Ground Control is delighted to announce that the world famous IoT specialist Adafruit has become a US reseller of a RockBLOCK bundle. The bundle, which consists of the RockBLOCK 9603 unit with FTDI cable, is now available through the Adafruit website.

Adafruit

Founded in 2005 by MIT hacker and engineer, Limor ‘Ladyada’ Fried, the 100% female-owned Adafruit is an open-source hardware designer, manufacturer, reseller, and online store for tools, equipment, and electronics. They also record and distribute weekly show-and-tell programs for product launches, as well as their long-running Ask an Engineer videos.

With a wealth of brains and passion behind them, Adafruit has become #11 in the top 20 USA manufacturing companies. It’s also noted as one of the fastest-growing private companies in NYC by Inc. 5000, with over 100 employees and a 50,000+ sq ft. factory.

Alongside over 5,000 products, the RockBLOCK 9603 is now taking pride of place on the Adafruit shelves.

RockBLOCK 9603

The RockBLOCK 9603 is the compact little sibling of our RockBLOCK 9602 Mk2. With a clear view of the sky, the board allows users to transmit their project data from machine to machine, anywhere in the world. The RockBLOCK has been used for countless projects, from small-scale experiments to university geological research, like Slide Sentinel, through to offshore telemetry for issues such as renewable energy. (See our work with Ocean Scientific International Ltd to this end here.)

The RockBLOCK is now available from the Adafruit website. Adafruit Industries Founder and CEO, Limor Fried, introduced their latest product offerings herself, including the RockBLOCK, on Adafruit’s YouTube channel last week (see here). Subscribers showed their excitement at the RockBLOCK with comments including:
 

“Omg the satellite texting blows my mind right now :)” ~ PewDiepie

“The satellite modem is very interesting, I need to investigate this further” ~ Christopher Guy

And simply “Very interesting” ~ David Adams.

 
In the video, Fried said: “You can send messages anywhere in the world, which is amazing. The price per message is not that expensive as long as you’re putting your data together in the right way. I love it, it’s really small. A great way for any developer, scientist, student, or engineer to start using satellite communication.”

To help customers get started with the RockBLOCK bundle, Adafruit also kindly put together a RockBLOCK 9603 with USB Cable – Iridium Satellite Modem Bundle + Accessory Cable.

Ground Control Solutions Architect, Elonda Wallace, said: “Adafruit are a big player in the IoT reseller market. As part of Ground Control’s new sales and marketing strategy, we’re looking to expand our reseller presence across the world so Adafruit was an obvious choice. We’re delighted that they are now selling RockBLOCKS.”

Working with Bangor University (Wales) on the SEACAMS2 project, Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL) has provided a network of three telemetered data buoys which are each equipped with a RockBLOCK. The buoys collect and measure oceanographic, meteorological, and water quality data parameters around the coast of North Wales, using the RockBLOCK to transmit that data from remote locations.

The SEACAMS2 project is a collaboration between Bangor University and Swansea University. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the aim of the project is to support research and applications for renewable energy, climate change resilience, and resource efficiency.

In a continued effort to find sustainable, renewable energy opportunities, the purpose of the buoys in the SEACAMS2 project is to measure the possibility of using the ‘dramatic, tempestuous, and extremely complex environments’ the area is synonymous with for energy purposes, while ensuring it’s done safely and efficiently.

Each buoy has a dual telemetry system to relay their absorbed data from its data logger to control for analysis. If the buoy is in GSM range then the GPRS modem is used, whilst the RockBLOCK Iridium modem is triggered for short burst data (SBD) transmissions when out of GSM range.

Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) CEO, Nick Farrell said: “We’re pleased OSIL has chosen to use the RockBLOCK as the satellite communications element for its SEACAMS2 project buoys, ensuring continuity and reliability of its data transmission. The SEACAMS2 project is of great importance in the pursuit of clean energy and making sure the data is complete is invaluable. The RockBLOCK is a versatile and dependable way of sending and receiving data from remote locations, and can be used in conjunction with GPRS or in isolation. Because it uses the Iridium satellite network, it guarantees truly global coverage, even at the Poles.”

 

OSIL Project Manager, Rob Luthwaite said: “We enjoy working with Ground Control as they offer great, sensibly priced, products with excellent after-sales support and an easy-to-use online shopfront.”

 
View the monitoring real-time hydrodynamic changes from coastal platforms article on the OSIL website for further information on this story.

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We’re proud to design and build our own hardware, and we work with other leading manufacturers and airtime providers to ensure that all of our customers get the best solution for their needs.

Just complete the form and we’ll respond with impartial, expert advice.

