ahead
Mobilis plans to extend its hybrid LTE/radio and Iridium model across more projects, while continuing to refine binary compression for new sensor types.
The team is also developing more automated fleet-health monitoring and deeper integration with the Mobilis Data Portal and customer mobile applications. As its connected fleet grows, Mobilis is exploring ways to simplify multi-device management and Cloudloop integration, with the same goal at the heart of the system: keeping critical offshore data accessible when conventional communications cannot be relied upon.
Connecting Equipment Beyond Terrestrial Coverage
From offshore monitoring systems to other remote marine assets, we can help you build a connectivity solution that keeps critical data flowing when cellular or radio networks cannot be relied upon.
To speak to our team about your project, either complete the form or email hello@groundcontrol.com, and we’ll reply within one working day.