New Drifter Buoy Tracks Water Currents

MetOcean Telematics has developed the STOKES Iridium tracking drifter, a compact drifting buoy designed and tested in technical partnership with Florida State University (FSU) that tracks water currents at the surface.

The small light-weight buoy is equipped with Iridium satellite telemetry, GPS positioning and a sea surface temperature sensor. Iridium satellite telemetry enables the buoy to provide vital sensor and geo-positional location data in real time. Iridium also allows the buoy to have bi-directional capabilities. This is a critical ability, for example, if the buoy enters a region of interest the end-user can communicate with the unit by sending it a command to change reporting intervals or request essential time sensitive data.

MetOcean Telematics said the applications for the STOKES are "endless" due to its overall size, but adds the buoy is ideal for purposes ranging from mapping large-scale ocean currents, oil spills monitoring, environmental monitoring and aiding in search and rescue operations.

“The development partnership with Florida State University was invaluable. A group of true professionals who were committed and key contributors to the overall success of the project,” said Tony Chedrawy, MetOcean Telematics President and CEO. “The STOKES is a complimentary addition to our suite of drifters and Iridium based products.”