    Required Field

    Whatever the function, Iridium short burst data (SBD) is a tried, tested, and cost-effective method of getting IoT data back to you via satellite from anywhere on Earth. Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have now taken this one step further by allowing the data to be transported directly into Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) queues. This is done via a CloudFormation stack which creates the customer’s queues and takes care of cross-account permissions.

    This new offering saves developers time in dealing with TCP sockets, byte-arrays, and proprietary protocols. While there may be a degree of background work, Ground Control can help, with minimal strains on resource times. It also helps people already using AWS to easily integrate with Ground Control devices.
     

    Ground Control CTO, Ric Searle, said: “We’re already expert at leveraging AWS to build and scale our own IoT applications. Broadening this offering to help our customers get data into their own applications just makes perfect sense, and really speeds up application development.  Our customers can focus on their business logic, rather than wasting effort re-engineering the data ingestion layer.”

     
    Ground Control customers are already adopting this new offering. A recent example is an established Agritech organisation working with farmers in remote areas. They are using Iridium Edge and RockBLOCK products supplied by us to report on critical crop data from remote locations. To add to this, the needs of this customer were urgent as they were constrained by seasonal requirements.

    Ground Control helped to integrate the global reach of Iridium, robust equipment such as the RockBLOCK and Iridium Edge, and the cutting-edge processing inside AWS – and gave the customer the solution they needed in record time.

    In summary, this collaboration shows that:

    • SBD is ideal for M2M/IoT applications
    • Ground Control can help get your IoT data into the Cloud
    • SBD equipment typically has small form factor and low power requirements
    • Ground Control are Iridium SBD and AWS specialists
    • Iridium SBD provides truly global coverage for IoT requirements.

    Is Iridium SBD right for your project?

    We are SBD experts; we've been designing and manufacturing devices that work on this network since 2005, and we're very well placed to help you find the right product and airtime for your requirements.

    Complete the form, or if you prefer to speak to someone directly, call us on +44 (0) 1452 751940 (Europe, Asia, Africa) or +1.805.783.4600 (North and South America). Whether you'd like a quote or just friendly and impartial advice, we're here to help.
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      Required Field

      The proven RockFLEET global tracking and messaging system has been selected by Queensland Fisheries as an approved device within mandated schemes to install Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on all commercial fishing boats in Queensland, Australia. Pivotel has also released the RockFLEET into New Zealand, fulfilling similar VMS regulations implemented by New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industry for a range of different fisheries.

      Under the terms of the scheme in Queensland, all commercial fishing and charter boats will require a vessel tracking device to be fitted and operational by the end of 2020. Meanwhile, trawl, net, crab, and line boats already require VMS tracking to comply with regulation that came into effect on 1st January 2019.

      New Zealand’s VMS regulation has undergone a staged implementation with initial vessels requiring compliance as of the 1st May 2019 with the final group of operators needing to be compliant by the 1st December 2019.  Pivotel has found the versatility and configurability of the RockFLEET to be key in meeting the different tracking regulations of both markets.

      The RockFLEET’s proven reliability ensures skippers can always meet tracking requirements under the scheme. The comparatively low initial hardware outlay and ongoing airtime costs makes the RockFLEET a competitively priced VMS solution. Its compact and lightweight design makes it easy to mount, and installation is made simple through its ability to wire the terminal directly to a battery. The global two-way communication ability, low cost of ownership and the reliability of the Iridium network gives clear advantages over alternative VMS options.

      Ground Control has been working successfully in partnership with leading remote communication provider Pivotel to support the RockFLEET devices deployed with Queensland and New Zealand fishers. To date, over 700 RockFLEET units have been installed on Queensland and New Zealand fishing boats. With additional fisheries coming under regulation in 2020, Pivotel will continue to support regulatory compliance for fishers and expects the number of deployed RockFLEET’s to exceed 1,000 units by the end of 2020.

      Leveraging Pivotel’s online tracking portal, Tracertrak, the RockFLEET device provides real-time and historical location information to the licence holder. Currently, there is a focus on ensuring the device maintains effective tracking for all Queensland and New Zealand vessels. In 2020, Pivotel plans to expand the capabilities of its Ground Control devices to support SOS alarms, scheduled check-ins, remote messaging, and other device alarms.
       

      Pivotel CEO, Peter Bolger, said: “The partnership between Rock Seven [now trading as Ground Control] and Pivotel has ensured fishers receive informative and timely support for all product queries. The RockFLEET device is a high-quality product that has proven easy to install and operate, but still offers the sophisticated data and coverage that the Queensland fishing industry requires.”

