Datawell
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersHaarlem, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Datawell firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Datawell
- Legal name
- Datawell BV
- Website
- https://datawell.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Datawell industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Oceanographic Measurement Instruments
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services (TLAHAFAE), Marine Navigation Systems (ECDIS, Radar, GNSS, AIS) (IMAJAJAE)
Keywords
Where Datawell is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Haarlem
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Datawell business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of oceanographic buoys (Directional Waverider 4, MkIII, DWR-G, DWR-G4), motion sensors (Wave Unit, DWR-G Unit), receivers, and accessories. Products are sold globally through regional representatives.
- Software Licenses: Perpetual software licenses for Waves4 and Waves5 data acquisition, processing and display software. Waves5 is the newest Windows-based software package for wave data analysis.
- Equipment Hire: All Waveriders, receivers and motion sensors can be hired. Contact sales department for quotations on rental arrangements.
- Service and Support: Technical support, calibration services, and spare parts. Service department located in Heerhugowaard handles returns and repairs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Equipment hire available for all Waveriders, receivers and motion sensors |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Waves5 installer available for download |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Datawell product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Datawell designs, manufactures, and supplies oceanographic measurement instruments — primarily directional wave measurement buoys (Directional Waverider series) and stabilized platform motion sensors — together with acquisition, processing, and visualization software and mooring systems for deployment in marine environments. Customers include research institutes, offshore wind operators, port and navigation authorities, and meteorological agencies.
Product overview
Datawell is a Dutch company specializing in oceanographical measuring instruments, particularly wave measurement buoys. The product portfolio consists of two main hardware categories: sensor-based Directional Waveriders (MkIII, DWR4) using stabilised platform accelerometer technology, and GPS-based Directional Waveriders (DWR-G series) using single GPS receiver technology. Both technologies measure wave height, direction, and water temperature. Supporting the buoys are OEM motion sensor units (Wave Unit, DWR-G Unit) for integration into third-party buoys, the CAT4 air temperature sensor integrated into HF antennas, and mooring systems with elastic rubber cord design. Data communication is handled through HF radio receivers (RX-C), portable GPS Buoy Finder for rescue operations, and optional satellite (Iridium, Argos) or GSM communication modules. Software includes Waves5 and Waves4 for data acquisition, processing and display, plus libDatawell library for third-party software integration, and GPS Gap Repair and Buoy Tester utilities. The global gold standard in directional wave measurement for over 60 years.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Directional Waverider 4 (DWR4) Fourth-generation directional wave measurement buoy using GPS-based wave measurement for oceanographic and offshore deployments, intended for research institutions, offshore wind operators, and meteorological agencies.
- Directional Waverider MkIII Earlier-generation directional wave measurement buoy used for directional wave data acquisition in marine environments.
- Directional Waverider DWR-G GPS-based directional wave measurement buoy for directional wave data acquisition.
- Directional Waverider DWR-G4 Latest GPS-based directional wave measurement buoy in the DWR-G series.
- Wave Unit Sensor unit for wave measurement that can be integrated with platforms and mooring systems for oceanographic monitoring.
- DWR-G Unit GPS-based wave sensor unit for integration with third-party platforms or buoy structures to enable directional wave measurement.
- CAT4 Air temperature sensor accessory for use alongside Datawell wave buoys to provide supplementary meteorological measurements.
- Receiver RX-C Receiver station used to retrieve data transmitted from Datawell wave buoys in the field.
- GPS Buoy Finder Device to assist operators in locating Datawell buoys deployed at sea via GPS positioning.
- Waves5 Software application for acquiring, processing, and visualizing wave data from Datawell buoys, used by operators and researchers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Wave height measurement accuracy: 0.5% of measured value after calibration
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Datawell
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Datawell technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Datawell partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CoastalObsTechServices LLCcoreRegional representative for the United States of America, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
- RS Aqua LtdcoreRegional representative for the United Kingdom and Ireland.
- Instrumel, S.A. de C.V.coreRegional representative for Mexico.
- DENAR DENİZ ARAŞTIRMALARI A.Ş.coreRegional representative for Turkey.
- Winsquare Enterprise Co., LtdcoreRegional representative for Taiwan.
- INNOVA oceanografía littoral SLcoreRegional representative for Spain.
- CLS Southern AfricacoreRegional representative for South Africa.
- Technopole CompanycoreRegional representative for Russia.
- Vórtice, Equipamentos Científicos lda.coreRegional representative for Portugal.
