Airtime: SBD
Transforming Arctic Iceberg Monitoring: Low-Cost, Open-Source Tracking Solutions
Since the early twentieth century, and most noticeably over the last 25 years, many glaciers around the world have been melting at an accelerated pace due to climate change. In the Arctic, this has led to an overall reduction in sea ice coverage, and an increase in the formation of large icebergs calved from glaciers and drifting out on the ocean currents.
A consequence of the overall reduction of sea ice in the Arctic has been an increase of 111% in shipping traffic in the region over the last 10 years, with fishing vessels also increasing significantly both in individual numbers and distance covered (41% and 37% respectively).
This increase in shipping vessels in Arctic waters means tracking the trajectories of icebergs has become even more critical to mitigate the risks they pose to shipping traffic, as well as to local communities and offshore infrastructure.
The Challenge
Arctic icebergs are smaller and more irregular than their Antarctic counterparts, making them harder to track. Traditional iceberg tracking methods, relying on ship observations, satellites, and aerial reconnaissance, are limited by weather conditions and are not sufficient for long-term risk management as Arctic shipping traffic continues to rise.
Over the last few decades, Ice Tracking Beacons (ITB) have been used to continuously monitor the movements of ice over the Arctic, providing valuable sources of information to complement radar and aircraft reconnaissance.
Short-term iceberg movement data can be utilized to create drift and deterioration models, while data on long-term movement paths can be applied to predictive modeling and enhancement of iceberg detection algorithms in satellite images. Additional data from the tracking beacons, such as tilt and heading, can also help determine how icebergs are drifting and deteriorating.
However, due to the high cost of commercially available ITBs, their use, and therefore efficacy, has been limited.
The Solution
At the Water and Ice Research Laboratory in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University, Adam Garbo and Dr Derek Mueller collaborated to design and construct the Cryologger, a low-cost, satellite-enabled tracking beacon that can be built at a cost of up to 10 times cheaper than the commercial alternatives.
The Cryologger is a data recording and telemetry platform that utilizes Arduino’s open-source software and hardware. It’s designed to be adaptable to meet specific remote environmental sensing requirements, using inexpensive, readily available components. With no specialized knowledge or tools needed for assembly, it is easily accessible for researchers, citizen scientists, and enthusiasts to create their own data gathering devices.
To monitor the icebergs, the Cryologger was specifically designed to be a ruggedized Ice Tracking Beacon (ITB) that could operate at Arctic temperatures.
Each beacon contains the following components:
- GNSS receiver for positioning information
- Real Time Clock (RTC) for time keeping and alarm capabilities so the beacon could wake up at transmission times the power down to sleep mode
- Accelerometer and magnetometer to provide pitch, roll and tilt-compensated heading measurements
- RockBLOCK 9603 to transmit the data packets via the Iridium global satellite network, which has pole-to-pole coverage
- Lithium-based battery pack designed to absorb power spikes during satellite transmission
- Ruggedized, impact-resistant, IP67 waterproof case.
The Ice Tracking Beacon project involved each Cryologger being placed onto an iceberg or ice island to collect and transmit data for a minimum of 2 years. The ITB gathers data on location, temperature, pressure, battery voltage, and orientation every hour, and then transmits the data via satellite every 3 hours using the Iridium satellite network as a Short Burst Data (SBD) message, which can transmit up to 340 bytes.
Over the summers of 2018 and 2019, 20 Cryologger ITBs were deployed on icebergs and ice islands across the Arctic, including the coasts of Ellesmere Island, Baffin Island, and Greenland. Several beacons were also placed on the Petermann Glacier to monitor ice movement and prepare for anticipated major calving events
View Cryologgers' DataEnvironmental Monitoring with RockBLOCK
The advantage of developing low cost, open source technologies is the ability to design, deploy, test and improve continuously. The first wave of Cryologger ITBs exceeded their expected lifespans by a significant margin – one beacon was still active 5 years after deployment – and many of the issues experienced were related to relative unknowns, such as the impacts of the low temperatures the device components were exposed to, water ingress due to extreme weather conditions, or the deterioration of iceberg itself.
The data recorded by the ITBs over their lifespans and regularly transmitted by the RockBLOCK 9603s onboard has provided valuable insights into the potential of utilizing low cost, ‘real time’, in-situ environmental monitoring of icebergs and ice islands to supplement existing iceberg observation networks within the Canadian Arctic.
To find out more about the Cryologger Ice Tracking Beacon, visit https://cryologger.org/.
We’re Here to Help
If you need to transmit remote sensor data, such as location, movement, tilt and heading, we can help. We specialize in connecting devices and assets in remote locations beyond the reach of cellular connectivity.
