Remote - Fall 2013 - (Page 10)

Feature Article The Use of Machine-to-Machine Communication in Environmental Impact Monitoring Alex Brisbourne, COO and President KORE Telematics Wireless-enabled data services are quickly becoming a critical component in business success. For more than 20 years, organizations have used wireless data to improve services and enhance the value of customer offerings. Fast forward to today. Network providers are now connecting the next-generation of wireless-enabled devices beyond cell phones or laptops. Simultaneously, hardware manufacturers are embedding wireless capability into a wide variety of devices designed for both business and consumer applications. Robust commercial data networks (primarily digital cellular) are in place and being used to connect increasing numbers of networked devices. Most major carriers have opened up their networks to machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, which is the idea that machines or objects can be readable, recognizable, locatable and controllable via a wireless connection. Also defined as “embedded wireless” or the “Internet of Things,” the M2M market is helping organizations improve efficiencies, automate processes, deliver ROI and reduce overall operating costs. The market has been growing rapidly in recent years as a number of vertical industries recognize the need for efficiency and improvements. No longer primarily focused on telemetry, M2M now enables innovative services such as automated “smart homes,” real-time asset and people location, overt and covert tracking and security, broad scale power and utility grid control, long-haul and regional fleet management, modern vehicle telematics and more. The use of M2M communications in environmental monitoring is now expanding as advances in wireless connectivity are being applied to more monitoring applications. For instance, many applications already take advantage of M2M technology for: • Measurement of air quality • Irrigation, temperature and chemical monitoring for produce growers • Water/irrigation management in rivers, lakes and coral reefs • Monitoring of gas and pollutant levels in landfills • Monitoring in wastewater treatment • Flood management and environmental impact • Seismic monitoring for land movements and earthquake protection In addition to those above, although not environmental in traditional sense, a rapidly growing opportunity exists to monitor infrastructure such as bridges to develop predictive failure data so saving lives and minimizing environmental impact. In fact, M2M uses wireless connectivity to communicate in real-time with sensors embedded just about everywhere, enabling organizations worldwide to save energy, water and natural resources, create efficiencies and boost revenues. Solution providers in a variety of industries such as resource management, utilities, public sector and agriculture are developing and implementing profitable “green” M2M applications. 10 www.RemoteMagazine.com Real-world examples include: • Using M2M Communications for Trash Management Instead of hauling trash, companies are more efficiently managing their solid waste. With devices installed on or near a trash compactor control panel, companies can record and analyze compactor activity, energy use, safety door switches and pickup and return. From there, the collected data can be wirelessly communicated from any location. This helps reduce costs and the environmental impact of trash. For example, American Trash Management implemented a wireless M2M solution that relies on remote sensors to monitor containers, send notifications, and receive and process usage information. This data is then uploaded to a centralized business management system for highly effective and scalable waste management. With increased scheduling efficiencies and optimized truck rolls for fuel and maintenance savings, the adoption of an M2M application yields both cost savings and increased customer satisfaction. • Using M2M Communications for Water Management Advanced wireless water management devices can monitor irrigation schedules and water usage to provide just the right amount of water, ensuring that crops and landscapes remain healthy and efficient. Such a system can calculate and control irrigation on a “just-in-time” basis, using real-time data from weather forecasts and just-passed weather events, water evaporation, plant transpiration and sub-soil leakage. Many organizations, including the State of California, better regulate their water usage levels and irrigation schedules using M2M technology. • Using M2M for Smart Grid Monitoring A large electric utility in Arizona is at the forefront of a growing national trend toward smart metering. Its Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployment consists of M2M data communications to and from electric meters at customer premises. In practice, the AMI simultaneously provides a higher level of service and reduces many hard and soft operational costs required for service. Consumers can monitor electrical usage in real-time, while the utility can identify and correct service interruptions more quickly, and improve efficiencies in the meter reading process as well as billing and customer-service operations as a whole. The meter data is backhauled via the M2M wireless network within a secure IP VPN. As a result, the utility eliminates approximately 7,200 truck rolls per month for every 100,000 meters deployed, yielding a substantial direct savings, customer satisfaction improvement and carbon footprint reduction. • Using M2M for Gas Emissions Monitoring Companies that are looking to lower their carbon footprint and environmental impact rely heavily on M2M to achieve these goals. Applications that monitor CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions have become popular in recent years. These solutions feature sensors that can be applied to monitor gas emission levels and alert companies when they begin to broach a high level. These solutions help keep organizations aware of their carbon footprint and enable them to meet environmental standards and practices. These examples of M2M being used to monitor environmental impact barely scratch the surface of the potential for innovative networked applica- http://www.RemoteMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Remote - Fall 2013

Editor's Choice
Instrumentation for Produced Water Applications
Multi-touch SCADA Technology: Intuitive Functionality Advances Automation
The Use of Machine-to-Machine Communication in Environmental Impact Monitoring
Monitoring Electrical Properties of Pumps and Water Treatment Systems
Combining Sensors for Efficient Perimeter Protection
Building Flexibility
SCADA
Remote Conference Update
Networking
Security
Onsite Power
Industry News
Application Feature

Remote - Fall 2013