       
      Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) CEO, Nick Farrell, said: “RockFLEET provides both Queensland Fisheries and New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries with important information to ensure fishing practices remain sustainable for years to come. Pivotel is providing the highest quality customer service, supporting fishers during this ongoing transitionary period. As a company, Pivotel reflects Rock Seven’s values of quality, reliability and innovation.”

      Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) Partner Maker Buoy has developed a new populated board to get people up and running using the RockBLOCK 9602 and RockBLOCK 9603 quickly for offshore buoy telemetry applications.

      The Maker Buoy is a solar-powered, Arduino-based research buoy which measures ocean drift and sea temperature, and carries a RockBLOCK 9603 for communication via the Iridium satellite network. The unit can be built by hobbyists, researchers and organisations, and the data shared to further our understanding of our oceans.

      The new populated board was made in response to customers wanting a time-saving and customizable board for maritime and land uses. The board has been made to be flexible with a variety of connections for I2C, serial and 1-wire sensors, all centred around a MOSFET-controlled connection to a RockBLOCK. There’s also an optional pad on the back to allow use of the RockBLOCK sleep pin.

      Maker Buoy creator Wayne Pavalko said: “This board provides an easy way to get up and running with your RockBLOCK. Install a Feather M0, and you can be sending and receiving Iridium SBD messages from land or sea in minutes.”

      Rock Seven CEO Nick Farrell said: “It’s great to see the next stage of development for Maker Buoy products as a result of customer demand. It’s always fascinating to see what our customers and partners are doing with our RockBLOCK products – Maker Buoy is a superb example of where adding two-way Iridium sat-comms to remote devices creates real value.”

      The populated board includes an I2C header, watchdog timer, status LED, and flashing strobe circuitry and can be bought for $45 with domestic US shipping of $7.50, or international at $15. Purchase the board by emailing makerbuoyshop@gmail.com or find out more on the Maker Buoy website.

      Get in touch

      Get in touch with us and find out if the RockBLOCK 9603 is the right device for your needs. Either complete our online form, or call us to be connected directly with one of our expert team. Call +44 (0) 1452 751940 (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania) or +1.805.783.4600 (North and South America).

      With over 20 years experience in satellite tracking we have the knowledge and experience to ensure you are equipped with everything you need to make the right choice.
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        Required Field

        The SparkFun Qwiic Iridium 9603N has been developed in order to provide a method for Short Burst Data (SBD) global communication for Qwiic projects via the Iridium Satellite Network. If a customer is prototyping with I2C and is looking to transmit short messages outside of GSM or WiFi networks or when said networks may not always work, this could be the answer.

        SparkFun’s Qwiic Connect System uses 4-pin JST connectors to quickly interface development boards with sensors, LCDs, relays and more. The Qwiic Iridium 9603N module hosts a 9603N modem and also provides an antenna and power supply requirements. The modem’s serial interface is translated into I2C commands by the ATtiny841 microcontroller.
         

        With a clear view of the sky, SparkFun boasts: “Sending and receiving messages to the Iridium network is as easy as sending I2C commands from your RedBoard over a Qwiic connector. The Arduino library walks you through sending messages to the Iridium network using your Qwiic Iridium 9603. Ground Control’s online portal, Cloudloop, and APIs allow you to send messages from the Iridium satellite network to your modem.”

         
        Ground Control CTO, Ric Searle said: “It’s great to see Ground Control services being used in SparkFun’s experimental products to further development in IoT and SBD – SparkFun is a key partner and US reseller of our RockBLOCK products. The Qwiic board is a great little piece of kit and we look forward to assisting in the further development of the Qwiic Iridium 9603N and its certification”.

        Currently the Qwiic Iridium 9603N is being sold under the SparkX banner. SparkX hosts products that have been rapidly produced so that customers have access to the most cutting-edge technologies. However, because they have yet to be “polished” to completion, SparkFun manage a peer-to-peer forum for like-minded individuals to gain support and share knowledge.

        SparkFun was founded on the ethos of making electronics more accessible to everyone. Products and resources have been designed with this premise at its heart. Its portfolio of over 2,000 source components and widgets is impressive and is complemented by curriculum, training, and online tutorials to ‘demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics’.

        Find out more about the SparkFun Qwiic Iridium 9603N here.

        Get in touch

        Having partnered with satellite network providers such as Iridium and Inmarsat for well over a decade, we have access to competitively priced tariffs, and can also be very flexible in terms of bundled data.