We work with multiple satellite networks, and networking protocols, to ensure our customers’ needs are met cost-effectively and reliably. Please email hello@groundcontrol.com or fill in the form, and we’ll be in touch within one working day.
Automated Landslide Monitoring
Slide Sentinel is a fully automated landslide monitoring system using Real Time Kinematics (RTK). Measuring this way aids in early warning information and limits the use of invasive and expensive drilling, the more traditional landslide monitoring technique.
The Ground Control RockBLOCK Plus is seeing continued use in the Slide Sentinel project from Oregon State University. The project is currently under rapid development as the team prepare for a deployment very soon on an active landslide in the Pacific Northwest. Current development is focussed on programming the rover and base station units.
What is Slide Sentinel?
Slide Sentinel is a fully automated landslide monitoring system using RTK. It regularly monitors landslide activity with high spatiotemporal resolution and centimetre-level accuracy for long-term deployments. Measuring this way aids in early warning information and limits the use of invasive and expensive drilling, the more traditional landslide monitoring technique.
Slide Sentinel is made up of a base station and a network of rover units which are positioned over the active landslide terrain. The rovers will record and send data regarding their position back to base via the Iridium satellite network which is then automatically recorded in the Cloud for analysis of real-time movement. Positional readings are provided every two to three hours.
Facilitated by the RockBLOCK Plus
The RockBLOCK Plus device is used as the entry point into the Slide Sentinel system when it’s deployed in remote locations. All positions collected by rovers on the network are sent to the central base station, then uploaded to a cloud infrastructure for real time rover monitoring using the RockBLOCK Plus.
Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control) director, Nick Farrell, said: “This is yet another amazing use of our IoT devices, and shows the flexibility of the product and the Iridium network as a whole. Every day we see remote projects being enabled with our equipment, allowing scientists to go further and do more than ever before.”
“The RockBLOCK Plus has proved useful for sending data to the rovers on our system. Users can uniquely address and send rover configuration data via the RockBLOCK Plus. This data is eventually dispatched to the proper rover and can dynamically change the behaviour of the device – i.e. we can tell the rover to wake more or less frequently or make the rover unit’s accelerometer more sensitive to movement events.”
Kamron Kent Ebrahimi, Slide Sentinel developer and project lead
Project Developments
Due to the ongoing success of the project, Slide Sentinel has seen further development to support additional receivers and communication links. Work continues and all involved are dedicated to its continued success.
Regarding why he got involved with the project, Ebrahimi said: “I got involved about a year and a half ago. I think being a lead developer on a highly technical project, as well as maintaining close contact with a client to engineer the proper system, has been one of the most formative experiences of my undergraduate career. I’m also attracted to the breadth of this project. Designing something of this scale requires learning best engineering practices for embedded systems, networking protocols, and configuring cloud infrastructure for handling data.”
What’s in store for the future? The team are hoping for a larger number of rovers to be serviced by one base as well as the use of a client web app instead of a Google spreadsheet.
Built with Ground Control
The work we support genuinely inspires us, and we’re proud to create solutions and solve customer problems like no one else can.
If you’d like to get in touch with the team either to discuss a challenge similar to that of the one above, or something completely different our team of experts will be happy to provide objective advice.
American Signal Corporation (ASC) designs, manufactures, installs and maintains state-of-the-art mass notification systems and emergency alert systems. Recognized and implemented worldwide, ASC’s solutions are relied upon daily by governments, communities, numerous industries, universities and military facilities. ASC has been an industry leader since it was founded in 1942.
Importance of ASC’s Work in Thailand
No one can forget the appalling loss of life and devastation caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (the “Boxing Day Tsunami”). An estimated 227,898 people died in 14 countries, in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.
There were no tsunami detection systems, nor means of warning the general population, in the Indian Ocean, so despite there being several hours between the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami, only a few communities recognized the warning signs and made for safety.
After the tsunami, this very quickly changed, and that’s where ASC stepped in. Working with the Thai Government, ASC and their dealer installed a nationwide network of devices, including high powered speaker arrays and other alerting devices together with bespoke management software to alert people to threats posed by tsunamis, floods and other disasters, both natural and manmade.
The Challenge
As a critical communications network, there was never any question that the early warning system would need to utilize satellite connectivity, both for the coverage requirements and network reliability. Commercial terrestrial power and communications networks tend to perform poorly in a disaster – either through overuse or damage to their infrastructure.
ASC’s previous solution utilized geostationary satellites. Given the importance of the early warning signal, they had priority routing to ensure that their messages weren’t queued behind less time-critical data. When this service was discontinued, it was clear to the ASC team that they needed another solution to ensure that their data was passed reliably, securely and in as close to real-time as possible to the authorities.
