Monitoring systems › Helideck and Aviation Monitoring

Helideck and aviation monitoring

Helideck Monitoring System (HMS)

Certified helideck monitoring for offshore assets, built for compliance, engineered for reliability, supported worldwide.

Every helicopter movement on your asset depends on real-time, accurate environmental data. A certified HMS does more than satisfy regulators: it gives your operations team and incoming pilots the information they need to make safe, confident decisions when conditions are marginal.

WISE Group has designed, supplied and supported HMS solutions for over 30 years, on fixed platforms, floating rigs, FPSOs and vessels across the UK and Norwegian Continental Shelves, Brazilian waters and beyond.

Talk to us about your helideck
The standards
DADAS on-deck HMS display from a WISE Group Helideck Monitoring System

What it gives you

Safe calls when it is marginal

Real-time helideck data for the deck crew, the operations team and the pilots on approach.

Compliance you can show

DADAS is CAP 437 Edition 9 certified by CAA International, and systems are built to the regional regulations.

Fixed and floating helidecks

Platforms, semi-submersibles, FPSOs and vessels, with full six degrees of freedom motion where the deck moves.

Supported for the long term

Installation, annual servicing and calibration, motion verification and training, worldwide.

Built to comply. Designed to perform.

A compliant HMS continuously measures and displays the parameters that decide whether helicopter operations can proceed. WISE Group systems are built to the applicable standards, CAP 437 Edition 9, BSL D 5-1, NORMAM-223 and HCA Rev 9c, for fixed and moving helidecks.

The standard sensor suite

Wind speed and direction

Real-time and averaged values.

Wind sensors →

Air temperature and relative humidity

Meteorological sensors →

Barometric pressure

QNH for the sea-level reference and QFE for the helideck-level reference.

Meteorological sensors →

Helideck motion

Six degrees of freedom for floating rigs, FPSOs and vessels.

Motion sensors →

Visibility and present weather

Optical sensors →

Cloud height and amount

Cloud height sensors →

The software

DADAS: operational clarity under pressure

DADAS gives your team the right data, at the right moment, in a form that is immediately actionable. Its interface is straightforward by design: offshore, complexity costs time. It has a track record of over 30 years, from the North Sea in winter to equatorial waters.

  • Real-time display of all helideck parameters in clear, unambiguous formats
  • Automatic or manual helideck reports, delivered electronically to helicopter operators and onshore users
  • Long-term data logging for post-incident analysis, investigations and audits
  • LAN and internet connectivity for remote access and data distribution
  • Software modules for METAR, SYNOP, HeliMet, DF 22 and further reporting
  • Scalable from a standalone HMS to a full MetOcean system, including anchor tension and excursion monitoring
DADAS pre-landing HMS display with deck status, motion limits and helideck wind

The DADAS pre-landing display. The hero image above shows the on-deck display.

Configured for your installation

Every HMS is configured to the installation’s specific requirements and built to expand as they change. We do not fit an off-the-shelf system to your operation; we engineer the system around it.

Fixed and floating helidecks

Full six degrees of freedom motion sensing for vessels, semi-submersibles and FPSOs. Fixed platforms without motion instrumentation where it is not required.

Unmanned installations

An ATIS module gives approaching pilots audible weather information and remote helideck lighting control.

System integration

Integration with the other marine, structural and monitoring systems on board, removing duplication and simplifying data management.

Modular expansion

Start with a certified core HMS and expand to a complete MetOcean system, without replacing what is installed.

Deployment flexibility

Rack-mounted, free-standing or virtual server installation, with trend and history displays configured per operator.

Remote and onshore access

Live data for onshore meteorologists, helicopter operators and operations teams over a secure remote connection.

Data retention and audit trail

Every parameter logged and time-stamped, for investigations, regulatory reviews and performance analysis.

Redundancy and failover

Configurations can include redundant sensors and failover display capability, so helideck situational awareness is kept if a component fails.

Hazardous area equipment

Sensors and displays available in ATEX-certified configurations for offshore oil and gas.

WISE Group DADAS is CAP 437 Edition 9 certified by CAA International.

