[11-14-07 – Satellite Today] Com Dev International Ltd. signed a strategic alliance agreement with GateHouse A/S of Denmark to provide a global turnkey automatic identification system (AIS) solution for user groups, Com Dev announced Nov. 12.
    The agreement will enable Com Dev’s space-based AIS data to be collected, stored, managed and displayed. The AIS, a VHF broadcast system required aboard every ship weighing more than 300 tons, originally was put in place to avoid collisions between ships within 50 nautical miles of each other. The system broadcasts basic information such as a ship’s identity, position, course, speed and navigational status every 2 to 10 seconds to other ships and land-based receivers. Land-based systems have a restricted range of 50 miles, but space coverage would allow the system to collect data from a ship at any point on Earth.
     Under the agreement, GateHouse will supply a complete software solution including display, archiving, historical reporting, user authentication, Web access and other core AIS functionality along with hosting facilities for integrated data being produced by Com Dev’s air and space demonstration programs.
    The company announced in October that it would demonstrate an advanced AIS detection capability from space, beginning with an aircraft trial in November and followed by a prototype test aboard a nanosatellite in 2008.