The Solution
American Signal Corporation chose Ground Control’s RockBLOCK Plus as their satellite transceiver. This delivers plug and play connectivity to the Iridium satellite constellation, which is a network of 66 satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). This has several benefits for the ASC team:
- The Short Burst Data (SBD) service from Iridium enables real time data through low-latency connections – essential for mission-critical applications like ASC’s tsunami warning system
- The omni-directional antennas are extremely easy to install as they do not require alignment with the geostationary satellite
- Iridium SBD uses the L-Band frequency range which has a longer wavelength, and so is not affected by rain fade; it’s both highly resilient and stable.
There are in excess of 1500 alerting devices across Thailand, of which over half are equipped with the RockBLOCK Plus transceivers. Radio is used for last mile connectivity of the remaining alerting devices from control points equipped with RockBLOCK Plus transceivers. The system is tested on a regular basis with a live activation by the Thai government together with daily polls to ensure that every device is operational, and data upload / download is as quick as required.
Do you need reliable, global coverage?
Ground Control can help. We’ve been providing satellite connectivity for communications, tracking, and IoT data backhaul since 2002.
We have customers in 107 countries and are trusted partners of airtime providers including Iridium and Inmarsat. Call us or complete the form to get a conversation started about your requirements.
Mapping Monsoon Currents to Support Coastal Livelihoods
The UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is one of the world’s top ocean research institutions. NOC’s scientists work around the globe, uncovering links between the ocean, climate change and biodiversity loss, to help every living thing on our planet flourish.
The organisation solves challenging multidisciplinary, large scale, long-term marine science problems to underpin international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes. NOC also operates the Royal Research Ships James Cook and Discovery and develops technology for coastal and deep ocean research.
About the Project
In the Western Indian Ocean’s Pemba Channel, monsoon seasons shape life above and below the surface. Understanding where currents accelerate, where eddies form, and how waters connect across borders is essential to safeguarding fisheries, supporting livelihoods, and protecting biodiversity. NOC led collaborative work within SOLSTICE-WIO to generate that evidence, while building local capacity so the benefits endure.
The Connectivity Challenge
The Pemba Channel is remote, energetic, and sparsely instrumented. Cellular coverage is unreliable; the science window is short. NOC needed a way to capture near-real time trajectories from small, battery powered drifters during the monsoon; robust enough for rough seas, simple enough to replicate, and affordable so partners could scale it into routine observing. The goal was decision-ready data to inform sustainable fisheries and coastal planning.
The Solution
To achieve global connectivity from compact platforms, NOC integrated Ground Control’s RockBLOCK 9603 with Iridium Short Burst Data. The 9603’s small footprint, straightforward wiring, and low power draw made it a natural fit for locally built, low cost drifters assembled from off the shelf parts.
NOC and partners constructed a fleet of nine surface drifters and executed multiple deployments across tidal cycles and shifting winds. Each unit uplinked GPS positions via Iridium, feeding a simple tracking and visualisation workflow so the team, and regional stakeholders, could see the ocean move as conditions evolved.
Why RockBLOCK 9603 for Metocean Data?
RockBLOCK 9603 delivers global, two way Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) messaging from compact, battery-powered platforms. It’s designed for harsh, remote environments where cellular networks aren’t an option, providing dependable links for position reports and sensor data whenever a clear sky view is available.
Integration is straightforward. The 9603’s small footprint (45×45×16 mm, ~39 g) and simple connector make it easy to embed alongside GPS and microcontrollers in space constrained builds. Clear developer documentation and example workflows help teams move quickly from bench testing to sea trials.
Power efficiency is a core advantage. Short wake cycles and low standby draw support long deployments on modest battery packs, which is ideal for lightweight drifters and autonomous systems. In practice, that means more time collecting decision ready data, and fewer retrievals or battery swaps.
The Results
- Actionable ocean intelligence: The drifters resolved fast central flows, persistent eddies, and strong tidal modulation. These features drive nutrient transport and productivity, shaping fish distribution and catch success. Turning them from invisible forces into mapped patterns helps align fishing effort with sustainability.
- Connectivity across borders: Tracks that exited the channel highlighted time dependent links into Kenyan waters, informing conversations about shared stocks and coordinated management.
- Capacity built in the region: Because the design is repeatable and affordable, partners can assemble, deploy, and interpret their own drifters, embedding skills locally, and creating a foundation for long term observation.
- Better models, better policy: Observations serve as ground truth alongside remote sensing, strengthening regional ocean models that underpin fisheries advice, marine planning, and climate resilience strategies.
Have a Remote Monitoring Challenge?
Ground Control has over 20 years’ experience in connecting very remote things, from data buoys to weather stations, animal tracking collars to wind farms. If you have an application that’s out of reach of cellular, we can help you bring your data home.
Tell us about your project by completing the form or emailing hello@groundcontrol.com; we’ll reply within one working day with expert, impartial advice.
