LEUVEN MINDGATE

AnSem develops ARGOS-3-4 satellite tag for animal tracking


AnSem announces that it has been awarded a European Space Agency's (ESA) contract for developing an Argos 3-4 chipset that will be implemented in various Argos Applications including marine tags. These devices will benefit from the new Argos features including the two-way communication that will allow transmission of larger set of data. These tags are lightweight RF radio systems equipped with multiple sensors (e.g. depth, temperature and light) and they will be mounted on wildlife as to register the trail of the migrating animals. This pattern combined with the sensor's logged measurements will allow scientists to investigate what drives the migration of these animals. As a demonstration, the tags in this project will be deployed to record and track the migration patterns of endangered marine animals in the Mediterranean Sea (Blue fin Tuna) and in North-East Atlantic (Basking sharks). Partners in this development are CLS and Star-Oddi; first users will be APECS and WWF MedPO.

CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites: www.cls.fr)- France- was created in 1986 by the French Space Agency (CNES) to operate the ARGOS system and still remains its only.  This satellite system was developed under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (French space agency), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The semi-public ARGOS system is dedicated to environmental monitoring: instruments, satellites, launches are provided by various space agencies.

Star-Oddi (www.star-oddi.com)-Iceland- is a high technology company, founded in Iceland in 1985.  It has since its inception been a leading developer and manufacturer of small sensors, data loggers and technology used in aquatic and animal research.  Besides research in ecosystems and aquatic environments products are used in other industries like biomedical, food & beverage as well as other industries.

APECS (Association pour l'Etude et la Conservation des Sélaciens www.asso-apecs.org)-France- is a non-profit organization created in Brest in 1997 and governed by the French 1901 law. This structure is dedicated to the study of sharks, skates and rays.  APECS aims at enhancing scientific knowledge on these animals to improve not only their conservation, but more broadly the protection of marine ecosystems.

WWF MedPO - WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) established in 1994 the Mediterranean Programme (MedPO) with headquarters in Rome and offices in Barcelona, Tunis and Rabat to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in Mediterranean countries (www.panda.org/mediterranean).

About AnSem

AnSem is Europe's leading fabless analog ASIC design service company, designing and delivering state-of-the-art analog, RF and mixed-signal integrated circuits to customers worldwide. Founded in 1998 and based in Leuven, Belgium, AnSem specializes in the development of advanced integrated circuits for wired and wireless data transmission, data acquisition and ultra low-power applications. AnSem is ISO 9001 certified and is a proven and solid development partner for ambitious and visionary customers, reaching for leadership in global markets.

To find out more, please visit the AnSem website at www.ansem.com

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