Boatracs to Debut New AIS Maritime Applications

Boatracs Inc., a provider of integrated satellite communications and software solutions to the maritime industry, said it will conduct live booth demonstrations of two new maritime applications at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans on October 9-11, 2013.

Boatracs BTConnect AIS (Automatic Identification System) extends the functionality of BTConnect by integrating real time messaging and vessel tracking with AIS data on a single display. The AIS Man Overboard (MOB) Alarm Notification System, a joint solution development effort between Boatracs and Orolia sister company McMurdo, is a safety solution that enables distress signals from McMurdo’s Smartfind MOB AIS beacons to be displayed on BTConnect software for accelerated emergency response.

BTConnect AIS adds in a new layer of critical fleet management intelligence to the Boatracs BTConnect software platform including the display of critical information (identification, current location, heading, speed and historic position) for all AIS vessels operating within a monitored area. This additional data enables owners and operators of offshore service, inland waters, coastal workboat and commercial fishing fleets to run their companies more efficiently, safely and profitably.

“More than 2,000 vessels are now being managed with Boatracs BTConnect, and our customers have been asking for the option to display AIS data in the system,” said Jonas N. Olsen, Business Unit Manager at Boatracs. “The ability to see other boats in the area of your working fleet vastly improves the efficiency and productivity of each vessel. Dispatch users can manage their fleet more effectively, incident reporting is improved for health and safety users and management can make better business decisions with an integrated view of the messaging and activity of their boats combined with all activity in the area.”

The AIS Man Overboard Alarm Notification System provides BTConnect-equipped shore-based operators with critical MOB alarms and positioning information that may not be available with traditional on-vessel AIS receivers. During a man overboard emergency, an activated McMurdo AIS beacon transmits a distress signal that can be picked up by MOB-enabled AIS receivers on vessels within a typical 4-mile (6.5 km) radius. The new McMurdo-Boatracs integrated solution increases the alert notification zone by enabling shore operators using BTConnect to receive and transmit additional emergency alerts, alarms and messages.

“This new AIS man overboard solution allows the International Maritime Organization-approved MOB icon, Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) information and critical position coordinates, to be displayed directly on the BTConnect graphical interface,” said Jeremy Harrison, McMurdo CEO. “The end result is an innovative search and rescue solution that can lead to faster emergency response times and quicker survivor recovery.”

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