beadedstream provides real time monitoring for ground, structural, and environmental conditions in remote, time sensitive environments. On Alaska’s North Slope, that means helping operators understand when the ground has frozen sufficiently to begin ice road construction and mobilize equipment safely.
The challenge
Each winter, ice roads are built across Alaska’s North Slope to access remote drill pads and move heavy equipment. Some routes can extend up to 200 miles (322 km), and operators must wait until the active layer of permafrost is frozen sufficiently before construction can begin. Historically, that meant either waiting for area-wide opening dates or relying on manual checks to confirm conditions on the ground.
That creates a difficult planning problem. Air temperatures may be well below freezing, but subsurface conditions can take another one to two months to reach the required threshold. At the same time, the winter operating season has shortened from about 180 days to roughly 120 days, leaving a much narrower window to build roads, mobilize drilling equipment, complete work, and demobilize before thaw.
The solution
beadedstream addresses that challenge with distributed Ice Road Monitoring Stations installed along the route, typically at intervals of about every five miles (8 km). Station locations are chosen to represent different terrain and soil conditions, with greater concentration near the start of the road where construction begins first.
Each station consists of a data logger with satellite transmission and two Ice Road Temperature Cables: one on the road centerline and one control cable off-road. Each cable is 1 ft (0.3 m) long and includes four sensors spaced every 4 inches (10 cm), allowing operators to monitor how ground temperature changes across depth. The equipment is installed in late summer before freeze-up and typically remains in place for about nine months.
The connectivity layer
Consistent data access is the key requirement. These stations are installed in remote locations, often with helicopter support, and left in place for months at a time. The system only works if operators can get data back reliably without having to revisit the site.
beadedstream uses Ground Control’s RockBLOCK 9603 for that backhaul. Built on Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD), RockBLOCK 9603 provides compact, low power, message-based connectivity with two way communications and global coverage. It’s well suited to remote IoT deployments where reliability, efficiency, and simplicity matter more than high bandwidth.
Earlier visibility, earlier action
Using beadedcloud, operators can monitor tundra temperatures in real time and forecast when the ground will reach 23°F (-5°C) at 1 ft (0.3 m) depth, a key benchmark for access permitting. Operators can predict that date to within about one day, while one customer reports accuracy within 6-7 hours.
That gives teams time to act. Around a week before the forecasted opening point, they can begin mobilizing equipment and start discussions with Alaska DNR around access permits. Data and forecasts can also be shared directly through beadedcloud, improving coordination between operators and regulators.
The result? Real time monitoring has helped operators access the tundra up to 1 to 1.5 months sooner than general opening dates. It also reduces unnecessary site visits, improves planning, and lowers safety exposure and cost by cutting down on manual checks.
“Reliable remote connectivity is what makes real time monitoring possible in environments like this. Providers like Ground Control play an important role in enabling that, particularly in remote applications where consistent data access is critical.”
– Lacey Ernandes, Chief Strategy Officer, beadedstream
Looking ahead
beadedstream is expanding how this data is used, particularly for forecasting when conditions will be met based on real time and historical trends. The same approach also applies to other environments where conditions are difficult to see directly, including structural monitoring and subsurface water applications.
Building reliable remote monitoring, anywhere
At Ground Control, we help organizations turn complex remote IoT and environmental monitoring challenges into practical, resilient solutions; whether that means supporting operations in extreme conditions or delivering critical data from places that are difficult to reach.
If you’re developing an environmental monitoring, industrial sensing or remote IoT project and need a connectivity partner with experience beyond the limits of terrestrial networks, get in touch. Fill in the form or email hello@groundcontrol.com, and our team will help you find the right approach for your application.