Virtually no location off limits, unleashing the true potential of SBD on the Iridium network. Even in the deepest valleys the message still gets through.
So, how does it work?
Each device has an orbit model for each of the 66 satellites in the Iridium constellation.
• The orbit models can predict the position of a satellite at an
arbitrary time to an accuracy of within 50km.
The models determine when a good satellite pass will occur:
• the quality of a satellite pass is determined by its elevation angle. An elevation angle of 90° indicates the satellite is directly overhead.
The predictor has been designed to be extremely user friendly:
• User only needs to sync the GPS coordinates in the configuration page.
• The user can view the next predicted passes in the network test page.
• If the device fails to transmit during initial commission, it does not matter. The device will automatically transmit when the next good pass occurs.
• Adjustments of the orbit models can be made remotely. If a satellite
is decommissioned and replaced with a spare satellite the model can be updated accordingly.
The benefits of using Ontoto satellite devices with satellite prediction are:
• Significantly reduces the average time of transmission, resulting in significantly reduced power consumption.
• Battery life estimates of a standard Astro transmitting once a day increase from 5 years to over 10 years.
• Allows communication in suboptimal environments such as:
– dense forests
– valleys
– near other obstructions blocking the horizon such as buildings
At Ontoto our client is always central to how we design our environmental monitoring solutions. Simplicity is the key.