This list of device types may be used to describe devices for teh SSDS system.
The list is static, unfortunately (last updated 2006.06.27). Eventually an automated page will be available.
These components measure and report data. The role of 'sensor' indicates the device measures data but does not report the data in digital form (for example, a sensor on a CTD just sends a voltage back to the main unit), but this usage is not strictly followed or enforced.
| Name | Role | Description |
| Air Pressure Sensor | sensor | detects atmospheric pressure |
| Backscatterometer | sensor | measures reflected radiation from in-situ surfaces |
| BatteryLog | instrument | Log of battery variables |
| Cable Monitor | instrument | measures signals from optical-electrical-mechanical cables |
| CO2 Monitor | instrument | Measures carbon dioxide (CO2 or Partial CO2) levels |
| Communication | instrument | transmits signals from one location to another |
| Compass | instrument | indicates azimuth orientation, usually relative to (magnetic or geodetic) north |
| Conductivity Sensor | sensor | measures electrical conductivity (usually of water) |
| Controller | instrument | Processor which can serve varied data (e.g., MMC, SOON, MSP) |
| Controller-Mooring Node | instrument | controls mooring or benthic node activities |
| Controller-Power | instrument | supplies static power (note MOOS power supplies are power controllers) |
| CTD | instrument | measures conductivity, temperature, and optionally depth, and may support additional measurements |
| Currents Sensor | instrument | measures water current |
| Currents Sensor-ADCP | instrument | Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (measures relative motion via sound) |
| Data Acquisition Unit | instrument | acquires data from multiple sources |
| Data Acquisition Unit-SmartStar | instrument | acquires data from multiple sources |
| Electrical Sensor | instrument | measures electrical current, voltage |
| Electrical Sensor-Ground Fault | sensor | detects ground faults |
| Environment Monitor-System | instrument | monitor environmental parameters for the infrastructure systems |
| Flow Meter | sensor | measures flow rate (usually of water) |
| Fluorometer | instrument | Measures fluorescence of particles |
| Fluorometer-Nephalometer | instrument | fluorometer configured to also do nephalometry |
| GPS | instrument | Measures location via Global Position System satellites |
| Humidity Sensor | sensor | measures humidity level |
| Hydrophone | sensor | detects acoustic signals |
| IMCTD | instrument | Inductive Modem CTD service (aggregates CTD outputs) |
| Inductive Modem | instrument | inductively transmits signals into and out of communication cable |
| Inductive Modem-Surface | instrument | inductive modem mounted out of the water |
| Inductive Modem-Underwater | instrument | inductive modem |
| Meteorology Package | instrument | Meteorology measurements (wind, temp, pressure, humidity) |
| Metsys | instrument | Meteorology measurements (wind, temp, pressure, humidity); Meteorology Package |
| Navigation Service | instrument | A service that computes navigation variables from various inputs |
| Navigation-AHRS | instrument | Attitude and Heading Reference System, provides navigation data |
| Network Hub | instrument | manages network communications |
| Network Hub-Power Controller | instrument | handles network packets, controls power distribution |
| Nitrogen Sensor | instrument | measures nitrogen levels |
| Nitrogen Sensor-ISUS | instrument | measures nitrate levels |
| Oxygen Sensor | sensor | measures oxygen levels |
| Photometer-Bioluminescence | instrument | measures light levels, for example bioluminescence |
| Power Supply | instrument | delivers power to other equipment, may report information, but not controllable (see Controller-Power) |
| Power Supply-Battery | instrument | stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form (usually an electrochemical device) |
| Power Switch | (null) | a power control device on a sensor or instrument (MOOS power switches should be Network Hub) |
| Pressure Sensor | sensor | measures water pressure (if out of water, poorly measures atmospheric pressure) |
| Profiler Package | instrument | measures a number of physical parameters common to profilers |
