Maker Buoy Drifting Data Buoys | Ground Control Partner

Maker Buoy is an Arduino-based drifting buoy equipped with GPS and a RockBLOCK 9603 Iridium transceiver. Fully solar powered, the buoys can be built to your specification, or you can purchase the ‘Build-a-Drifter’ kit, and assemble your own. This is ideal for educational purposes and scientists / oceanographers wishing to customize the the sensor array themselves.

As standard, the buoys feature temperature and light sensors and an accelerometer in addition to GPS; they’re most frequently used for ocean current monitoring. They’ve been used for diverse applications including helping The Ocean Cleanup foundation monitor the effectiveness of their system by simulating the movement of ocean plastics.

The buoys last around two years, consuming very little power as transmissions are limited to one per day. Transmissions include latitude and longitude, instantaneous and average speed (knots) and direction (0-360 degrees); water temperature; tilt angle; max. ambient light, and max. total acceleration.