For emergency response, NexSens CB-50 data buoy monitors water quality at a moment’s notice

NexSens Technology CB-50 emergency body

When natural disasters strike, like mudslides or floods, quick data can be highly valuable both to researchers and those living nearby. Monitoring platforms used at these times are sometimes thrown together at a moment’s notice, bringing the quality of data collected into question.

But with NexSens Technology’s new CB-50 data buoy, first responders have a more reliable option for quickly responding to natural disasters: a multipurpose buoy capable of supporting environmental sensors, telemetry and data loggers that’s deployable from most anywhere.

“While there are other data buoy options on the market, I don’t know of any that are as easy to deploy and still offer the range of sensor and telemetry options,” said Paul Nieberding, general manager at Fondriest Environmental, the master distributor and integrator for NexSens Technology.

Nieberding says the CB-50 can be deployed from small boats, large vessels or even helicopters, making it the ideal choice for applications where water needs to be monitored at a moment’s notice, like industrial spills or natural disasters. And users can configure a CB-50 system to fit their needs.

“The CB-50 is our most affordable data buoy platform, and it’s the only CB-Series data buoy that does not support solar panels,” said Nieberding. “The CB-50 is designed to house the SDL500 submersible data logger, which runs on alkaline batteries, includes radio, cellular & satellite telemetry options, and is compatible with most water monitoring sensors currently on the market.”

These include turbidity sensors, dissolved oxygen sensors, hydrocarbon sensors, fluorometers, multi-parameter sondes, pressure transducers, depth sonar and more.

For short-term projects, the CB-50 data buoy can also be rented as a cost-effective alternative. Renting is a popular choice for customers, especially environmental consultants and government agencies wanting to avoid the capital expenditure, Nieberding says. For those looking to purchase, the CB-50 data buoy starts at $1,495 and complete integrated systems are available in the $5,000 range, depending on telemetry and sensor configuration.

Still, the biggest advantage of the CB-50 is how easy it is to deploy.

“We’ve actually shipped systems that were already powered up and collecting and transmitting data in-transit,” said Nieberding. “So they could simply be dropped in the water upon arrival.”