KVH and Kongsberg Develop IoT Maritime System

IoT has potential in almost every facet of our lives. It can help on the ground and via satellites in orbit – but what about the sea?

KVH and Kongsberg are showing the world that boats have a place in the new IoT world. They’re claiming victory over their first boat, owned by Kongsberg, which has been successfully wired to the cloud.

What Happened?

The pair teamed up to kit out a research ship called the Simrad Echo, owned by Kongsberg. KVH stepped in and implemented a Kognifai Vessel Insight platform and a very small aperture terminal called the “KVH Watch” onto the boat.

How Do These Help?

The KVH Watch came in two parts: Watch Flow and Watch Intervention. Watch Flow is responsible for getting the Simrad Echo online and talking to other machines. It’s compatible with Kognifai IoT networks, which allow the boat to hook onto already-existing setups.

The Watch Intervention is a bit more exciting. It’s designed to help keep the crew and boat afloat during their trips. Not only does Watch Intervention allow the crew to directly talk face-to-face with people on the shore, but the ship’s internal equipment can be remotely controlled to help the crew.

The Kognifai Vessel Insight is the guardian angel of the boat. It logs the diagnostics of the ship’s systems and keeps an eye on everything. This allows the crew to keep everything in ship-shape and monitor issues as they happen.

There’s also a Kongsberg Mapping Cloud, which constantly uses echo sounding from the boat to the shore. This lets people on the shore direct the boat better.

What Will the Ship Do Now?

While the Simrad Echo’s new systems are pretty amazing and high tech, they don’t really change what the boat does. As such, as boring as it sounds, the Simrad Echo has been sent back to work to do its regular job.

While this isn’t too exciting by itself, it’s a big moment for maritime IoT. As the Simrad Echo goes about its daily business, researchers will log all the data flowing to and from the vessel to ensure everything is in working order.

If this trial run is successful, we should see more Kongsberg ships have KVH’s IoT systems implemented into them. And if those are successful, who knows; we may soon see IoT on the high seas!

IoT on t

he Seas

IoT can be found everywhere, and the oceans are no exception. With KVH and Kongsberg’s partnership, the Simrad Echo has been connected to the IoT world. If it’s successful, we may see more vessels with remote control, data transfer capabilities, and ship-to-shore communication.

Do you think connecting boats to the IoT world is a good idea? Let us know below.