Hyper-Accurate Tracking and Messaging for Snowmobile Clubs
There are 121,297km of organized snowmobile trails in Canada, and 1.5 million Canadians enjoy the pastime of snowmobiling. Snowmobilers typically pay a fee – estimated to total $58 million CAD – to access the trails, which in turn pays for their upkeep. And the upkeep is managed by the paid volunteers of 729 snowmobile clubs.
The Challenge
The volunteers who groom Canada’s snowmobile trails get paid per kilometer groomed. Most clubs manage this process through a written logbook, which can lead to honest (and occasionally dishonest!) mistakes regarding mileage.
In the absence of cellular coverage, a handful of clubs implemented a satellite tracking system to dispense with the paper-based option, but it had serious flaws. The hardware and firmware wasn’t updated for over a decade, making the devices less reliable and harder to use than more modern equivalents.
Further, the old devices don’t support Bluetooth LE – which means you have to use a small, hard to operate, keypad to send messages – which is particularly laborious if you’re wearing gloves.
The Requirements
An effective satellite tracking system needs to measure the distance travelled very accurately, to prevent mistakes and volunteers being paid too little or too much. It also needs to be able to measure speed; it’s imperative for the safety of the volunteers, and the quality of the grooming, that they do not speed.
The organization responsible for the payments needs to be able to aggregate the data by snowmobile club; by date range; or by individual. Each club needs to be able to view only its own data / devices.
The Solution
The RockSTAR and the Cloudloop Tracking platform solves this challenge. RockSTAR’s odometer, once activated, takes a reading every 0.1 seconds; at the end of the session, the volunteer stops the device, which then provides a hyper-accurate GPS reading of the distance travelled, and the speed.
The report is sent via SMS, email, and to the Cloudloop Tracking platform, which allows the organization to see live and historical tracking data; by individual or by club, using an intuitive, easy to use dashboard. Comprehensive reporting tools show distance travelled by all, or selected devices, and what days the groomers were active.
The individual clubs – who usually have between 2-4 volunteers grooming the trails – have their own logins, and can see their own devices only.
The RockSTAR Device
RockSTAR is an ideal device for this purpose. It’s highly ruggedized, with an IP rating of IP67 (can be submerged for up to 30 minutes in 1m of water), and is vibration tested and certified. It has a phenomenal battery life of up to 12 months (although this declines with the frequency of transmissions), and can be operated with gloves on.
RockSTAR also allows users to send and receive messages on their smartphone using Bluetooth LE.
It has a red button alert option that sends an emergency message to nominated recipients, and speeds up the tracking frequency so that the person in distress can be located quickly and accurately.
It accesses the Iridium satellite constellation, which is truly global; as long as you have a view of the sky, you can connect to send and receive messages and location data.
Would you like to know more?
RockSTAR is an extremely versatile device, being used by security forces, journalists, sailors, ultra-runners, remote field workers and now snowmobilers! If you need to communicate with, and track, your personnel when they travel out of cellular coverage, it’s a tried and trusted solution.
Cloudloop Tracking is provided with RockSTAR, but we also have open APIs so that you can integrate the tracking and any other sensor data you choose to transmit into your own platform. Get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements today.
Synnefa was founded in 2013 in Kenya with a mission to create lasting solutions to challenges faced by farmers. The solution has developed over time, but the goal has remained the same: take the guesswork out of farming and improve production, through remote monitoring and trend analysis. After just two years, the team was providing services to 400 farmers; at the time of writing, in 2023, Synnefa works with over 8,726 farmers.
How It Works
A typical Synnefa customer is a smallholder who works in the city and tends to their farm on a part-time or entirely remote basis. Using Synnefa’s FarmShield device, farmers gain access to sensor data including temperature, soil moisture, nitrogen levels in the soil and light intensity. Farmers can use this information to make educated decisions about when to irrigate or fertilize their crops; or they can use Synnefa’s smart greenhouses and drip kits which will automatically fulfil these tasks based on sensor data.
The FarmShield data is expressed in the FarmCloud software, which predicts the optimum harvest time and projected yield, and even allows farmers to sell their produce based on these projections. It’ll also provide suggestions for the most productive crops for each farm delivering precision farming through observation and measurement.
The Connectivity Challenge
Many of the farms supported by Synnefa operate outside of terrestrial infrastructure; there’s unreliable cellular or fiber coverage through which to transmit the FarmShield sensor data. In these circumstances, Synnefa utilizes the RockBLOCK 9602 satellite transceiver to backhaul their sensor data. Using Iridium’s Short Burst Data (SBD) service, this is as low-cost as satellite transmissions get, and helps to ensure that Synnefa’s subscription pricing remains within reach of the farmers that most need the support.
