SEMAT Mk3 Prototype Buoy - Overview

The SEMAT Mk3 prototype buoy aims at hardening and refining the design of the Mk2 buoys.  The Mk3 buoys are engineered to be more robust in harsher marine conditions and therefore can be deployed for longer durations.  The internal hardware has also been revised thereby significantly reducing power consumption.  This allows the physical dimensions of the solar panel and battery size to be reduced.  Ongoing development of the SAL software is also taking place to allow for real-time streaming and visualisation of sensed data and adherence to Sensor Web Enablement Standards (SWE).  Furthermore, this system incorporates the first of SEMAT's underwater wireless sensor node systems.

The Mk3 prototype buoy is in general more power, efficient, robust and advanced in terms of hardware, software and physical enclosure compared to its Mk2 counterpart.