Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) has added compatibility with the ThingSpeak Open IoT (internet of things) platform for its RockBLOCK portfolio of plug-and-play two-way satellite communications systems.

Enabling users to aggregate, visualise, and analyse live data streams in the cloud, the combination of RockBLOCK and ThingSpeak will enable significant time and cost efficiencies for scientists and organisations deploying remote research and monitoring stations anywhere in the world.

With RockBLOCK providing a low-cost satellite data link and ThingSpeak’s ability to negate the need for an organisation to buy and manage its own servers, databases and associated infrastructure, the whole scientific process from data collection in the field and transmission through to analysis and communication of results can be significantly streamlined and automated. Data is transmitted direct to ThingSpeak servers via RockBLOCK, where users can access it using a sophisticated toolset that enables effective management and dissemination of the data.

With the ability to execute MATLAB® code in ThingSpeak, data can be quickly analysed and processed as soon as it arrives in the cloud. Storing data in the cloud provides easy access to data and using ThingSpeak’s online analytical tools, it can be easily explored and visualised, enabling faster discovery of relationships, patterns, and trends in data. Within ThingSpeak, data can be converted and combined, and new data can be calculated then visualised in plots, charts, and gauges. ThingSpeak also schedules calculations to run at certain times and enables data to be combined from multiple channels to build a more sophisticated analysis.

Before this, the innovative RockBLOCK system provides highly reliable delivery of the data from anywhere in the world. The system has been embraced by science and research users at sea and on land because of its low-cost, straightforward approach to adding data connectivity to almost any research platform or commercial product. It interfaces seamlessly with all mainstream computing platforms from Windows, Mac, and Linux through to the new breed of miniature computing hardware such as Arduino™, Raspberry PI™ and Intel Edison, which are widely used to power distributed scientific and environmental research nodes located in remote regions.
 

“RockBLOCK is the ideal complement to the ThingSpeak platform,” said Nick Farrell, Director, Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control). “Together, they create a very low-cost yet powerful solution to collect data from remote locations, analyse it using industry standard technology and finally act on it through the use of automatic alerts or social media postings. While RockBLOCK is taking care of the connectivity side of remote monitoring, integration with ThingSpeak enables users to deliver data directly to the cloud and manage it quickly and securely”

 
ThingSpeak is compatible with the entire RockBLOCK portfolio, including the brand-new RockBLOCK 9603, an even smaller variant of the sophisticated RockBLOCK MK II solution. Thousands of RockBLOCK systems already provide machine-to-machine (M2M) data communication over Iridium’s global satellite network for thousands of professional users at sea and on land, in addition to providing a low-cost data link for private users in the burgeoning ‘maker community’.

Find out more about the ThingSpeak platform at https://thingspeak.com.

In the Irkutsk region of Russia (Lake Baikal), there are a lot of national parks and reserves. These are very remote and difficult-to-reach locations where hunting is usually prohibited – but there are a lot of poachers. There are no mobile phone masts or means of terrestrial communication.

In the woods of Irkutsk, there are a lot of small wooden huts. They’re called “zimniki” – a shelter which gives a safe place for park rangers to stay overnight. The rangers go to each hut twice a year as a routine. One of the park ranger’s jobs is to try to prevent poaching, but with such a huge area in such an inhospitable environment, that’s an incredibly hard job… and so they have come up with an ingenious way to do it!

This year they visited each of the wooden huts in November and left one RockSTAR tracker in each hut, hidden away, sending a report once a day. As well as automatically sending tracking data from anywhere on Earth, the RockSTAR units have an inbuilt temperature sensor with an alert mode, and so the park rangers set this at five degrees C. If the temperature went above that, the RockSTAR would send a special alert message.

RockSTAR

The RockSTAR Two-Way Messenger is a truly global communication device and tracking system. It allows you to send and receive short messages from anywhere on Earth with a clear view of the sky. It works far beyond the reach of Wi-Fi and GSM networks.

To survive in the harsh temperatures, the poachers will use the huts to get through the night. When they visit the huts, they’ll warm them up and trigger the temperature alert. And, hey presto, the message is received immediately, and the local authorities know exactly which hut is being used by a poacher that night.

This feature was never designed for this use but we fully support any use of our equipment which helps protect the world in which we live, so congratulations to the lateral-thinking rangers, and to our Russian partner MVS, on helping them achieve their goals.

