SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is a term that is used broadly to portray control and management solutions in a wide range of industries. Some of the industries where SCADA is used are Water Management Systems, Electric Power, Traffic Signals, Mass Transit Systems, Environmental Control Systems, and Manufacturing Systems. Our Ag-SCADA Platform is essentially an industrial SCADA system designed specifically for agricultural applications. It consists of two unique components, a Wireless Sensor Network for data acquisition and control and a web distributed management dashboard for data visualization.
The Wireless Sensor Network
Our state-of-the-art Mesh Wireless network architecture provides for ultra-reliable, real-time field data acquisition via battery powered sensor nodes and mesh network repeater nodes.
The mesh repeater nodes create an extremely reliable data communications backbone with multiple redundant pathways to the network gateway. With a range of up to 7 miles they can extend the network over large areas.
Any mesh repeater can receive data from any sensor node. Sensor data is routed through the mesh network to the gateway which forwards it to the WiDAQ Central Server via a secure internet channel. This network architecture provides for very reliable data transport.
The sensor nodes will operate maintenance-free for up to five years on two AA batteries and are housed in a completely self-contained waterproof enclosure. Their small size and rugged construction provides for easy and precise placement and portability. The entire sensor network can be easily reconfigured as seasonal environmental monitoring requirements change. Up to 100 sensors can be deployed anywhere in the mesh network coverage area.
Temperature sensor in a 5”x7” waterproof enclosure.
A variety of sensor types are available including 10k ohm thermistor temperature, digital temperature, relative humidity, vibration, motion, door contact and power line monitor. Existing sensors can be wirelessly enabled and integrated with the WiDAQ Ag-SCADA Platform.
Our wireless relay output device can wirelessly enable existing switched equipment such as irrigation valves, pumps, and wind machines and provide remote control and automation of these systems.
The Web Distributed Interface
Data received by the WiDAQ Central Server from distributed wireless gateways is aggregated and displayed in real-time on a custom built, web-based management dashboard. The dashboard can include an overview page with summary data, an overlay map of each site with sensor locations and values, a historical data chart with printing and data export capability, and relay output controls for real-time remote equipment control. This powerful, real-time data visualization tool is available to managers at any time from anywhere in the world via any internet connected computer.
Dashboard Summary
