Computer System for Marine Navigation and Boat/Home Management?

[S. W. Tengelsen]

We hope this is appropriate to post here;

Proposal: The design, development/prototyping and commercial manufacture of a user friendly and rugged  Computer System for Marine Navigation and Boat/Home Management (monitoring/control) based on the Olimex A20-OLinuXino board or the like and the Navigatrix Linux distribution.

Project Digest: Modified/extended extant Open Source hardware and software can fill a hitherto uncovered product niche aboard larger (>20') live-aboard- or cruiser boats in a two-step process; First UNIFY the monitoring and control of devices and utilities such as GPS, AIS, radar, echo sounder, engines, anchor spill,  desalination system, ballast tanks, navigation- and utility lightning, security cameras, AV system, etc. by collecting the bi-directional data-flow from these digital and analogue-to-digital- amenable devices and facilities into a (modular?) hub, secondly DISTRIBUTE the monitoring/control functionality of everything to "satellite" stations distributed around the boat over Ethernet (optical?) plus possibly a (heavily encrypted!) unit for remote control from a laptop or smartphone.

Skills in Demand: Linux (GUI/CLI) NMEA2000-programming and scripting, hardware/industrial design (IP67/MIL-STD-810G-compliant), digital-to-digital and analogue-to-digital interface design. These skills may be covered by minimum two maximum four amiable, inventive and cooperation-minded English-language professionals. Spanish-language knowledge will be an asset but no prerequisite (only English is the project language for all communication and documentation, spoken and written).

Project Location/Timeline: The project will probably take place in Valencia, Spain, once a detailed design brief and a full project planning document has been written, and funding to cover wages, housing, workshop, materials, tools, instruments, legal services, etc. has been secured, estimate late 2015/early 2016. Interested and qualified persons must very likely be able to relocate to Valencia for the duration of the project estimated at 12-16 months, and be prepared to work very closely with Marine Instruments Manufacturers and a Naval Architect amongst others to integrate the system into a working whole as an intrepid real-time "brain" in a most avant-garde prototype ~42' motor/sail cruiser catamaran.

This project is at once both part of and independent from a larger multi-faceted project to facilitate ecologically sustainable and self-reliant marine/coastal habitation; The resultant product(s) from the proposal will be made especially for our boats and modular habitable platforms, but the general technology we develop can also be adapted and marketed as new niche/mass market opportunities present themselves.

Serious interested parties are encouraged to either get in touch by email (best) sent to swt at consultant dot com, please put "ARCHIE" in the Subject field, or if necessary by calling the mobile below.

Sveinung Wittington Tengelsen
Project Developer/Communicator
Oslo, Norway
Mobile +(00)47 91 53 26 27