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With over 20 years of satellite experience, the Ground Control team is well placed to help keep you connected when it matters the most. Whatever your communication or connectivity needs, we can help. Talk to one of our team to discover our products and services and how they can benefit, improve and streamline your applications.
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    Required Field

    With the growing need to secure new data from remote and inhospitable areas of scientific interest balanced against commercial challenges and tough competition for academic budgets as a background, Ground Control reported an upsurge in its Iridium satellite communication products being used for environmental science applications in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

    Several successful deployments have proven the robustness of the company’s RockBLOCK and RockFLEET systems, highlighting their suitability for reducing costs not only in the research sector, but also in commercial industries such as oil & gas and mining.

    Ground Control is the manufacturer of the innovative RockBLOCK, a tiny device that can be integrated with most computing platforms to provide global data transmission capabilities even at the Poles. The system is currently being used by a team from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research – New Zealand (NIWA) to measure the effects of storm waves on sea ice. RockBLOCK has been integrated on specially developed wave buoys deployed on to sea ice floes in the Arctic and Antarctic by NIWA. The system transmits GPS position and signal strength data from the buoys every hour, allowing the teams to plot the movement of the ice against wave data.
     

    Project contributor Scott Penrose, software architect at Digital Dimensions, said: “The research is vital as it supports investigation into current environmental changes at the Poles while informing the development of future models. RockBLOCK helps us collect data from our wave buoys using Iridium short burst data, which is the easiest and most cost-effective way, especially considering the low cost of the device itself. Despite this, the system is more than capable of operating in such extreme environments while providing reliable data according to our set schedule.”

     
    Ground Control’s Iridium technology is also being used in the Arctic by the Laboratory for Cryospheric Research, which is dedicated to the monitoring and understanding of the frozen earth including glaciers, ice caps, ice shelves, snow, and sea ice.

    Laboratory members are undertaking research across northern Canada, including monitoring glacier changes in Kluane National Park, examining ice shelf and sea ice interactions along northern Ellesmere Island, and measuring glacier and ice cap dynamics across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. A team from the laboratory is using Ground Control’s RockFLEET product, combined with a solar panel and extra battery pack, to provide long term position monitoring of sea ice in the region.
     

    Nick Farrell, director of Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control), said: “Operating in such extreme environments can be costly, so research teams are looking at ways to reduce their spend. RockBLOCK and RockFLEET fulfil this need, whilst still providing the reliability of much more expensive systems, in terms of hardware and airtime costs. There’s real potential for technology transfer from research to commercial industries based on these developments. We’re seeing more interest from the oil and gas industry for instance, where data originating at facilities in remote or hazardous locations can inform if an engineer needs to visit or not.”

     
    Designed to work with any platform with a serial or USB port, including Arduino™, Raspberry PI™, and Intel Edison, as well as Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, RockBLOCK is a simple and reliable way to integrate two-way communication into sensor and measurement based research projects. It can send messages of 340 bytes and receive messages of 270 bytes using Iridium short burst data, which offers global, pole-to-pole coverage. At just 76.0 x 51.5 x 19.0mm, the system can be integrated easily into almost any sensor station. The RockFLEET system offers the same communication capabilities as RockBLOCK but comes in a sealed form factor for permanent installation.

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    We've implemented satellite IoT infrastructure for decades, and there's very rarely been an obstruction issue we couldn't overcome with a bit of knowledge and ingenuity.

    We'd be happy to talk to you about your project and offer impartial advice on the best antenna and satellite service for your particular requirements. Call or email us, or complete the form.
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      Required Field

      The Laboratory for Cryospheric Research is dedicated to the monitoring and understanding of the frozen earth, including glaciers, ice caps, ice shelves, snow, and sea ice. The facility was opened in September 2007, with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Research Fund, and University of Ottawa.

      Laboratory members are undertaking research across northern Canada, including monitoring glacier changes in Kluane National Park, examining ice shelf and sea ice interactions along northern Ellesmere Island, and measuring glacier and ice cap dynamics across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The Laboratory for Cryospheric Research is based in the Department of Geography at the University of Ottawa, and directed by Dr. Luke Copland.

      Dr Copland is using our RockSTAR product, combined with a solar panel and extra battery pack, to provide long-term position monitoring of the sea ice. He’s sent some wonderful pictures back showing the setup, and it’s amazing to see just how large these floating blocks of ice are.

      You can find out more about the project here: https://cryospheric.org/.

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      We take pride in designing and building the RockSTAR ourselves. Over the years we've enhanced and added features based on feedback and specific customer requests, to ensure our device meets your needs.

