Gregory Smith's Quest to Find a Mobile Satellite Terminal for the World Wildlife Fund
Sat, November 01, 2003
CIO — In May of 2001, a team of experienced field biologists including staff from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conducted an inventory of wildlife in the Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Special Reserve in the southwestern Central African Republic (CAR). Working deep inside the jungle, often at night, the researchers analyzed the threats and opportunities facing one of the world’s few remaining undisturbed lowland tropical forests, which spans five countries in the heart of Africa. The reserve is home to one of the continent’s largest intact forest elephant populations, western lowland gorillas, 16 of the country’s 20 primate species, hundreds of birds species and thousands of plant species.
WWF Senior Communications Officer Lee Poston joined the expedition to document the team’s findings for publication on WWF’s website (www.worldwildlife.org). Poston transmitted his daily notes via a rented satellite terminal and phone. The rented satellite gear was capable of transmitting at 9,600bps and was recharged with a 13.8-watt solar charger. Setting up the satellite terminal and getting a strong signal to the satellite above was not a problem. Small text messages and Word attachments transmitted successfully within seconds. However, the equipment was inadequate for sending photographs that could graphically communicate what was being accomplished by the team on the ground. Lee spent up to 25 minutes trying to send multiple photographs and was successful on only two occasions.
Just before the team was scheduled to leave CAR, a violent coup broke out in the capital city, Bangui, about 300 miles away. Rebel and ex-military groups attacked military posts and the presidential palace with AK-47 machine guns, mortars and grenades. The borders and airport were closed, and dozens of people died. Many victims were left in the streets because residents were too afraid to pick up their dead relatives. The WWF team used the satellite phone to assure colleagues that they were safe and devise an elaborate plan to escape the troubled country. They left at 3 a.m. in an SUV, crossed the river via a boat into Cameroon and finally took a small plane to a safe haven in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde.
Shortly after I joined WWF, Lee and I met to discuss the trip and ongoing satellite technology challenges for the World Wildlife Fund. The organization’s needs were simple—the staff needed a lightweight mobile satellite terminal capable of transmitting high-speed data for access to WWF systems at U.S. headquarters in Washington, D.C., along with voice capability and satellite coverage for more than 95 percent of the globe. I soon learned that WWF leased all of its satellite phones and equipment, but the leased equipment had limited data capabilities for sending pictures, and accessing WWF systems was very expensive. After researching other rental options, I found that rental prices were moderate, but usage fees were exorbitant and usually had high minimum-usage time commitments associated with each short-term lease contract. I then researched the equipment available for sale by vendors and discovered that mobile satellite technology had evolved during the past several years to produce effective, lightweight portable data and voice devices capable of handling the needs of the ultimate remote traveler.
