1. satellite data communication users
WMO-IOC Satcom Forum
a Resource for
satellite data communication users
on land and at sea
EC-PHORS Doc 4.5
Johan Stander

2. Why Satellite?
Because it reaches the places other services cannot reach – remote locations, oceans and poles.
Because it offers resilience to infrastructure failures – such as during natural disasters.
Because you can deploy a single solution in a wide range of locations.

3. types of satellite service
message-based services
like an SMS message
cheap, compact terminals
low power consumption
great for AWSs, data buoys and tracking
stream-based services
like dial-up modems or broadband internet
from 2.4kbit/s to 500+ kbit/s
more expensive and need more power

4. isn’t it expensive? it doesn’t have to be:
message-based services sending a few messages per day can cost ~$16 USD/month
Satcom Forum can advise on how to choose a tariff
however, fast streaming services can get very expensive if you use a lot of data
but may be cost-effective if they save staff time or allow less frequent field visits

5. what is Satcom Forum?
a resource for satellite data communication users in environmental science
a place to share and learn best practice:
access to technical information to help you choose which satellite service best suits your application
access to experts from industry
access to other users’ case studies and experience
an advocacy group for users’ interests
an official group backed by WMO and IOC

6. what does Satcom Forum do?
provides information and guidance on how to choose a satellite system that meets your needs
advocates with the networks for the specific needs of scientific users – tariffs, terms and conditions, feature requests
puts you in touch with experts

7. who is involved?
experienced satcom users from the meteorological and oceanographic communities
representatives of the satellite networks and resellers
representatives of the equipment manufacturers
WMO and IOC secretariats

8. First Session
Satcom2016 was the first formal session of the WMO-IOC International Forum of Users of Satellite Data Telecommunication Systems (Satcom) after established (Res.31, Cg-17) in Participation was by voluntary self-registration and by invitation through WMO and IOC processes.
Feria de Madrid, in Spain as a side event of the Meteorological Technology World Expo 2016 (Meteo Expo), September 2016 hosted by Spain

9. - Main Goal
Satcom is trying to help scientific users bring the right data, in the right format, to the right people, at the right time, for the right price.
It’s a big challenge, but the forum has a lot of willing people who are keen to make it happen, and a lot of good connections into the industry, which he hoped will strengthen as the Forum begins its work in earnest

10. Satcom Network Providers
The meeting noted the success of satcom operators in fulfilling WMO requirements for making information available through the WMO information system, in particular the World Weather Watch Global Telecommunications Network (GTS). This included the incentive of Eumetsat by providing the services for free to non Eumetsat members if platform owners agree to make their data available in WIS. It further noted that Argos and Iridium, have provided data successfully to the GTS for many years.

11. Feedback – Network cont
Some issues that would need following up, included the following:
Operators had different ways of managing stations that ceased to transmit or stations that drifted off frequency or time.
De-allocating slots was difficult for some operators even when stations have been silent for a long period.
Agreed that utilising time from GPS component helped avoid time drift.
Agreed that Satcom should look further into these issues and
address the need for guidance on how to handle silent, obsolete or other problematic stations
The meeting noted that the operators had different ways of managing stations that ceased to transmit or stations that drifted off frequency or time.
It noted that de-allocating slots was difficult for some operators even when stations have been silent for a long period.
It agreed that utilising time from GPS component helped avoid time drift.
The meeting agreed that Satcom should look further into these issues and
address the need for guidance on how to handle silent, obsolete or other problematic stations

12. Sessions on equipment manufacturers
Presentations included “How the satcom networks can best serve scientific equipment manufacturers, Telemetry meets Water. Reliable Data for Measuring and Monitoring Tasks in Early Warning Systems (Surface Water, Groundwater, Water Quality) and Satellite M2M communication service” was very fitting

13. Sessions on Satcom users
The session included a statement from the Assistant Secretary General of WMO, Dr Wenjian Zhang while the following presentations were fitting and seeks further investigation. “The challenges of accessing Antarctic meteorological data in near real-time, Development of the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) Support to now-casting and real time reporting

14. Recommendations
Involve manufactures in the development of use cases demonstrating the user requirements and potential uptake.
Satcom should pay special attention to LDCs, SIDS, etc with an aim to facilitating their use of satcom systems.
The meeting agreed to having JTA as a sub-programme of Satcom and a representative on the executive committee
The meeting agreed to the membership of the Satcom Executive Committee.
Update the Terms of Reference of the Satcom Executive Committee and Membership
Current membership of Satcom will be those who registered for Satcom2016. Future registrations can be online or via normal WMO/IOC notification processes.