      Simply complete the form to find out whether the RockSTAR is the right fit for your organization. With our 20 years of expertise, we'll guide you in making the optimal choices for your critical communication requirements. 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).
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        Required Field

        Instant Detect is a State-of-the-Art Conservation System

        Instant Detect is a conservation system designed to remotely monitor wildlife population and movements, and to play a leading role in anti-poaching efforts. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) developed Instant Detect with funding from Google’s Global Impact Award, which it won in 2013.

        UK-Based Remote Monitoring

        With the monitoring HQ in London, the Instant Detect cyber safety net is a truly global application of technology. The system has been used in Antarctica to monitor penguin populations and in Kenya in collaboration with the Kenyan Wildlife Service to tackle elephant and rhino poaching. The Tsavo region of Kenya alone has seen more than 1,000 rhinos killed in the last 18 months.

        Traditional wildlife monitoring systems rely on SD cards or mobile cellular networks to save or upload images and data. These systems suffer due to lack of real-time imagery or simply don’t work when mobile coverage is lacking.

        Joint Collaboration

        Instant Detect was developed in collaboration with Cambridge consultants Iridium, Seven Technologies Group, and Wireless Innovation Ltd (now trading as Ground Control) in response to these issues. The covert system now sends data instantly via satellite to the ZSL team. When human activities trigger the system sensors – particularly with the presence of metal – the team alerts rangers to the presence of poachers with photographic proof. This early warning allows local enforcement to react quickly and keep a virtual eye on remote regions.

        Get in touch

        Whether you have your own Environmental monitoring and reporting software, or are an OEM responsible for manufacturing meteorological sensors, if you want to explore integration options with Ground Control's satellite connectivity devices, we'd love to hear from you. Simply complete the form and one of our experienced team will contact you.
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          Required Field

          We’re pleased to announce that SparkFun are now an official distributor of the RockBLOCK 9603 and RockBLOCK 9602 units in the USA.

          The RockBLOCK 9603 allows you to send and receive short messages from anywhere on Earth, so long as you have a clear view of the sky. It works far beyond the reach of Wi-Fi and GSM networks. It’s perfect for the electronics hobbyist or maker who wants to transmit weather information from mid-ocean or use it to control their robot in the middle of the desert.

          SparkFun is an online retail store that sells the bits and pieces to make your electronics projects possible. No matter what your vision is, their products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible to the average person.

          In addition to products, SparkFun, through their Department of Education, offers classes and online tutorials designed to help educate individuals in the wonderful world of embedded electronics. Their ever-growing product catalog boasts over 3,500 components and widgets designed to help you unleash your inner inventor.

          See the RockBLOCK 9603 and RockBLOCK 9602 on the Sparkfun website.

          Already established as an innovative, low-cost satcom system for commercial M2M applications and internet of things (IoT) developers, Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control)’s RockBLOCK plug and play two-way global communications system has been upgraded to offer more flexibility for commercial users. In addition to more standardised interfacing, RockBLOCK Mk2 now offers the choice of using an on board or external Iridium antenna.

          Designed to work with any platform with a serial or USB port, including Arduino, Raspberry PI,  Intel Edison, as well as Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, RockBLOCK is a simple and reliable way to integrate two-way communication into any sensor or automation focused product design. It can send messages of 340 bytes and receive messages of 270 bytes using Iridium short burst data (SBD), which offers global, pole-to-pole coverage.

          New features in RockBLOCK Mk2 include the addition of an optional SMA connector, so external antennas can be used instead of the onboard patch antenna. Rock Seven has also changed its equipment interface approach, replacing the original RockBLOCK’s proprietary break-out connector with a standard 0.1″ pitch connector. Both developments are aimed at giving greater flexibility when developing communication capabilities at the design stage of a project, whilst enabling simpler installation and interfacing.

          As an easy-to-implement and operate system suitable for all levels of technical expertise, RockBLOCK provides a diverse user-base with a reliable way to communicate with and control equipment remotely. RockBLOCK Mk2 is designed to support commercial organisations in their effort to extend the IoT to remote areas, from the deserts and poles to oilfields, wind farms, and near-space.

          Launched alongside the ‘Naked’ RockBLOCK Mk2 is a new version delivered in a robust case, called RockBLOCK Plus. Designed for rugged applications, RockBLOCK Plus is encapsulated in a waterproof IP68 housing and includes a 3m lead. It takes 9-30v DC power (instead of 5v on the standard RockBLOCK Mk2) and RS-232 signals (instead of UART).

          RockBLOCK+ is ideally suited for use by commercial organisations operating in hazardous or inclement environments and is especially relevant for maritime application on workboats or ‘smart buoys’.

          RockBLOCK Mk2 is a low-cost way to integrate remote machine-to-machine (M2M) communication functionality into any project. The product and service is available globally from Rock Seven or via international re-sellers.