CAP 437 is the de facto global standard for helideck operations. Our systems are also built to meet the regional regulatory requirements of all major offshore operating territories. Read the announcement → · Statement of compliance (PDF) →

Regulatory standards and frameworks

StandardIssuing authorityApplicability
CAP 437 Edition 9UK Civil Aviation AuthorityDe facto global standard for fixed and floating helidecks
BSL D 5-1 / BSL G7-1CAA NorwayNorwegian Continental Shelf
NORMAM-223Brazilian Maritime AuthorityBrazilian waters (formerly NORMAM-27)
HCA Standard Rev 9cHelideck Certification AgencyGlobal
ICAO Annex 14 / WMOInternationalMETAR and SYNOP compliance
Canadian regulationsTransport CanadaCanadian operations

Current systems also support AUTOMETAR and METAR submission to the Norwegian AMHS (ATS Message Handling System) through Avinor’s X.400 API.

Configured to the standard that applies

An HMS is configured to the regulation the asset is approved under. The regimes differ in what has to be measured, displayed and recorded, so an installation is built to one of them rather than all of them at once.

Tell us which regulation the helideck is approved under, whether that may change, or whether the asset operates across more than one regime. We will confirm what the configuration has to contain before anything is priced.

Recording

Complete helideck oversight with the HAV

Environmental data tells you the conditions. The Helideck Audio & Video Recording System (HAV) records what happened.

Working alongside the HMS, the HAV captures high-resolution video of helicopter operations and logs two-way radio communications between the helideck team and the flight crew. Audio and video recording is mandated for Norwegian offshore operations under BSL D 5-1 (§§40–41), and NORMAM-223 includes equivalent requirements in Brazil. Recordings are encrypted, stored securely and retained for investigations where required.

Explore the Helideck Audio & Video Recording System →

1

HMS

Real-time data for safe decisions.

2

HAV

A verified record for compliance, investigations and regulatory review.

Also within a helideck scope

ATIS

An Automatic Terminal Information Service broadcasts current helideck information to inbound aircraft, supplied as part of an HMS scope.

More on ATIS →

Status and obstruction lighting

Helideck status and obstruction lighting, supplied and integrated as part of the helideck scope rather than sourced separately.

CAP 437 repeater lights

For moving helidecks under CAP 437 Ed. 9 Chapter 6.4, we integrate Orga’s L430 HMS Repeater Light system with DADAS, showing pilots the deck status at each corner.

Orga repeater lights →

Helideck functions on a MetOcean scope

Where the asset has a MetOcean system, the helideck functions are added as modules: the DADAS screen, the sensor set the standard requires, and aviation units such as knots.

Orbalux

Share HMS data securely with Orbalux

Share live and historical HMS data with helicopter operators, partners or authorities through our Orbalux platform. It connects to DADAS over an outbound-only encrypted link, without exposing your operational network. About Orbalux →

Support for the lifetime of your system

With over 30 years of HMS deployments across the North Sea, West Africa, Brazil, Southeast Asia and beyond, our engineers and technical teams have the experience and logistics to maintain your system wherever you operate, from commissioning to end of life.

Installation and commissioning

On site, worldwide.

Annual servicing and calibration

Maintaining certification and performance.

Motion verification

Including a full documented performance report.

Operator and technical training

On site or at our onshore facilities, with regular scheduled courses.

Responsive support

Across all major offshore regions.

Where to next

The Helideck Monitoring System sits in Helideck and Aviation Monitoring. If you are replacing an ageing system, equipping a new installation, or meeting updated regulatory requirements, our team is ready to help.

In this area: Helideck Audio & Video Recording (HAV) · ATIS · MetOcean and weather monitoring

The standards in detail: CAP 437 · BSL D 5-1 (Norway) · NORMAM-223 (Brazil) · HCA Rev 9c (current)

Earlier HCA revisions for installations approved under them: Rev 9b · Rev 8c (superseded)

Also useful: DADAS software · Sensors and instruments · Service and support

In the knowledge base: What CAP 437 requires · Troubleshooting incorrect HMS values · HMS or EMS web client not loading (HTTP 503)

Useful to include

  • The asset, and whether the helideck is fixed or moving
  • The regulation it is approved under
  • Any HMS already installed
  • Systems it has to connect to

What happens next

1

We confirm the standard and what the configuration must contain.

2

We define the sensors, their positions and the displays.

3

You get a scope covering delivery, commissioning and service.

Get in touch

Tell us about the asset and the regulation the helideck is approved under. We will come back with what the HMS needs to contain and how we would configure it. You can also contact us directly.