Synnefa chose the RockBLOCK 9602 in particular because of the robust modem that easily and quickly connects with the Iridium satellite constellation. It is reliable, and communicates well. The Cloudloop dashboard is user-friendly and gives Synnefa all information they need, such as messages sent and received, and connection details.
What’s Next?
Synnefa is committed to supporting three of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): no poverty, zero hunger, and climate action. The response to their enterprise has been incredible:
- Farmers are saving water by over 50%
- Reducing fertilizer application rates by 41%
- Increasing production by 30% when compared to yields prior to the use of their devices.
The next steps are to expand the program outside of Kenya so that more farmers can benefit from greater yields and reduced wastage.
Do you have a agritech project that could benefit from satellite connectivity?
Synnefa is delivering meaningful, positive change for the farmers it works with, and Ground Control is very proud of the small part we play in making this project successful.
If you’d like to know more about how satellite technology is being used in agriculture, or you have a agritech project of your own which would benefit from improved connectivity, please get in touch; we have over 20 years’ experience and we’re here to help.
How Hack the Planet is Revolutionizing Anti-Poaching Efforts in Zambia
Hack the Planet is a non-profit organization dedicated to using advanced engineering and technology to address critical global challenges. They work on projects that have a positive social and environmental impact, collaborating with various partners like Greenpeace, WWF, and other conservation organizations. The team is a part of the digital product studio Q42, which provides them with access to a large pool of engineers to bring their ideas to life.
Combating Illegal Poaching Activities Within Zambia’s National Parks
Poaching is a significant threat to wildlife, particularly in regions with endangered species. Hack the Planet’s services were engaged to find a solution for monitoring and preventing poaching in Zambia’s National Parks. Traditional methods are often resource-intensive and limited in their effectiveness, especially in vast, remote areas where quick response times are critical.
To overcome the challenge of connectivity in these remote areas, the team needed a reliable communication system to ensure that detection data could be transmitted in real-time to park rangers. This is where Ground Control’s services became crucial, providing satellite connectivity that ensured that the sensors could communicate effectively.
Tackling the Problem
To mitigate poaching, Hack the Planet needed a way to detect unauthorized human presence in national parks, specifically the presence of individuals who might be involved in poaching activities.
The solution had to be reliable, able to cover large areas, and operate in environments with limited connectivity.
A key technical hurdle was ensuring that the team’s sensors could communicate data from remote locations to park rangers in real-time.
Hack the Planet developed sensor technology that detects the presence of cell phones in areas where they shouldn’t be, such as within national parks.
These sensors are strategically placed throughout the park and are capable of detecting signals from cell phones carried by individuals within a 3km radius, even in remote areas.
When a cell phone is detected, the sensor immediately relays this information to park rangers, who can then investigate and take action to prevent potential poaching incidents.
The Role of Satellite IoT
Ground Control played a crucial role in enabling the real time communication of Hack the Planet’s sensors by providing satellite connectivity through our RockBLOCK 9603 satellite modem.
This technology allows the team’s sensors to transmit data from remote areas of the park, where there is no cellular network coverage, to a central monitoring station.
This connectivity ensures that park rangers can receive alerts and respond swiftly, significantly improving the effectiveness of the anti-poaching efforts.
Looking ahead, Hack the Planet aims to expand this anti-poaching project to other national parks and regions facing similar challenges. They’re also exploring the potential of integrating additional technologies, such as AI-powered analytics, to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of their detection systems.
To contact Thijs and the Hack the Planet team, visit https://www.hack-the-planet.io/contact or email info@hack-the-planet.io.
“This ongoing collaboration with Ground Control and other partners is pivotal to our mission of using technology to protect endangered species and preserve biodiversity across the globe.”
Thijs Suijten – Hack the Planet
Can we help to solve your connectivity challenge?
If you have a project that’s limited by cellular coverage, we can help. We work with multiple satellite network operators and networking technologies to ensure our customers get the right combination of coverage, cost and reliability.
Please complete the form to tell us more about your project, or email the team at hello@groundcontrol.com. We’d love to help.
Obscape have been developing, manufacturing and supplying real time systems for environmental observations for over a decade. Their mission is to make high quality, environment observations easy. Obscape’s instruments are designed to be easily installed, compact, robust and low maintenance. The small size and integrated telemetry and solar power make Obscape’s instruments very easy to use and deploy.
Preventing the Causes of Flooding
A Government Agency responsible for coastal, storm water and catchment management assigned Obscape to assist with reporting on areas such as – monitoring and reporting on catchment management, flood risk areas, storm drains and drainage ditches with the aid of the RockBLOCK.