          Our RockSTAR and RockFLEET devices are used throughout the world, tracking all sorts of things – people, vehicles, machines, animals. Most of the time you set a transmission frequency for the unit (e.g. once every 15 minutes), attach the tracker, and then leave it to do its job.

          However, over the years we’ve been asked whether this speed could vary, depending on the motion of whatever the tracker was attached to.

          So we’ve come up with ActivitySense.

          ActivitySense has been introduced in the latest version of firmware for RockSTAR and RockFLEET units. It uses a combination of sensors to determine whether something is moving. The problem is, different things move in different ways – so how do we cope with that? Let’s take a look.

          ActivitySense on Cars and Bikes

          When a car’s engine is running and driving along the road, there tends to be an element of vibration. When the car or bike stops and the engine is turned off, that vibration goes away. To detect this, we use a mode called ‘Bump’, which employs the accelerometer inside the tracker. If we detect vibration continually for a period of 10 seconds, we start transmitting at a faster rate. When that vibration has stopped for 60 seconds or more, then we drop the unit back down to its normal transmission rate.

          Obviously different vehicles have different levels of vibration, so we have an adjustable threshold, meaning you can tune the detection to match your particular requirements.

          ActivitySense on Airplanes

          While an airplane will tend to vibrate and bump around when on the ground, once it reaches cruising altitude and throttles back, most of that vibration goes away. So we can’t use the same vibration-detection method we use on cars and bikes.

          Instead we use the GPS chip and have a mode called ‘Bump+GPS’ – the vibration on the ground initially wakes the unit up and turns on the GPS chip. The transmission speed increases. We then monitor the speed of the plane via the GPS chip, and we keep transmitting more quickly until the GPS speed drops below 4mph, as the plane is hardly likely to be in the air at that speed. Then we drop the transmission rate down again and wait for bumps to wake it up next time.

          ActivitySense via Power

          For some applications, we’ve been asked if our units can transmit more quickly when receiving external power – and less quickly when running from batteries. Again, we have a mode in ActivitySense to detect this, simply called ‘Power’. If external power is applied then the tracking frequency can be faster than if running on battery.

          A good example of this is one of our customers, who uses units on rapid deployment rigid inflatable boats. Whilst the boats are ‘docked’ on the mother-ship, they transmit once every two hours. As soon as the ignition is switched on, they start taking positions every five seconds, transmitting once a minute.

          Cost Savings

          Apart from the flexibility ActivitySense gives our customers, by automatically managing how often it transmits at different times, it also saves them money. Each position report transmitted over the Iridium satellite network costs money, so why transmit every five minutes for days on end when whatever you’re tracking is sat in the same place?

          To find out more about ActivitySense, or any of the other features of our products, get in touch.

          Get in touch

          We've implemented satellite IoT infrastructure for decades, and there's very rarely been an obstruction issue we couldn't overcome with a bit of knowledge and ingenuity.

          We'd be happy to talk to you about your project and offer impartial advice on the best antenna and satellite service for your particular requirements. Call or email us, or complete the form.
          Contact us

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            Required Field

            Finding a suitable location is one of the biggest challenges in the renewable energy industry. For a solar installation to be successful, it has to deliver a consistent and reliable supply of energy. To do this, it must be situated in exactly the right place. To justify the investment that a solar thermal power plant requires, developers need detailed knowledge of the environment as well as data on the performance of installation equipment.

            Since these sites are often in remote and inaccessible desert locations, data gathering stations have to be designed to withstand harsh conditions – they need to be robust, efficient, and low-maintenance. It’s impractical and hazardous to retrieve data manually so measurement stations also need to provide reliable and secure remote connectivity, ensuring data can be collected and equipment monitored.

            To provide the reliable data backhaul required for a recent solar energy assessment project developer, organisations need a robust satellite, such as the RockREMOTE solution from Ground Control.

            The RockREMOTE is an Iridium-based solution that provides secure, reliable satellite connectivity in places where GPRS coverage is poor. It’s a flexible and programmable solution that removes any reliance on the existing terrestrial infrastructure. RockREMOTE allows data logging solutions to be deployed in remote and hostile locations, seamlessly integrating with data loggers to provide secure, reliable connectivity over the Iridium satellite network.

            Ground Control’s extensive experience in renewable energy and detailed technical understanding of the entire infrastructure ensures customers receive a complete end-to-end solution. So, instead of agonising about the challenges of installing a renewable energy resource, why not take advantage of our ‘solutions without strings’ approach?

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