5G Surf Condition Monitoring System to be deployed in Dorset

Improved safety at Lulworth Estate as part of 5G RuralDorset project.

JET Engineering System Solutions Ltd today announced the signing of a contract with Excelerate Technology Limited, as part of the 5G RuralDorset project, to deliver a network of Surf Condition Monitoring (SCM) buoys to the UNESCO world heritage coastline of the Lulworth Estate in Dorset, UK. This continues JET Engineering System Solutions’ road-map of providing their Maritime Connected Technologies (MCT) communications mesh to marine-based operators to improve multiple-sensor IoT connectivity.

James Thomas, CEO of JET said: “We’re really excited to be involved with the 5G RuralDorset project – not least because this means working with innovative partner organisations such as Dorset Council, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Excelerate and the RNLI.

“It is also one of the first opportunities to demonstrate our market-leading maritime 5G safety and environmental capabilities in a first of a kind trial. The trials will not only significantly prove our hardware capability but will assist in the fight to save lives.”

  • The low profile SCM buoys will measure sea state 24/7 and communicate this information via 5G to project partners. This will include tidal current, temperature and wave height data.
  • Sea-state information will be displayed on the connected digital signage to be installed at busy locations on the Jurassic Coast.
  • Sea-state information will also be available via a published feed, available to the general public, and accessible by the emergency services to support their operations.

The Connected Coast research area of the project aims to demonstrate improved public safety along a section of the coast by upgrading access to digital communication services for first responder organisations such as the RNLI as well as the general public. The £7 million project, which is part funded by DCMS, began in March 2020 and is set to finish by the end of March 2022.

Dorset Council Deputy Leader Peter Wharf remarked: “This is an exciting stage of the project as we begin to see the technology partnerships, that this project is fostering, really start to flourish and become real. 5G enabled sea state monitoring is an important part of the work we’re doing along the Jurassic Coast and will help the emergency services prevent incidents and improve coastal public safety in what is a beautiful but often dangerous environment.”

 

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: “5G-powered buoys could play a critical role in keeping people safe at sea and are yet another example of how government-backed trials led by the country’s most talented innovators are carving out novel solutions to age-old problems.”