Blocked, overflowing systems can cause flooding, erosion, turbidity, storm and sanitary sewer system overflow, and infrastructure damage. Combining data received from Rock Seven (now trading as Ground Control)’s Iridium RockBLOCK 9602 modems, which can be located in Obscape’s Powered Telemetry Modules (PTM), Obscape clients are able to monitor and forecast these events visually from their powerful portal from a mixture of time lapse cameras, water level gauges, rain gauges, and weather gauges.
Reliable, Accurate Flood Mapping
With the aid of Ground Control products, Obscape confirms data by managing and monitoring developments in urban river corridors and wetlands as important natural features within the urban landscape; for the purpose of promoting multi-functional, sustainable use of river corridors and drainage systems.
By using Ground Control systems, Obscape can report on stressed areas in urban infrastructure in real-time and forecast where improvements in water infrastructure is required.
Collated data received and converted from Ground Control’s Iridium Modules enables Obscape to advise the Agency on predictive capabilities of flood mapping when looking at historical flood data paired with real-time and predicted weather and precipitation data.
PTM Modules Obscape have installed for the Government Agency
With the help of Ground Control’s location communication systems, Obscape have developed their durable monitoring systems to convey, repeatable accurate reliable information in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
This includes collection of data using the RockBLOCK to transmit from remote areas; with the information transmitted back to the user without need to repeatedly visit a site.
Satellite communication information can be relayed through multiple RockBLOCK satcom devices with accumulated reporting to one Data Portal.
- Beach Surveys – Monthly
- Offshore Mapping
- Estuarine Surveys x 12
- Wave Buoys x 4
- ADCPs x 5
- Rain Radar x 1
- Wave Radar x 1
- Tide & Level Gauges x 50
- Rain Gauges x 60
- Weather Stations x 10
- Time Lapse Cameras x 40
- Real Time Water Quality x 17
- AIS Data Logging
- LoraWAN Gateway
- Offshore Weather Station x 1
“Ground Control improves the efficiency and quality of our environmental data gathering. By installing a RockBLOCK in our PTM we can guarantee a great investment and low running costs, reliability, resilience, operator ease of use installation and operation, data accuracy, quality assurance, quality control and data security.”
Obscape
Want to know more?
If you’re interested in Obscape’s environmental monitoring and reporting solution, or you have your own environmental software or hardware and want to explore integration options with Ground Control’s satellite tracking devices, we’d love to hear from you. Call or email us, or complete the form, and one of our experienced team will be happy to help.
Going Wireless in Greenland: Downloading Data from Deep Beneath the Ice
Glaciers are constantly on the move. They’re flowing rivers of ice, constantly flowing and fracturing and bulldozing everything in their path. But under the ice there’s a hidden network of “plumbing” – water flowing in channels within and beneath the ice. This liquid water can lubricate the flow of ice over the bedrock, changing the speed at which the ice is moving. For glaciologists, understanding this hidden plumbing is essential for improving forecasts of ice flow and, ultimately, sea level rise.
Cardiff University’s Cryoegg project set out to make those concealed environments measurable in a new way: by placing a compact wireless probe (the “Cryoegg” itself) directly into subglacial water systems, collecting pressure, temperature, and electrical conductivity data, and transmitting readings back up to the surface. The ambition was straightforward; the environment was not.
The Challenge
Subglacial research is defined by constraints. Access often comes through narrow boreholes drilled or melted through ice that is hundreds of meters thick, in places where weather is harsh, logistics are limited, and communications infrastructure is non-existent. Once instruments are down-hole, the borehole can refreeze, and moving ice can deform or destroy anything relying on fixed cables. In many cases, retrieval simply isn’t part of the plan; you have to assume what you deploy may never come back up.
That creates a second, less visible challenge: even if you can get sensor data to the surface, how do you move it off the ice reliably, with minimal power, and without needing someone to stand next to the equipment?
The Work
Cryoegg was developed specifically to reduce reliance on vulnerable wired systems. In peer-reviewed field trials, the team demonstrated wireless transmission through cold ice at substantial depths, with the published work reporting communication through up to 1.3 km of ice under test conditions.
Cryoegg’s design also targets long deployment life by spending most of its time asleep, waking briefly to take readings and transmit them, then returning to low power operation. Some Cryoeggs have now been operating for more than 18 months underneath the ice.
To make that science usable day-to-day, the field system still needs a dependable ‘last mile’ from the glacier surface back to the researchers, so data doesn’t stay stranded in a remote camp until the next field visit.
Getting the Data Home
During a recent field trip to West Greenland, the team deployed a surface datalogger to receive transmissions from equipment buried hundreds of meters below the ice, then forward those messages back to the UK over satellite.
Once you’re operating in environments that are cold, wet, windy, and hard to revisit, reliability and power discipline become operational requirements. The device used by the team to move messages from the datalogger to base was RockBLOCK Plus, a waterproof satellite IoT device designed for short burst messaging via the Iridium network.
