Ground Control specialises in connecting hard-to-reach people and things by using satellite and cellular technology to connect people and things. From wind farms to fishing fleets, emergency personnel to forestry workers, we have you covered if you need to gather IoT data, track locations, access the internet, or make video conversations.
Sometimes connectivity can be achieved with a simple, effective combination of the right device and airtime, and we’re perfectly placed to help if that’s your requirement.
Our long-term partnerships with airtime providers such as Inmarsat and Iridium mean that we have access to the most competitive and comprehensive airtime plans. We take full advantage of their service evolutions in ways that make our customers’ challenges easier to solve.
How we add value for customers
Product Customisation
Subscription and Device Management
API Access
Industries
PRECISION FARMING
Agriculture has changed extensively over the last 20 years. Now – with the use of IoT technology enabling smart and precision farming – agricultural productivity improvements can be made in a cost-effective way.
Asset tracking, environmental sensors and smart agriculture technology, enable farmers to reduce waste, enhance productivity and utilise resources including water, electricity and fuel.
IoT smart farming solutions
*RockBLOCK enables farmers and growers to track and monitor livestock send from anywhere on Earth with a clear view of the sky. It works far beyond the reach of Wi-Fi and GSM networks.
Track assets, improve safety, and transmit critical telemetry
From GPS tracking to two-way communication, Ground Control’s satellite-based tracking, monitoring and messaging solutions are essential for safe aviation.
Reliable asset tracking enables base operations to know where aircraft are at any given time, anywhere in the world. With the ability to send and receive texts and emails through satellite-enabled technologies, pilot safety is improved, and collaborative decisions can be made in critical flight mission situations.
Unlike satellite, cellular connectivity is not pole to pole, so aviators need a blend of satellite and cellular connectivity to ensure truly global tracking in the air.
Aviation Tracking Devices
These devices are our top picks for tracking and two-way communications on small, medium and large commuter class aircraft and helicopters.
The RockAIR is a carry on / carry off device which uses cellular and satellite connectivity to deliver global tracking and communication capabilities. The RockFLEET does the same job but is designed for permanent installation. The RockSTAR is a vital handheld safety device with an astonishingly long battery life, giving peace of mind to pilots and aviators wherever you fly.
SATCOMS’ ROLE IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Satellite communications support many initiatives designed to protect our environment; from monitoring renewable energy to wildlife tracking, to supporting scientists’ understanding of the impact of climate change.
Our partner Inmarsat has some fantastic examples of how satellite connectivity has had a positive impact in helping nations achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), some of which we’d like to share with you here:
- Satellite-based Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) were implemented in Indonesia to improve the safety of fishermen, and to locate the best fishing grounds, leading to shorter trips and reducing illegal and unreported catches
- In the Philippines, BGAN broadband data terminals and satellite phones were distributed to help relief agencies and first responders communicate more effectively in the event of a disaster; they proved their worth in ensuring a faster and more coordinated response.
Monitoring, communication and tracking
The requirements of environmental agencies vary enormously, from needing IoT / M2M connectivity to gather data on water levels and quality, or to send an instruction to a drone; to tracking assets for security and adherence to boundaries; to keeping your field personnel connected when they’re in remote and hard to reach areas. Please contact the Ground Control team to discuss your specific requirements.
MONITOR AND MANAGE FORESTS WITH SATELLITE COMMUNICATION
Ground Control works with forestry solution providers to give them the cellular or satellite communication they need to improve forestry operations and mitigate risks. We provide the tools needed to collect the data used to analyse productivity and performance, improve harvesting efficiency, and reduce costs.
Our knowledge of the obstacles our customers face allows us to help prepare them every challenge. We empower our customers to make quick decisions and respond to any situation.
At Ground Control, our innovative communication solutions are key to creating long-term value and safety for our forestry customers.
The high-risk conditions of forest operations require solutions that optimise productivity while protecting high value assets and workers. Every day our customers face more challenging conditions and more demanding requirements.
Our solutions provide operators with real time, data driven feedback that give them the decision-making tools needed to increase trucking efficiency and enhance the heavy equipment productivity.
Lone worker safety and remote communications are essential for any company operating in hazardous areas.
Monitoring, tracking and communication for Forestry workers
With Ground Control’s devices, you can enable your logging trucks, field operations, and even individual trees with satellite connectivity, passing sensor information back to your headquarters for tracking, monitoring and two-way communication where needed. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we can offer, but please get in touch to discuss your specific needs.
“With greater focus on environmental responsibility from both investors and local governments, satellite communication is ideal for use in monitoring the surrounding environment to ensure and prove compliance with mining permits. Monitoring needs to continue long after the mine has mine closed. Simple satellite connectivity allows monitoring from afar”
~ Matthew Ellison, Ground Control Solutions Architect
Advances in technologies see frontline staff remain connected and supported while performing their daily tasks. The use of augmented reality glasses has greatly enhanced working practices with the benefit expanded to remote sites with no or unreliable cellular coverage.
Our services deliver connectivity for remote support for technicians and crews maintaining machinery in order to minimise downtime and avoid costly shut downs. Our vehicle telematics improve safety and minimise running costs, while the satellite broadband connects remote mines to head office and the supply chain. Moreover we enable environmental monitoring, water and air quality to protect indigenous people from the mines’ activity.
Our services include hardware, software and services to support mining operations around the globe:
- IP and serial M2M connectivity
- Resilient failover communications
- Secure data paths with encryption
- 24/7 support services.
