GPS World, May 2016
MOBILEUPDATE T his seasons Belgian expedition to Antarctica Internet of Things Reaches Antarctica relied on the first Internet of Things IoT network on the remote continent The annual BELARE expedition is a team of technicians and researchers specialized in glaciology climatology and geomorphology Based in the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Polar Station team members are in charge of various Belgian and international scientific projects To conduct their research expedition members move equipment up to 40 kilometers around the base station The 45 SticknTrack GPS devices from Sensolus which are based on the Sigfox communication network monitor both the locations of the 31 team members and their valuable equipment Tracking of materials is at the core of the capabilities of the SticknTrack GPS devices SticknTracks not only report the location of materials but also can provide information on temperature usage and other parameters Snowscooters are among the assets tracked along with people The low power GPS devices could remain powered for three to five years on a single battery charge On top of the harsh temperatures which dip to 90 C 130 F during winter the research station is on a ridge exposed to harsh winds that can reach speeds of up to 250 kph 155 mph Two antennas were deployed at the base to connect the continent to Sigfoxs global network The ultra narrowband UNB technology has a range of 40 kilometers in open space longer ranges than their short range radio systems permit Locations are made available on the local network and once the data has been consolidated and compressed for transmission via satellite back in Belgium Data gathered will enable researchers to keep closer tabs on equipment use and to build maps of practical resupply routes Sensolus is a start up company from the European Space Agencys Business Incubation Centre in Flanders Sensolus won the European Space Agencys Innovation Award in 2015 Sigfox based in Toulouse France partners with telecom operators to create a network that carries short signals See ANTARCTICA next page iPhone iPad Compatible With NEW NEW Windows mobile Android 40 GPS WORLD WWW GPSWORLD COM MAY 2016
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