        So if you are working on an IoT project and would like some no pressure, objective advice, simply fill in the form and one of our expert team will get back to you.
        Contact us

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          Required Field

          British search and rescue charity SARAID hosted an immersive, natural disaster search and rescue live demonstration day in association with Ground Control and Iridium. Using RockSTAR devices to track team members, contributors were able to showcase how the Iridium Certus platform can work in the field.

          The demonstration day was held at the Rig 5 incident ground at The Fire Service College. The unique 300-acre venue can be found at Moreton-in-Marsh in the United Kingdom. It has an impressive collapsed structure, vast rubble pile, and destabilized floors and walls. The enormous grounds and specialist facilities are the perfect environment for identifying where tracking systems would be needed most.

          S.A.R.A.I.D.

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            Required Field

            The main purpose of the demonstration was to show how the Iridium Certus platform can benefit a number of sectors, from military to search and rescue and utility companies. The advanced multi-service platform delivers a reliable connection for voice and data services, including telephony, satellite internet, land mobile radio, and location-based applications. All of which can now all be made possible by the upgraded Iridium constellation.

            Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control)’s RockSTAR device was given to each search and rescue (SAR) team member. Certus allowed the people on the ground to get a secure, strong internet connection, allowing them to tap into the RockSTAR tracking applications online. Each RockSTAR transmitted every minute with 15-second updates, giving the team leader a view on where their SAR team members were in the field at all times.

            Even their rescue dog in training had RockSTAR strapped to its body to track its position during the exercise. This shows the versatility of our devices and how almost anything that moves can be tracked if it’s big enough to carry the product.
             

            Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) CEO, Nick Farrell, bore witness to the demonstration. He said: “Seeing SARAID in action was so impressive. We rarely think about the brave men and women, all volunteers, who deploy into disaster zones to help those in need. They work for weeks at a time, helping to find and rescue people trapped in destroyed buildings, risking their own lives in the process – incredibly hard work, with relentless determination and total selflessness.

            Anything we can do as a business to help provide better connectivity and situational awareness for SARAID and other similar organizations will hopefully translate into more lives saved.”

             

            In 2018, solar and wind energy production rose to a record high. According to UK-based climate science and energy policy experts Carbon Brief , renewable energy accounted for 33% of all UK energy production in 2018, with wind making up 17%, solar producing 4%, and biomass with the remaining 11%.

            Interestingly, while renewable energy is on the rise, analysts have calculated that the electricity used per person has decreased by almost 25% since its peak in 2005, falling to its lowest level since the mid-1990s. This decrease can be attributed largely to individuals making a conscious decision to use their energy more efficiently and economically, and large corporations striving to use more renewable energy to meet regulatory requirements and customer expectations. It’s heartening to see a positive impact from these changes in behavior.

            Renewables Growth

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              Required Field

              Unsurprisingly, we’re now also seeing an increase in the creation of more large-scale photovoltaic (PV) farms, as big players such as Google and Apple compete for the ‘renewable energy crown’. Facebook and Amazon have committed to using 100% renewable energy by 2020. As such, development is now focused on much larger PV schemes to help companies meet their sustainability targets.

              The Winds of Change

              The Wireless Innovation (now trading as Ground Control) team have supplied satellite and cellular communications to the renewable energy market for many years for wind and solar resource assessment campaigns, array monitoring, and SCADA data.

              As wireless communications supplier to the four leading global data logging and data acquisition companies, our clients rely on us to provide the wireless backhaul for their sophisticated measurement campaigns with bespoke cellular, satellite, and hybrid solutions. Once a potential site is identified and an initial desktop survey determines that the site is viable, we supply the communications for the measurement campaign that determines the exact resources available.

              We currently deploy communications equipment and airtime to renewable energy sites in over 100 countries, on more than 3,000 sites. Our biggest market is the USA, followed by Europe and the UK, and we’re seeing strong growth in emerging markets like South America. Whereas previously we’ve undertaken a fairly even balance of wind and solar projects, offshore wind projects are increasing significantly, particularly in the UK, as it takes the global lead in this area.

              Offshore Renewables Projects

              Offshore wind is already a UK success story. We’ve installed more capacity than any other country and offshore wind farms are becoming the backbone of the UK’s energy network. The long-awaited UK Offshore Wind Sector Deal, announced by the government on March 7 2019, is a game-changer for the UK and will see offshore wind go from strength to strength and, in the foreseeable future, dominate the clean-energy landscape.

