Indigenized Indian Drifting Buoys with INSAT Communication for Ocean Observations

Drifting buoys are widely deployed to measure near surface ocean currents and temperature. The Global Ocean Observation System program designed a global array of 1250 drifter buoys to cover oceans at resolution of one per 5° × 5° grids spatially. The National Institute of Ocean Technology, India indigenized drifting buoy in 2012 with geostationary satellite communication to have near real-time data at every hour. The drifting buoy technology is applied for intellectual property right and transferred to Industries. The measurement scheme in the drifting buoys is capable to measure variability in sea surface temperature and small mesoscale surface eddies. This article describes case studies of indigenous drifting buoys in the Indian Ocean from 2012 onwards. The sea surface temperature and drifting speed measured with indigenous drifting buoy is compared with market available drifting buoy (Marlin-Yug), moored data buoy (BD11) and remote sensed data. We also report results from a drifting buoy with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) telemetry in the coastal region.