Inmarsat’s BGAN system has been designed to support point-to-point telecommunication services on portable and semi-fixed land mobile platforms with low to medium gain directional non-tracking antennas. BGAN is the world’s first mobile communications service to provide both voice and broadband data simultaneously through a single, truly portable device on a global basis.
The Inmarsat BGAN-X Phase 2 project’s objectives are to design, develop, test and trial new service extensions to BGAN to provide efficient delivery of IP-multicast traffic to mobile users via the Inmarsat-4 satellites. ASIGN was developed within the frame of this project, and is the first BGAN multicast application.
ASIGN offers the possibility to communicate with high quality photos in near real time with an embedded Global Positioning System (GPS). As Inmarsat’s BGAN network offers a broadband Internet connection anywhere and at any time, the application uses the BGAN network to link up with the Internet. This capability opens several new service options such as; real time interactive inspection, quality management and supervision, rapid mapping in combination with the latest earth observation; the fastest possible photo input globally, and enhanced security for defence.
ASIGN is the result of years of research and development with the latest technology in satellite communications, in particular from Inmarsat’s BGAN along with satellite earth observation and mapping, and satellite navigation and photo equipment, explains Dr. Harald Skinnemoen, president, founder and managing director of AnsuR Technologies AS. “ASIGN is probably one of the first Integrated Applications, where communication, navigation and earth observation is combined,” he explains. “We certainly hope to extend the functionality further in this new exiting ESA framework over the next years.”
Recently, the ASIGN application was used for rapid mapping with United Nations and UNOSAT at the TRIPLEX 2008 exercise with the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP). UNOSAT is the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme, implemented in co-operation with the European Organisation of High Energy Physics (CERN). Following this success with ASIGN, AnsuR has also signed an MoU with UNOSAT for further product joint evolution for the global humanitarian community. UNOSAT recently took ASIGN to Haiti mission assessing recent Hurricane damages.
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