Seakeepers Society Licenses its Proprietary Technology Pro Bono
The International SeaKeepers Society allows organisations and institutions to use its proprietary ocean monitoring module, the Ferrybox Sensor Interface Standard (FSIS), without a licensing fee. SeaKeepers continues to actively solicit sensor manufacturers to adopt this technology as a standard ferrybox design in order to develop more efficient ocean monitoring. The modular sensor interface was announced as a possible new global format at the 2006 Oceanology International trade show in London.
The SeaKeeper 1000 oceanographic and meteorological monitoring system provides a unifying platform for a wide variety of ferrybox sensors adapted to the FSIS modular interface. It is a fully automated unit that samples, measures, records and then transmits its data via satellite or other means of communication. In addition to the flow-through seawater sensors, the SeaKeeper 1000 system often is installed with a meteorological suite to capture climatological information simultaneously with the ocean data.
The term “ferrybox” has become a generic description for multiple-sensor, water-quality monitoring systems and is derived from diverse global efforts to assemble an automated, relatively inexpensive suite of sensors to collect data from vessel and platforms of opportunity. The patented FSIS concept allows various third-party oceanographic sensors to be easily combined and interchanged within a standardised system. This achievement is a major advancement with several significant benefits for users, as well as manufacturers.