              When operating far offshore, beyond cellular reception and before any fiber optic cables are laid or available, the only way to reliably and securely communicate back to shore is via satellite. As we’re not tied to any particular network, we can create tailored, end-to-end solutions with a robust and secure communication infrastructure, to cover all offshore requirements for both data and voice. For mission-critical data, which often includes SCADA, we use a totally private and secure satellite network service called TSAT, or SCADASat. Wireless Innovation (now trading as Ground Control) is TSAT’s exclusive partner in the UK, so this ‘bullet-proof’ communication channel is available only to our clients.

              Any Way the Wind Blows

              When measuring the commercial viability of wind plants, clients usually require a minimum of 12 months of measurements for a serious large-scale project, with continuous measurements throughout that period. This gives our clients a good representation of the wind speed and directions over the entire year, as it varies greatly from season to season. Further monitoring is needed when a site passes the energy yield assessment and once the Wind Turbines have been installed. Once the plant has been constructed, key components still need to be measured around the clock in order to ensure that a wind farm is operating at maximum efficiency.

              The Future of Renewables Data

              Climate change concerns and global pressure to reduce CO2 emissions continue to drive an enormous shift towards renewable energy production. We’re seeing a huge increase in the number of companies seeking more innovative, secure, and cost-effective solutions to overcome the challenges of wireless backhaul for renewable source monitoring. It’s an exciting time to be working in renewables data.

              Projects are varied from creating solutions for wind power ramp events, energy storage, integrating distributed data systems and assessment data in remote locations to providing a satellite failover for continuity in the event of natural disasters. Our work is not only having a positive impact in our clients’ businesses, it’s also contributing to global efforts to protect the environment.

              Can We Help You?

              When it comes to retrieving precise data from distant renewable sites, Ground Control is the solution. With our reliable connectivity, available around the clock and accessible from anywhere, you can achieve seamless data monitoring without any interruptions. We also offer hybrid cellular and satellite connectivity solutions to cater to your specific needs.

              No matter what communication or connectivity requirements you have, we are here to assist you. Contact us today to get started.

                Required Field

                Professor Jakob Kuttenkeuler and Jari Krützfeldt of the KTH Maritime Robotics Laboratory at the Royal Institute of Technology of Sweden developed the LoTUS (long-term underwater sensing) buoy, a system for collecting oceanographic data from perhaps the most remote place on the planet – the polar region seafloor. Long-term data about the conditions there are vital for understanding complex processes such as ocean currents, melting and refreezing of ice, circulations etc.

                In the past, the primary tool for investigating these entities were large ship-based expeditions that were both costly and logistically difficult to conduct. The idea behind the LoTUS system is to offer a small, affordable, lightweight and simple-to-use tool for monitoring conditions on the seafloor.

                The LoTUS consists of a spherical polystyrene shell attached to an anchor, known as a bottom lander. The shell can withstand conditions found at depths down to 2000m and contains all the necessary hardware for long-term sampling of temperature, current, conductivity and pressure.

                Upon reaching an area of interest, the LoTUS is launched from a ship (with an aircraft launch in the works) and quickly sinks to the seafloor. Data samples are taken every hour or so, and are stored in the LoTUS EEPROM memory which offers a data retention capability of over 100 years. After a pre-set duration, e.g. 1-10 years, the LoTUS buoy will separate from the anchor thanks to electrolytically accelerated corrosion of a steel coil. The LoTUS buoy will then float back up to the water’s surface which will hopefully be ice-free.

                At the surface, the LoTUS buoy will be thousands of kilometers away from the closest research team and will likely not be collected by an expedition any time soon. Thus, it will be necessary to send its valuable data back wirelessly. It’s here that the RockBLOCK Mk2’s satellite communications capability comes into play.

                As soon as a clear view of the sky is detected by the RockBLOCK, a couple of hundred SBD-messages containing compressed LoTUS data are transmitted up to Iridium. This data is then sent to Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) servers which, in turn, push it to an endpoint specified by the research team.

                Following the completion of the first part of its mission as a bottom lander, the LoTUS now has a new lease on life as a drifter beacon. For the next few months, it will measure and transmit both buoy GPS positions and surface water temperature, sending data back to researchers in near real-time.

                With the help of the newly established Iridium link and the Ground Control API, it will then also be possible to reconfigure the LoTUS buoy’s sampling interval and duration so as to save battery and extend the surface mission further.

                Get in touch

                If you have a remote IoT connectivity challenge, there's a very good chance we can help! With over 20 years' experience in satellite communications, and long-term relationships with trusted satellite constellation operators like Iridium, we're well placed to help you backhaul your data cost-effectively and reliably from anywhere on Earth with a clear view of the sky.

                Call or email us, or complete the form, and we'll be happy to connect you with one of our solutions architects to discuss your requirements.
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                  Required Field