For this kind of deployment, the relevant details are simple: it’s built to stay outside, keep working, and do so without demanding much power. RockBLOCK Plus is IP67 rated, and operates in temperatures as low as -40°C to as high as +85°C, with a rugged design intended for remote, unattended installations.
The Result
By pairing a wireless subglacial probe with a robust surface-to-satellite backhaul, the Cryoegg team can focus more of their effort on what matters: collecting measurements that illuminate how water moves beneath ice, and using those observations to improve our understanding of glacier dynamics.
The overall impact is practical as well as scientific. When data can make its way off a glacier without frequent visits or complex infrastructure, projects become more resilient, field seasons become more efficient, and research teams can spend less time babysitting comms and more time interpreting results.
Read the ongoing findings of the research here.
“We’re doing exciting science in a very challenging environment. We needed something that would keep sending data reliably in harsh conditions, and RockBLOCK Plus has done exactly that. The Ground Control team were easy to work with, and I’m looking forward to trying the latest iterations of the hardware in future deployments.”
Dr Mike Prior-Jones, Electronic Engineer and Glaciologist (read more about Dr Prior-Jones)
[About the picture on the right]
“The team preparing for a Cryoegg deployment in a moulin (a naturally-occurring hole in the glacier made by meltwater) on Isunnguata Sermia. Jonathan is roped up with a harness in case he falls. The ice here is about 400m thick, and the initial drop into the moulin is probably around 50m, so not something you want to fall into.”
Have data in hard-to-reach places?
Ground Control has over 20 years experience in extracting data from the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth. Our satellite IoT solutions draw very little power, work reliably anywhere with a clear view of the sky (even within a plastic container!), and come in multiple form factors, from developer PCBs to rugged and enclosed devices.
Let us know about your project by emailing hello@groundcontrol.com, or complete the form, and we’ll reply within one working day to offer our expert advice.
Satellite-Connected Monitoring Helps Operators Access Alaska’s Tundra Earlier
beadedstream provides real time monitoring systems for ground, structural, and environmental conditions in remote, time sensitive environments. On Alaska’s North Slope, its Ice Road Monitoring Stations help operators track subsurface tundra temperatures remotely, so they can make better informed decisions about when to begin ice road construction and mobilize equipment.
The systems combine field-installed temperature cables, data loggers, satellite telemetry, and beadedcloud access to give project teams site-specific visibility of changing ground conditions. Instead of relying only on broad opening dates or repeated manual checks, operators can use real time data to plan around actual conditions along the route.
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, and operators must wait until the active layer of permafrost is frozen sufficiently before construction can begin.
Timing matters. If construction begins too early, the tundra can be damaged. If teams wait too long, they lose valuable operating days in an already short winter season.
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.
For operators, the key question is whether the ground beneath the road route has reached the required temperature at the required depth. That information needs to be accurate, site-specific, and available without sending teams back into the field for repeated checks.
The Solution
beadedstream addresses that challenge with distributed Ice Road Monitoring Stations installed along the route, typically at intervals of about every five miles. 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 includes a data logger and two Ice Road Temperature Cables: one installed along the road centerline and one control cable offset from the road. Each cable measures ground temperature at multiple depths, helping operators understand how freezing conditions are progressing below the surface.
The equipment is installed before freeze-up and remains in place through the winter operating season. Once deployed, the system collects temperature data automatically and transmits it remotely, allowing project teams to track changing conditions without relying on repeated manual site visits.
This system level approach is what makes the data useful. The cables collect ground temperature readings, the logger gathers the data, satellite telemetry moves the data from the field, and beadedcloud gives operators and stakeholders access to the information they need to plan and coordinate.
The Connectivity Layer
Reliable connectivity is critical for monitoring stations installed across remote tundra, often spread over long distances and difficult to access once winter conditions set in. Operators need data to come back consistently without repeated site visits.
beadedstream relies on Ground Control to supply the hardware and airtime services that connect its remote monitoring systems to Iridium’s global satellite network. This supports reliable data backhaul from field sites where terrestrial connectivity isn’t available.
Ground Control’s Cloudloop Subscription Manager also helps beadedstream manage connectivity across deployments, with visibility of usage and billing data and the ability to activate, deactivate, suspend, and monitor subscriptions in real time.
In this application, satellite IoT connectivity is the link that makes the full remote monitoring system practical.
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 through beadedcloud, improving coordination between operators, regulators, and field teams.
The result is a more informed operating window. 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.”
Brian Shumaker, CEO & Founder, beadedstream
Looking Ahead
beadedstream is continuing to expand how remote monitoring data is used, particularly around forecasting and predicting when site conditions will be met based on both real time and historical trends.
