As reported on our sister site, uk.boats.com, the innovative Bristol-based electronics company Digital Yacht recently won the 2011 DAME Award for marine electronics at the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam. The product is called iAIS. It's a dual-channel black-box AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver that outputs data wirelessly to iPhones and iPads via the 802.11 wireless frequency. The accompanying app is a free download at Apple's iTunes store.

Digital Yacht's iAIS receiver next to an iPad. It's a wireless interface that requires no Internet connection.

Digital Yacht's iAIS receiver next to an iPad. It's a wireless interface that requires no Internet connection.



This is a screen grab from an iPhone. The selected target pops up a wealth of data -- Lat/Lon, heading, COG/SOG, and MMSI number.

This is a screen grab from an iPhone. The selected target pops up a wealth of data -- Lat/Lon, heading, COG/SOG, and MMSI number.



One of the nice things about iAIS is that it can also pull in NMEA data from the boat's instrumentation -- GPS/plotter, depth, boatspeed, etc. None of these functions requires an Internet connection, so iAIS will work offshore.

This is a big step toward integrating marine electronics with everyday shoreside devices and accepted, intuitive user interfaces. That's how awards are won.

Digital Yacht has a number of dealers in the U.S., including Defender, where the iAIS black box is currently selling for $495.

-- Doug Logan

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Written by: Doug Logan
Doug Logan has been a senior editor of YachtWorld.com since 2010. He's a former editor-in-chief of Practical Sailor, managing editor and technical editor of Sailing World, webmaster for Sailing World and Cruising World, contributing editor to Powerboat Reports, and the editor of dozens of books about boats, boat gear, and the sea.