Argos Data Collection Services

CLS operates the Argos data collection system — a global satellite-based telemetry infrastructure created in 1978 by CNES, NASA, and NOAA. Flying Argos payloads on a constellation of LEO polar-orbiting satellites (NOAA POES, MetOp, OceanSat-3) with 9 active satellites and 60+ ground stations, the system receives transmissions from over 22,000 active PTT transmitters per month across 100+ countries.

Argos provides GPS-free Doppler-based positioning (up to 250 m accuracy) and processes raw sensor telemetry from buoys, oceanographic floats, weather stations, animal tags, and remote environmental sensors. Processed data is delivered through the ArgosWeb portal, secured SFTP, email, or SMS in CSV, XLS, and XML formats. Post-processing options include Kalman smoother filters, GTS/WMO-formatted feeds, geofencing alerts, and oceanographic data extraction.

The service is widely used for wildlife tracking (8,000 tagged animals), oceanographic and climate monitoring, fisheries vessel management, and disaster research — anywhere terrestrial connectivity is unavailable.