SO. ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004. Digital Angel Corporation, an advanced technology company in the field of rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value assets, today announced Digital Angel Corporation’s London based Signature Industries has received approval from COSPAS-SARSAT to operate its SARBE ‘G2R’ military personnel location beacon (PLB) on the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system based in London.
COSPAS-SARSAT is the internationally funded satellite system operator that detects activated search and rescue beacons and is responsible for approving all rescue beacons. COSPAS-SARSAT forecasts that the global population of the new generation of digital beacons will grow from 400,0000 to 900,000 by 2012 giving Signature Industries major opportunities to upgrade existing customers equipment and sell into new markets. For more information on COSPAS-SARSAT, see www.cospas-sarsat.org.
Kevin McGrath, CEO and president of Digital Angel Corp., commented, «I am extremely pleased with the performance of Signature Industries with respect to the SARBE G2R. 2003 was a year of significant expense associated with world class engineering development related to the G2R. 2004 has seen initial production of the unit along with COSPAS-SARSAT approval.»
The G2R is the first PLB in the world to be approved for new, stringent approval procedures introduced by the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite authority which will apply to all new 406 MHz PLB’s. Major changes to the world’s satellite rescue systems will be introduced between 2004 and 2009.
The current ‘LEO’ (low earth orbit) satellite system, which utilizes 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz frequency for distress emergency will be switched off in 2009 and will be replaced by a geo-stationary satellite system on 406 MHz to provide greater coverage of the earth’s surface. The system provides digital transfer of data, enabling accurate GPS location of the survivor and details of the individual.
Digital Angel Corporation develops and deploys sensor and communications technologies that enable rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value assets. Applications for the Company’s products include identification and monitoring of humans, pets, fish and livestock through its patented implantable microchips; location tracking and message monitoring of vehicles and aircraft in remote locations through systems that integrate GPS and geosynchronous satellite communications; and monitoring of asset conditions such as temperature and movement, through advanced miniature sensors.
Signature Industries, located in the United Kingdom, operates Digital Angel’s GPS and radio communications business. This segment consists of the design, manufacture and support of secure GPS enabled search and rescue equipment (such as personal locator beacons) and intelligent communications products and services for telemetry, mobile data and radio communications applications serving commercial and military markets. Signature also designs, manufactures and distributes intrinsically safe sounders (horn alarms) for industrial use and other electronic components. In addition, Signature leases high grade communications equipment and complementary data systems that customers can use to locate and monitor their assets.
Digital Angel Corporation is majority-owned by Applied Digital Inc. For more information, see www.DigitalAngelCorp.com or www.cospas-sarsat.org.
