GSE Blog 

Your Remote Data Experts

We’ve developed complex and customized satellite-based communications solutions at GSE for nearly two decades, and so many of our customers have appreciated the way in which we explain the pillars of a data ecosystem to them. It seems like it makes sense to share that with everyone, so that you have the tools to explain your needs and understand your capabilities. This short article series will address each of the major pillars of a remote data infrastructure, and help you understand what your organization needs to stay connected.

Gathering Data in the Field

The most important question to answer here is “what information am I trying to get?” For many of GSE’s customers, the answer is as simple as wanting to know where something (or someone) is when it is off-grid and otherwise untraceable. Other customers have a more complex set of needs, like vehicle-related data (fuel levels, load levels, speed, heading) or working status of an autonomous machine or lone worker. Each of these applications requires a different piece of equipment to track, and GSE works with hundreds of available options. When the right hardware doesn’t exist for a sensible price, GSE leverages its engineering expertise to create custom equipment that meets the needs of our customers.

A large part of the gathering process involves having the right sensors to collect the data you need. GSE’s team is also incredibly well-versed in sensor technologies, so if the machine you’re trying to track doesn’t have the right ones, GSE can help you find them.

Moving Data from the Field

There are a number of ways to send information over the air, and we’d venture a guess that nobody is unfamiliar with the idea that data can be moved from anywhere to anywhere else, with the only restriction being that some places cost more than others. GSE specializes in the hard to reach areas, and in working with Satellite network providers like Inmarsat, Iridium, Globalstar, and Thuraya, among others. Our network provider partners cover pole to pole, oceans, deserts, rivers, forests, mountains, islands, and tundra. The coverage option that works best for each customer varies, and the flexibility to work with any provider instead of just a single network makes GSE a great solution partner for clients with diverse needs.

Additionally, each GSE customer manages airtime with a proprietary software client that allows for up to the minute billing summaries, account control, and more. This level of control over satellite spending and accounting is unparalleled in the industry, and is only available from GSE and its partners.

Transforming Data

Transforming data coming from the field is required for making sense of the information in your data ecosystem. Whether it’s sensor outputs, CAN bus codes, or specialized scripts from connected hardware, GSE will make sure that whatever you’re trying to get from field to fingertips comes in a form that you can utilize.

Transforming data also encompasses the science behind turning your operational data into actionable insights and business intelligence. When you need to know more than what happened, GSE has the tools to help you understand how your data matters to your operations.

Delivering Data

GSE is one of the few satellite solution providers that offers a complete and comprehensive solution that includes end to end delivery of data. Once your data has been gathered, moved, and transformed, it has to be delivered to you in the way that makes the most sense for your organization. Broadly speaking, there are two options: GSE can display the data for you in its flagship software application, GSatTrack, which continues to set the pace for visualization tools in the satellite industry, or GSE can move your data to any tool that you prefer to use via API, data relay, or export services.

Building Your Best Solution

Working with GSE means going to a one-stop shop, and being able to find a solution that solves for all four pillars, or only for the ones that you need. It means working with whatever tools you are comfortable with, in whatever budget works best, and for whatever size organization you are. When you consult with your GSE representative, let them know which pillars (Gather, Move, Transform, and Deliver) you need help with, and they will be glad to tailor the perfect solution just for you.