Method for sending status information from a sender to a receiver

A radio device for receiving and processing automated identification system (AIS) messages, the AIS messages being of plural predetermined formats defined by an AIS standard for AIS messages, comprising:

• an AIS equipment configured to:
• receive an instance of an AIS message directly from an AIS sending device and not via an intermediate device;
• and
• determine a one of the plural predetermined formats under which the instance of the AIS message is formatted, the format under which the instance of the AIS message is formatted having:
• i) predetermined data fields, each one of the data fields populated with predetermined binary coded information;
• and ii) a buffer field that is defined in the AIS standard to be not used for information;
• and
• an interface communicatively coupled between the AIS equipment and at least one of a computing device or an actuator, the interface configured to:
• read a status variable value from the buffer field in the instance of the AIS message, the status variable value corresponding to an input for the computing device or the actuator and relating to a condition for which there is no corresponding data field in the predetermined format defined by the AIS standard for the instance of the AIS message;
• and
• deliver the status variable value to the computing device or the actuator.

A method for sending automated identification system (AIS) messages directly to one or more geographically proximate connected AIS devices and not via an intermediate device, comprising:

• receiving, from a computing device or a sensor and with an AIS radio assembly, a data value indicating status of a first condition;
• sensing, by the AIS radio assembly, a second condition under which an AIS message is to be sent, the AIS message having a predetermined format defined by an AIS standard, the predetermined format defined by the AIS standard for the AIS message having:
• i) predetermined data fields, each one of the data fields populated with predetermined binary coded information;
• and ii) a buffer field that is defined in the AIS standard to be not used for information, and wherein there is no data field in the predetermined format defined by the AIS standard for the AIS message corresponding to the first condition;
• assembling, by the AIS radio assembly, the AIS message in response to sensing the second condition, including populating the data fields with the predetermined binary coded information corresponding to the second condition, inserting a status variable value in the buffer field wherein the inserted status variable value has a predetermined relationship to the data value indicating status of the first condition, and calculating a checksum for the AIS message;
• and
• transmitting, by the AIS radio assembly, the AIS message and repeating the transmission on a periodic basis.