15. action items from session
Action1 Address the need for guidance on how to handle silent, obsolete or other problematic stations.
Action2 Investigate if Satcom should concern itself with spectrum management issues and if so what would this involve and how should Satcom go about this?
Action3 Operators to provide a brief statement on future plans, bandwidth and capacity to the Chair of Satcom.
Action4 Monitor the potential pros and cons of utilising small satellites as a part of future solutions and service systems.

16. action items from session
Action5 Prof. Byong-Lyol Lee (President CAgM) to brief CAgM management group on Satcom and their potential participation
Action6 Mr Johan Stander (Co-president JCOMM) to brief president of CHy on Satcom and their potential participation.
Action7 Satcom should work with satcom providers with an aim to introducing more flexible and focused access plans enabling greater use of satcom systems to facilitate new services.

17. action items from session
Action8 Conduct a market survey. The chair will coordinate with the vice-chair, WMO and IOC secretariats and Mr Simon Van Dries to prepare the survey, circulate this to the Satcom executive council for review and then distribute through WMO and IOC channels. For WMO, this will be the WIS Focal Points. Mr Stander will liaise with IOC.
Action9 Identify case studies on satcom requirements, draw up call for case studies and example template and send out via official channels and via personal contacts
Action10 Explore the possibility of establishing a “WMO branded disaster alerting tariff” considering hydrological community (flood warnings) as a test case and find candidate projects. Establish contacts with networks at senior level (use WMO brand) and try and build a consensus.

18. action items from session
Action11 The chair to review and update the Satcom Buyers Guide. Satcom will investigate web hosting options (WMO to host, IOC to link or mirror)
Action12 Mr Johan Stander will liaise with JTA inviting them to formally confirm participation in Satcom as a sub-programme
Action13 Investigation of a mechanism to allow random activation
Action14 Look into training and outreach, starting with a standard set of slides and help desk contact.

19. - Further considerations
All the services have a monthly standing charge, data used is billed monthly. However, there are pre-paid airtime products, both for streamed services and for data.
Most scientific users are on annual budgets, annual pre-paid plan? Eliminates the billing cost, reduces accounting paperwork for both the networks and the users.
Networks are being paid up front, willing to operate with zero standing charge per terminal – because if the data isn’t used, it’ll expire at the end of the year. Prepaid budget can then be spread across lots of terminals.
Offer a “collective prepay” where large number of users to all commit to buy together in order to get a better price on a particular service.
Networks ought to take us seriously.
By bundling the smaller operators in the developing world together with bigger buyers like the US, UK and Australia, we ought to be able to get good rates all round.
At the moment, all the services have a monthly standing charge and then data used is billed monthly. However, there are pre-paid airtime products out there both for streamed services (because they’re used for voice) and for data (have a look at Rock Seven’s Iridium SBD tariff –
So, given that most scientific users are on annual budgets, how about an annual pre-paid plan? That eliminates the billing cost for the networks and reduces accounting paperwork for both the networks and the users. Since the networks are being paid up front, they ought to be more willing to operate with zero standing charge per terminal – because if the data isn’t used, it’ll expire at the end of the year (perhaps with limited scope for “roll over” as is done with some mobile phone tariffs). The annual prepaid budget can then be spread across lots of terminals.
We could then offer a “collective prepay” organised through WMO (though I recognise that this mat be difficult) where we get a large number of users to all commit to buy together in order to get a better price on a particular service. The money would be on the table, so the networks ought to be willing to take us seriously. By bundling the smaller operators in the developing world together with bigger buyers like the UK and Australia, we ought to be able to get good rates all round.

20. Conclusion
MAJORITY of Network Providers and equipment Manufactures willing to change way of thinking/working to serve our needs

21. Decisions / Actions Required
EC-PHORS encourages LDCs to engage with Satcom in order to have requirements for Satcom on their high mountain regions better considered by satellite operators and equipment manufacturers (action; EC-69; May 2017).
Observations Framework is requested to propose definition of the conditions and criteria under which the Satcom Forum would then be invited to negotiate special tariff for Satcom providers, in particular in polar regions and with the aim to address disaster risk reduction requirements (action; Observations Framework; June 2017)
Observations Framework and Antarctic Task Team are requested to provide Satcom Chair with a brief statement on future plans, bandwidth and capacity requirements (action; Obs. Framework & Ant. TT; June 2017).

22. how do I find out more? contact one of the following:
Chair: Mike Prior-Jones
Vice-chair: Johan Stander
Secretariat: David Thomas
Other EC members such as Eric, Andy, David M etc
website with documents from recent meetings

23. We Thank you Appreciation to Mike, Dave, David rest of EC
Exiting times ahead
We Thank you Appreciation to Mike, Dave, David rest of EC