- EKO-GIS ServicescoreRegional representative for Poland.
- Wright Technologies LtdcoreRegional representative for New Zealand.
- SygeocoreRegional representative for Morocco.
- Elcee Instrumentation & Services Sdn. Bhd.coreRegional representative for Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Brunei.
- Ocean Science Co., Ltd.coreRegional representative for South Korea.
- Sanko Tsusho Co. Ltd.coreRegional representative for Japan.
- 2BControl s.r.l.coreRegional representative for Italy.
- Elcome Integrated SystemscoreRegional representative for India.
- Nautilus Marine Service GmbHcoreRegional representative for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
- Maritech SAScoreRegional representative for France.
- Ambeon OÜcoreRegional representative for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- Laurel Technologies Co. Ltd.coreRegional representative for China.
- HidroMarescoreRegional representative for Brazil.
- Radio Holland Belgium NVcoreRegional representative for Belgium.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Datawell competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Fugro: Global geophysical, survey and metocean services firm that both supplies and consumes directional wave data for offshore wind, oil & gas, and coastal engineering — overlapping with Datawell's customer base and metocean instrumentation.
- Teledyne Marine / Teledyne RD Instruments: Broad oceanographic instrument portfolio (ADCPs, CTDs, wave sensors). Competes indirectly with Datawell in integrated metocean packages for research and offshore energy customers.
- Aanderaa Data Instruments (SAIV/Sea-Bird Scientific): Long-established supplier of oceanographic sensors and buoys for environmental monitoring; competes with Datawell in coastal and offshore monitoring networks used by research and metocean agencies.
Emerging players
- SonTek (Xylem): Maker of acoustic Doppler current profilers and wave-measurement instruments used in oceanographic, coastal, and offshore-wind deployments, intersecting with Datawell's ACM and OEM sensor modules.
- Nortek AS: Norwegian maker of acoustic Doppler current and wave-measurement instruments used in oceanographic and offshore-wind deployments. Overlaps with Datawell's Acoustic Current Meter and OEM motion sensor offerings.
- Radac B.V. Dutch radar-based wave, tide and water-level monitoring specialist already listed as a Datawell technology partner. Adjacent product offering that overlaps with Datawell in ports, offshore platforms, and wave-monitoring campaigns.
- RBR Global: Canadian maker of high-precision oceanographic sensors (wave, tide, CTD) sold into research, offshore wind, and environmental monitoring — overlapping with Datawell's sensor-based Wave Unit and OEM motion-sensor business.
Direct peers
- Miros AS: Norwegian provider of radar-based wave and sea-state sensors (Wavex, WaveRange). Competes with Datawell buoys by offering fixed, non-contact wave measurement for offshore platforms, ports, and offshore wind.
- Sofar Ocean: Maker of the Spotter wave-measuring buoy, the most direct modern competitor to Datawell's Directional Waverider family. Competes on directional wave data for offshore wind, research, and maritime customers using a lower-cost, connected buoy model.
- AXYS Technologies (Water Linked/Delta-MOD): Canadian oceanographic instrument maker with a long-standing directional wave buoy (TRIAXYS) that competes head-to-head with the Waverider family in research and offshore wind markets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Datawell social profiles
Digital presenceDatawell financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Datawell leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Datawell funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Datawell M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Datawell
What does Datawell do?
Datawell designs, manufactures, and supplies oceanographic measurement instruments — primarily directional wave measurement buoys (Directional Waverider series) and stabilized platform motion sensors — together with acquisition, processing, and visualization software and mooring systems for deployment in marine environments. Customers include research institutes, offshore wind operators, port and navigation authorities, and meteorological agencies.
Is Datawell a public or private company?
Datawell is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Datawell founded?
Datawell was founded in 1961. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Datawell based?
Datawell is headquartered in Haarlem, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Datawell make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Licenses, equipment Hire and service and Support.
Who are Datawell's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Fugro, Teledyne Marine / Teledyne RD Instruments and Aanderaa Data Instruments (SAIV/Sea-Bird Scientific). Emerging players are SonTek (Xylem), Nortek AS, Radac B.V. and RBR Global. Direct peers are Miros AS, Sofar Ocean and AXYS Technologies (Water Linked/Delta-MOD).
Does Datawell have an API?
No public API is recorded for Datawell.
What industry is Datawell in?
Datawell's product category is Oceanographic Measurement Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAJAI, Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring), with a secondary code of TLAHAFAE, Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services. Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3823.