The same approach applies beyond ice roads. Across remote infrastructure, structural monitoring, water monitoring, and subsurface applications, teams often need to understand conditions they can’t easily see or check in person.
For those environments, the full data path matters: rugged field hardware, reliable telemetry, and accessible data that supports better decisions. Ground Control’s connectivity and subscription management services play an important role in that chain, helping beadedstream move critical field data from remote monitoring stations back to the teams that need it.
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.
Preventing Illegal Deforestation
Safeguarding the World’s Largest Rainforests
The world’s two largest rainforests, the Congo Basin and the Amazon, are under threat from illegal extraction activities. Unfortunately, both national and local authorities have long lacked the means and mechanisms to deal with these illegalities which destroy ecosystems and undermine both forest and indigenous people’s livelihoods.
Enter the Rainforest Foundation UK, now actively working with both national and local authorities with its ForestLink real-time monitoring system. Rather than relying on external or third-party observers, ForestLink relies on monitors living in the rainforest to act as watchdogs, alerting the Rainforest Foundation of suspected illegal activities via a bespoke smartphone app.
The Role of Satellite Connectivity
When GPRS isn’t available, the ForestLink system uses RockBLOCK and weatherproofed RockBLOCK Plus devices to exchange data via the Iridium network. After alerts are sent to a secure database, they’re analysed by NGOs and governments. Pending further details from community observers that help verify alerts, the Rainforest Foundation notifies the appropriate authorities.
The ForestLink system is currently used to address a wide range of threats that include illegal logging and mining activities, as well as oil spills. Working with local partner organizations, the Rainforest Foundation has trained over 30 communities in the DRC, Ghana, Cameroon, and Peru to use the system.
12 Million Hectares Protected
So far, thousands of alerts have been sent by community monitors, resulting in legal action against extractive industries. Since its inception, the Rainforest Foundation has helped indigenous and local communities protect more than 12 million hectares of rainforest.
The Rainforest Foundation has successfully empowered local populations by giving them the ability to secure and take control of their natural resources, as well as their individual and collective rights. Ground Control is extremely proud that satcomms can play a vital role to this end.
Facing similar connectivity challenges?
If you’re seeking a solution to a critical communications challenge, we can help.
Just complete the form and we’ll be in touch. We have offices in the USA and UK, and over 20 years’ experience in satcomms and IoT, plus access to the best airtime, devices and services available.
Wildfire Risks and Challenges
Every year, wildfires devastate tens of thousands of properties across the globe. Homes in remote locations are usually the worst affected, as they may be alerted too late; many homes in remote areas are outside GSM range and far from fire stations, or lack sufficient extinguishing capabilities.
Regular home fire safety equipment (alarms and extinguishers) rely on a fire to have already entered the premises or someone to be home to raise the alarm. Though standard fire safety equipment can assist small fires, wildfires are fierce and the devastation quick, resulting in loss of assets and even loss of life. So whether at home or away, access to a robust safety system is incredibly important.
Off-grid fire prevention systems can protect properties and communities as a whole, but reliable, continuous transmission of data is paramount to any safety systems ongoing success.
Hot Shot Automatic Personal Home Fire Department System
James Dziadulewicz, B.S. Eng. mechanical and electronics engineer, built an automated off-the-grid fire prevention system called the Hot Shot Automatic Personal Home Fire Department System. It detects wildfires in real-time and generates a virtual progression map.
The technology uses a RockBLOCK 9602 to send the data to the app built by James’ friend Matthew Jenks, a software and electrical engineer.
Since RockBLOCK is a two way communication system, a command can then be sent back to the system to trigger the high pressure sprinkler system to drench the property and save the home. A process which was followed and succeeded in a real-life event in 2018.
“This is a satellite-based system that’s activated by our smart mesh network of sensors or a cell phone. Our [Malibu] Home survived a trip to hell, untouched as it was by the worst of the Malibu wildfire. This invention works.”
James Dziadulewicz, Creator of Hot Shot Fire Prevention System
RockBLOCK: Plug-and-Play Satellite Connectivity
RockBLOCK 9602 is a versatile, compact, low power and dependable way of sending and receiving data from remote homes. It uses the Iridium satellite network, giving truly global coverage and is a vital part of fire prevention systems.
Already being used by a number of remote homes with patents pending, we’re hoping to see systems being rolled out over more areas with high fire risks.
- Truly global two way coverage
- Low power usage, small antenna
- Plug-and-play product, simple setup
- Reliable data transmission with acknowledgements
- Lifetime phone and email support.
Built with Ground Control
The work we support genuinely inspires us, and we’re proud to be a part of the innovative solutions created by our partners and customers.
If you’d like to get in touch with the team either to discuss a challenge similar to that of the one above, or something completely different, our team of experts will be happy to provide objective advice.