A Polaris II skipper, Mark Elder, checking the weather conditions online – via Starlink – while on the boat in Fiordland.
Linking to the ‘stars’ is revolutionising expeditions on the University’s main research vessel Polaris II.
People onboard now use Starlink satellites to go online to upload research data from the field, consult global collaborators, trouble-shoot, see detailed weather maps, attend classes, get course materials, and progress onshore work.
Marine Field Operations Co-ordinator Will Pinfold says Starlink is a “game changer”.
“We get Internet that’s just as good on the boat as in the office.”
Geology and Physical Marine Technical Specialist Bob Dagg says before Starlink, staying in contact was easier from Antarctica than from Polaris II in Fiordland. But now going online and video calling about technical issues has even prevented turning back to Dunedin.
Crew/Skipper Adelle Heineman says researchers collaborating internationally can also get instant feedback on collections, then immediately make necessary changes and re-sample, instead of waiting up to a year to return.
The vessel can communicate effortlessly with shore parties as well so plans can change easily in response to the weather or other situations – with nothing lost in translation as could happen when messages were going back and forth among radio operators, shore parties, and crew, she says.
The creators of Starlink Space X, says its Starlink involves the first ‘constellation’ of thousands of satellites surrounding earth from about 550 kilometres away to deliver seamless broadband Internet for streaming and video calling.
Previously, fewer satellites were more than 35,000 kilometres away and Information Technology Services (ITS) Network Design Engineer Simon Draffin says that meant Polaris’ dish needed to aim at a specific point in the sky, which can be difficult in rolling waves.
And the network had high latency (delays/lags between an action and the response), slow speeds, could carry limited data, and was too expensive to be viable.
Bob says he can now video call the boat from Dunedin to solve problems when “on some of these trips, they might’ve actually had to turn around and come home, but a five-10-15-minute video call and they’ve solved the problem and got on with their day. That’s massive”.
When equipment broke three days and 200 kilometres into a Fiordland expedition it stopped researchers’ work and threatened a return trip, but going online onboard meant Bob could easily locate replacement equipment and organised its delivery.
He has also video called from onboard to the Otago Repository for Core Analysis in Dunedin to help trouble shoot technical issues there so research could continue, and with video calling students at sea could still attend lectures or meetings and students on land could learn about field work.
People can also progress onshore work by email instead of “being off grid for two weeks or a month”, while Bob also easily keeps in touch with home when away for up to a month by phone, text, WhatsApp, or Messenger.
Adelle says pre-Starlink, satellite phone was the relatively expensive long-distance link skippers usually used only once or twice a day, for safety reporting. Now they see detailed weather maps online anytime, report more easily, order parts quickly, and keep crew worksheets current so they are paid promptly.
While some people think Starlink has a drawback because people can watch movies so can tend to stay in their cabin rather than socialising or getting involved in activities, when the generator goes off at night, so does Starlink, she says.
ITS Infrastructure Services Head Wallace Chase worked with the vessel staff to provide this new connectivity option and Simon says installing it was simple, “just cabling and connecting to power points and drilling some holes for brackets”, with help from Property and Campus Development engineering.
Providing connectivity wherever research and teaching is done is in line with our Pae Tata Strategic Plan to 2030 which envisages transforming the digital environment to create value for students and staff.