LOTUS - Data acquisition and telemetry buoy system

Institution: 

The MacArtney LOTUS buoy system consists of a spherical buoy corpus made from durable GRP, a turbidity sensor with antifouling wiper, a rechargeable battery pack and a data logger with integrated telemetry modem.

To fulfill safety regulations the buoy is equipped with a white flashing LED which is switched on automatically under low light conditions.

Sensor Technology

The buoy is equipped with an “AQUAlogger 210 TYT” turbidity sensor provided with 4 measuring ranges selected automatically. To avoid biological growth on the optical window, the instrument is equipped with an antifouling wiper. The sensor is protected by a cage firmly attached to the buoyant body.

The buoy and the data acquisition system has an open architecture that allows for integration of other types of sensors like CTDs, fluorometers, etc.

A typical setup for the buoy is a 30 minute measuring frequency with a burst of 20 values calculated to a mean value, which is collected by the telemetry modem and transmitted to the land station. With these adjustments the system is capable of 14 days of autonomous operation before the batteries have to be recharged or replaced.

Typically, the system is kept in position near shore with an anchor weight of approximately 100 kg.

The buoy is designed for typical water depths of 15-20 m and wave heights of 1.5-2.0 m.

Data Acquisition

The hollow interior of the buoy contains the telemetry link installed for data transmission. The logger sends turbidity data at a predetermined interval on the satellite modem to the MacArtney developed ’MetOcean Gateway’ portal,
a web based data acquisition and data storage system, that forms an integral part of the buoy system.

Highlighted specifications

Compact
Individually protected web access
Simple installation

Applications

Canals
Harbours
Coastal monitoring

Options

The logger can be equipped with additional sensors, e.g. for measuring temperature and/or pressure
Data may be purchased via mobile devices
The buoy is also available with a cellular data transmission system

Contact Name: 
Callum Magee
Contact Email: