Engineered by ocean scientists, Spotter produces precise, peer-reviewed data that is trusted by the global research community.
Easy-to-use, built to last
Basketball-sized, solar-powered, and ultra durable, Spotters are simple to deploy and designed for harsh ocean conditions.
Connected
24/7 satellite connectivity provides seamless access to ocean data, which is stored in the cloud and delivered via the Spotter dashboard and API. Cellular connectivity enables over-the-air firmware updates.
Adaptable
Spotter connects to underwater sensors through Smart Mooringto deliver real-time water level and tides, and water temperature.
Spotter is continuously evolving and, in July 2022, we released the third generation of the platform. This release unveiled a wave of exciting improvements — collectively known as “Spotter 3” — that are detailed below.
Spotter now takes barometric pressure readings at the sea surface, the platform’s first direct atmospheric measurement and a boon to its weather forecasting capabilities.
Increased Durability and Usability
Key hardware enhancements, including a flurry of ergonomic upgrades to the eBox, make Spotter even more robust and reliable. A new USB-C interface simplifies the data transfer and power supply process.
40%
Less Energy Consumption
10x
More Compute Power
More Computing Power, Less Power Consumption
A 10x increase in onboard computing power expands data sampling and sensor integration capabilities, unlocking real-time event detection. Reduced power consumption enables deployment at higher latitudes.
Cellular connectivity
We added cellular capability to Spotter’s existing satellite connection to reduce data collection costs, unlock over-the-air updates, and support high bandwidth projects.
Why OTA matters?
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Smart Mooring
Seeking underwater insights? Deploy Spotter with our Smart Mooring device and start gathering ocean data beneath the surface.
From deployment to data delivery, using your Spotter is straightforward and stress-free.
Simple to deploy
Extremely durable
Easily accessible ocean data
Understanding Your Spotter Data
Spotter delivers a wide array of ocean data variables. Check out the Spotter Data and Data Definitions below to learn about the insights that you’ll have access to, or download a .csv of sample Bulk Statistics and Wave Spectra data.
● Wave Height: Reported as significant wave height, the mean height of the top ⅓ largest waves. This is a statistical value and does not represent any individual wave observed by Spotter.
● Wave Direction: The angle that the waves are coming from. The mean direction and the direction of the dominant waves (peak direction) are reported.
● Wave Period: The time between successive wave peaks. This describes how “long” the waves are. A larger period corresponds to waves with a larger wavelength and lower frequency (1/T, where T=period).
Wave Spectra
● The energy in the wave field, which corresponds to the variance of the sea surface. Reported as energy per wave frequency (see Wave Period definition in Wave Statistics section for frequency formula).
● Wave spectra offer insights not captured by bulk wave statistics. Using wave spectra, users can make distinctions between sea and swell activity, such as variability in swell and wind sea directionality.
Surface Wind
● Wind is inferred from the observed wave spectrum only and Spotter is not equipped with an anemometer or other wind sensor.
● Wind speed (magnitude) and direction (angle) are reported at 10 m above the surface assuming open ocean, spatially uniform, and constant wind. As a result, if the wind is changing rapidly and the waves are not in balance with the wind (e.g. near a coastline), the inference is not valid.
Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
● The water temperature at the position of the Spotter recorded ~10 cm below the surface. As a result, SST may differ slightly from the “skin” temperature (surface level) measured by satellites.
Barometric Pressure
● The barometer measures atmospheric pressure at the sea surface with rated initial accuracy of + / - 1 mbar between 0°C to 50°C at an operating range of 700 to 1100 millibars. Accuracy is relative to single-point calibration reference. Accuracy drift of up to 1mbar/year.
Deployment Options
Let your Spotter drift freely in the open ocean, anchor it to the seafloor using conventional mooring, ordeploy it with our Smart Mooring device to unlock subsurface sensing capability.
