exactEarth Limited, (“exactEarth” or the “Company”) the leading provider of Satellite AIS data services, has joined an international effort to build an unmanned, fully autonomous transatlantic research vessel that is set to launch on the fourth centenary of the original Mayflower voyage. exactEarth joins an illustrious international project team led by ProMare and its technology partner, IBM.
The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) mission will not only commemorate the original Mayflower crossing, but also advance technologies that could transform the shipping industry and help gather critical data about the ocean.
exactEarth will contribute two of its services to the MAS project:
exactSeNS uses ‘Application Specific Messages’ (ASM) maritime VHF frequencies and exactEarth’s AIS satellite payloads to provide a real-time global mobile satcom service that can collect data from sensors on a range of maritime assets, including ships, buoys, autonomous and environmental platforms and navigational aids. ASM is part of the evolution of the ‘Automatic Identification System’ (AIS) standard into the ‘VHF Data Exchange System’ (VDES).
“We are pleased to be a part of a prestigious group that is collaborating on ways to leverage advances in technology to enhance both the future of global shipping as well as our environmental relationship with the world’s oceans,” said Peter Dorcas, Vice President, Business Development at exactEarth. “This is a unique opportunity for us to trial exactSeNS as part of an initiative that, if successful, could lead to the greater adoption of autonomous shipping as well as demonstrating how the service could create new opportunities for exactEarth in the broader maritime information market.”
Press Release
Source: Maritime Shipping News