Harris Corporation and exactEarth team up to provide real-time global maritime tracking solutions

Harris Corporation, based in Melbourne, FL, and exactEarth announced June 8 that they have formed a strategic alliance to offer new advanced data services that will help track maritime vessels faster and more accurately than ever before.

The automatic identification system (AIS) services will, for the first time, provide constant, real-time, global coverage — enabling customers to reliably track the location of vessels anywhere in the world. This helps improve efficiency, safety and security.

The services take advantage of exactEarth’s proven and patented signal de-collision detection technology and Harris’ expertise in satellite hosted payloads, advanced radio frequency communications, and satellite antenna solutions. The services are made possible by a sensor that is based on Harris’ AppSTAR™ reconfigurable payload technology and hosted on the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation — which will have 66 satellites to greatly expand global maritime traffic coverage versus the eight satellites used today.

New AIS-based data products and services are expected to be available in 2017, once the Iridium NEXT satellites are on orbit. Harris becomes the exclusive provider to the U.S. government of AIS products and services produced under the alliance, including exactEarth’s exactAIS product portfolio, while exactEarth serves all other global markets.

“The solution’s real-time data will transform today’s concept of maritime domain awareness,” said Bill Gattle, vice president and general manager, National Programs, Harris Government Communications Systems. “This alliance will expand our IntelliEarth™ family of innovative solutions, which take advantage of Harris’ world-class remote sensing capabilities to help customers around the globe make smarter operational and business decisions.”

“We’re committed to providing the best maritime intelligence solutions to our customers worldwide,” said Peter Mabson, president, exactEarth. “The new capabilities that we are building through our relationship with Harris will allow us to significantly expand the range of advanced value-added services and information solutions that we can bring to the global maritime market.”

Harris Corporation