Supporting mining operations around the globe
Using mobile satellite terminals, you can turn support and welfare trucks into wi-fi hotspots with broadband connectivity even while on the move. Handheld satellite two way radios allow field teams to work safely and communicate with machinery operators even in the remotest parts of the mine complex. Here’s a quick selection, but please get in touch to discuss your needs.
MARITIME APPLICATIONS FOR IOT
Of the many reasons why fleet owners are investing in IoT devices, two stand out: the need to comply with increasing regulatory obligations, and the ability to save costs.
With the Marine Environment Protection Committee’s strategy to halve the greenhouse gas emissions of the world fleet by 2050, there’s unlikely to be any reduction in the amount of data you need to provide the authorities about your ship’s emissions and fuel consumption, and with fishing rights in flux, being able to accurately and reliably track your fleet’s location is another key requirement.
It’s not all red tape; with virtually real-time data from ocean-based buoys, fleet owners can plot the most effective route for your vessels, and by adding IoT devices to containers, you can manage handling more efficiently, and ensure maintenance is completed before it becomes an issue.
“75% of fleet owners have already, or expect to, generate savings from leveraging IoT, particularly as a result of route optimization.”
– Industrial IoT: Maritime Report, Inmarsat
Solutions for tracking, monitoring, and communications
Ground Control works with the best airtime providers and hardware manufacturers in the world – we include ourselves in that number! – to ensure that all of our customers get the best possible solution for their needs. Here’s a quick snapshot of products perfect for maritime use, but we’d encourage you to contact us so we can give you customized advice for your requirements.
ADVANCED CONNECTIVITY FOR OIL & GAS
Ground Control has been providing solutions to the Oil & Gas market for over 20 years. Together with its network operator and technology partners, Ground Control offers turnkey data management solutions, tailored to the requirements of Oil & Gas companies.
By utilizing satellite communications, Ground Control provides connectivity to remote sites, which allows for the collection, analysis, and utilisation of mission critical data.
Our solutions bring substantial operational improvements to the field through the collection of data from sensors, data recorders, digital equipment and SCADA control systems from anywhere in the world, no matter how remote.
“Advanced connectivity to optimise drilling and production throughput and improved maintenance and field operations could add up to $250 billion of value to the industry’s upstream operations by 2030”.
– McKinsey & Company
One of the key focus areas for implementing advanced satellite connectivity solutions is to reduce costs through production efficiency improvements, and increased uptime of equipment, by using online remote monitoring and diagnostics tools and services.
This allows timely delivery of critical information, negating the requirement for employees to make frequent and costly onsite visits, and providing the ability to diagnose problems online before any production time is lost and costly breakdowns occur.
We provide solutions to enable this to happen, which is underpinned by fast and efficient technical support for all of the equipment we offer, even on a 24×7 basis if required.
Our various satellite networks support data, voice, video streaming, custom applications, VPN and Private Networking, and we give you all the tools necessary to monitor your Assets and optimize your investment.
Serving the Oil and Gas supply chain
There’s a role for satellite connectivity throughout the well lifecycle: from exploration to drilling; fracking to flowback well tests; production, artificial lift and enhanced oil recovery. Ground Control aims to optimize your use of this powerful technology, so that your costs are better managed, and your data always gets through. Here’s a quick sample of our services, but we’d encourage you to get in touch with the team to discuss your needs.
IOT SHIPMENT AND CARGO TRACKING SOLUTIONS
Reliable communications that supply you with accurate data about your fleet are key to the success of your enterprise. We work with our customers bringing them the best in telematics technology so they can increase operational efficiency, reduce their carbon footprint, and ensure compliance with current legislation.
When it comes to tracking shipments or cargo over land, sea and air, sensors can be attached to your vehicles, to your containers, and / or to individual parcels.
Simple sensors will provide the asset’s location, helping to ensure that delivery schedules are accurate. More complex sensors can measure vibration / motion and temperature, which can help safeguard against theft, and distance travelled / fuel consumed, which can help your business manage costs and demonstrate compliance with legislation monitoring the environmental impact of shipping.
Ground Control’s wide choice of devices and airtime services means that we can pair you with the best solution for your needs – from global tracking devices to satellite phones, to portable WiFi hotspots.
However complex your requirements, the data needs to come back to your base of operations quickly and reliably, so it can be acted upon; and that’s where Ground Control comes in.
Our solutions offer hybrid cellular / satellite connectivity to provide the best balance of cost and reliability; as soon as the cellular network becomes spotty, the devices failover to satellite, which has pole to pole coverage.
In addition to tracking, satellite connectivity also facilitates two way communication between your drivers, pilots and helmsmen, so that they can keep fleet managers informed about their status, receive new instructions if they need to change their route, and better ensure their safety in remote locations.
Driving actionable insight with remote connectivity
Achieve complete operation visibility with automated, continuous data from infrastructure and assets at every point of the supply chain. Ground Control delivers secure, advanced connectivity, empowering Utility suppliers with the intelligence required to orchestrate utility supply through SCADA, IoT and M2M solutions.
Mission critical data
Being able to reliably route, monitor and control resource delivery is the centre of the critical infrastructure for every Utility company. Automating control across the entire network enables companies to rapidly respond to outages, fluctuations or peaks in demand. But none of this is possible without reliable data and connectivity.
Facilitating Industrial Control Systems (ICS) is a key part of Ground Control’s mission. Our hybrid satellite and cellular solutions ensure secure and reliable transmission of data from field RTUs to distributed control or SCADA systems. Scalable and customisable, our systems enable precise measurements and near real time data aggregation.
Ground Control helps Utility companies provide a better service for their customers
Complete visibility
Mitigate outages
Secure infrastructure
Automated monitoring & control
Interested?
Feel free to ask us your questions or request an offer.