1. Satellite communications: WMO-IOC Satcom Forum
7 Dec 2016
Satcom - a resource for
satellite data communication users
on land and at sea
Mike Prior-Jones, Chair of SATCOM Forum

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 stations that report a little data daily or hourly
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. Disaster tariff pilot project
disaster alerting over terrestrial networks (e.g. cellular) is prone to infrastructure failures just when it’s most needed
a satellite terminal offers a reliable way to send or receive critical alert messages in an emergency
however, most satellite services require payment of a monthly service charge, making this prohibitively expensive

9. Disaster tariff
Satcom is looking to work with the commercial satcom networks to develop a tariff that suits disaster-response applications:
zero standing charge
pre-paid messages shared across multiple measurement sites
“if the river level is more than N, report the level every hour” ,
or a tide gauge reporting an abnormal change in sea level (a precursor to a tsunami)style of reporting
Satcom is looking for trial sites where we can demonstrate these ideas – please get in touch

10. How to get involved
SATCOM forum wish to set up and run a demonstration, and ask CHY delegates to:
Suggest suitable location for such a demonstration: define 2-3 case studies in emergency domains such as tsunami or flash floods
Especially where landline or cellular communications may be disrupted

11. How do I find out more? contact one of the following:
Chair: Mike Prior-Jones
Vice-chair: Johan Stander
Secretariat: David Thomas
website with documents from recent meetings

12. Mike Prior-Jones Chair, WMO-IOC Satcom Form
CHy are invited to participate in Satcom, including identifying some use cases that would demonstrate the importance of Satcom to hydrology
Thank You
Mike Prior-Jones Chair, WMO-IOC Satcom Form