| Propulsion Unit | instrument | propels platform through water (or other medium) |
| Radiometer | instrument | detects radiation |
| Radiometer-Hyperspectral | instrument | measures a configurable series of wavelengths of radiation |
| Radiometer-Longwave | instrument | measures long-wave radiation ranges |
| Radiometer-Multispectral | instrument | measures multiple specific wavelengths of radiation |
| Radiometer-Shortwave | instrument | measures short-wave radiation ranges |
| Scatterometer | instrument | Measures scattered emitted radiation (includes OBS, optical backscatterometer) |
| Scatterometer-LISST | instrument | Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometry sensor, also measures temperature and pressure |
| Shutter-Antifouling | sensor | Anti-fouling bioshutter |
| Sound Speed Sensor | sensor | measures speed of sound in the ambient medium (usually water) |
| Temperature Sensor | sensor | measures temperature |
| Test Device | sensor | device or component installed to perform testing |
| Test Entry-Instrument | instrument | entry in database which does not correspond to an actual device or data source |
| Test Simulated Instrument | instrument | simulation instrument used for testing (leave device type null until a simulation actually exists) |
| Velocity Sensor-DVL | instrument | Doppler Velocity Log |
| Wave Sensor | instrument | Measures height, direction and frequency of waves |
| Wave Sensor-Heave | instrument | Measures height, frequency of waves (not direction) |
| Wind Sensor | sensor | detects wind speed and possibly direction |
These components do not report data themselves, but house the deployment of other instruments that do report data.
| Name | Role | Description |
| Aircraft | platform | Moves under power in atmosphere |
| AUV | platform | Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, contains thrust devices |
| Balloon | platform | suspended in air, either drifting (may go up and down) or tethered |
| Drifter | platform | drifts freely with ocean currents |
| Drifter-Profiling | platform | drifter that can go down and up in the water column |
| Drifter-Surface | platform | drifter that is limited to operating from the waters surface |
| Flowthrough System | platform | system that passes a stream of water through a series of sensors |
| Glider | platform | Uses buoyancy and fins to glide in water |
| Kite | platform | tethered to the earth and held aloft by wind pressure |
| Mooring | platform | anchored to sea floor, typically with surface expression |
| Profiler | platform | enables measurements at different depths by travelling vertically through water |
| Profiler-Moored | platform | profiler that is anchored at its base, typically to the ocean floor |
| Profiler-Ship | platform | profiler that is suspended from a ship, and so moves through the water |
| Profiler-Suspended | platform | profiler that is suspended from above, typically to a buoy |
| ROV | platform | Remotely Operated Vehicle, typically tethered to a ship |
| Satellite | platform | orbits Earth, may include small thrust power for attitude and position corrections |
| Ship | platform | moves on surface of water |
| Toroid | platform | physical doughnut deployed on water's surface |
| Towfish | platform | towed behind a ship, can be controlled to go up and down |
Software that is creating data.
| Name | Role | Description |
| CTD Service | service | computations relating to CTD data |
| Model Service | service | software simulating real world and generating predictive or estimated values |
Terms that are no longer used as device types.
| Name | Role | Description |
| * Spectroradiometer | instrument | Deprecated (use Radiometer-Multispectral) ...Measures radiation spectra (multiple wavelengths) |
| * TailconeLog | instrument | Deprecated (use Propulsion unit) Log of AUV Tailcone parameters |
| *Multipurpose | instrument | Deprecated (use the primary function of the device) |
| *Navigation | instrument | Deprecated (now Navigation-AHRS) |
| *Spectrometer | instrument | Deprecated in favor of functional terms |
| * Optical | (null) | (spurious entry) |
| *Barometric Pressure | (null) | deprecated (now air pressure sensor) |
| *CommDevice | (null) | Deprecated |
| *oxygen sensor | (null) | Deprecated (use other Oxygen Sensor entry) |
| *Relative Humidity | (null) | Deprecated (now Humidity Sensor) |