Location, Location, Location: Choosing the Right Telemetry Method for Your Remote Water Monitoring Applications Because of the remote locations and naturally launched Sputnik 1 and that, in part, has led to a harsh environments of many water resources, huge global satellite communications network. monitoring and communicating the resulting data is not always simple or straightforward. Regardless of the application, the data Telemetry is an automated process for communications from early telemetry systems performing measurements and collecting data had limitations. The data was being delivered to back to receiving equipment for analysis. the control center, but the systems usually did Remote or inaccessible locations require the use not offer the capability to interact directly with of different radio communication technologies the remote transmitter and sensors. Today, we integrated into the telemetry system to transmit are more inclined to refer to concepts such as the information. Therefore, a remote telemetry machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or system is a necessary tool for many water the Internet of Things (IoT) when discussing how resource monitoring professionals. This to embrace the promise of data communications whitepaper will take an in depth look at using the products and services to help solve problems. most effective and efficient telemetry method to However, some of the legacy communications monitor and transmit water resource data based systems still have an important role in helping on the location of the application. hydrological and meteorological professionals resolve complex issues.

In the following pages we will discuss: The Origins of Telemetry • Environmental Satellites (GOES, INSAT, etc.) The automated communication process for • Iridium Satellites performing measurements and collecting data, • Cellular Communications what is commonly referred to as telemetry today, can be traced back to the early parts of the 20th Satellite Data Transmission: Reliably century when power utility companies needed a Communicate Data from Even the Most method to understand the operational conditions Remote Areas of their supply networks. During the mid-1960s, computer technology with the ability to process Geostationary Satellite systems real-time functions emerged, enabling the dawn of supervisory control and data acquisition Today, there are a number of geostationary systems (SCADAs). These industrial utility satellites operated by different government or systems were hardwired to monitor the status of intergovernmental organizations. Some of the the equipment, trigger alarms for changes, and services these satellite systems support include in some cases, log data. Over the decades, the weather forecasting, climate data, severe storm markets and technologies developed rapidly to tracking, meteorological research, and include network analysis functions to allow for environmental monitoring. In addition to energy management of the utilities network, and performing these tasks and providing part of these systems included radio photographic images, these satellite systems communications to substations. Separately, the offer the option for government organizations to 1950’s also exhibited the beginnings of perform remote data transfer of hydro- aerospace telemetry when the Soviet Union metrological data from the Earth.

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The Indian National Satellite System (INSAT), ranging from southern swamplands to streams European Organization for the Exploitation in the Rocky Mountains. Typically, one of the of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and biggest challenges with remote locations is Geostationary Operational Environmental transmitting the acquired data from the water Satellite (GOES) are examples of these systems being monitored to a back office database in a (Figure 1). The GOES satellite system, operated reliable and timely manner (Figure 2). For by NOAA in the United States, comprises of two remote applications that do not require real-time primary satellites located 22,300 miles above data communication, using equipment that the Earth’s surface. Operating simultaneously transmits data via these geostationary satellite these two satellites cover Alaska, Hawaii, the systems at predefined cyclic one hour intervals entire continental United States, and the Pacific is ideal to meet the needs of the water resource and Atlantic Oceans. managers.

All over the world, many public agencies play While these integrated data logger transmission key roles in water resource monitoring, from devices for satellite communication do use GPS managing the quality and availability of water for to help guarantee communication stability and public consumption to predicting water-related reliability even in the most remote environments, events that will affect the public, such as one of the limitations of this method for flooding. These public organizations, such as transferring data is the inability to perform two- the US Geological Survey and the US Army way communication. Thus, if the Data Collection Corps of Engineers, rely on data from thousands Platforms (DCP) system software needs to be of monitoring applications in remote sites updated, or a minor issue needs to be

Figure 1. Geo Stationary Satellites 2

addressed, the only way to communicate with or has a lower volume of data but has a manipulate the DCP/data logger equipment is to requirement for higher data availability. physically send someone onsite. This can take Typically, the delivery of a message occurs in a lot of time and money depending on the less than 20 seconds with message delivery remoteness of the site. In addition, the confirmation. bandwidth of the network can be low and there is increasing pressure on the spectrum Iridium value-added resellers (VARs) integrate a availability compared to what is available using specific subscriber unit and service into the DCP other transmission technologies. The impact of and data logger products offered to their this low bandwidth is that end users typically customer base, providing the capability for a have a 10 second defined time slot every hour to completely wireless end-to-end data solution. send a limited amount of data. That said, for The water resources managers would typically hydrometric and metrological applications that have software from the VAR installed in their are not real time-critical, this radio transmission back office or server where the email messages technology, coupled with the backbone from the Iridium gateway are decoded and made infrastructure provided by an organization such available to local databases or third-party as NOAA in the US, EUMETSAT in Europe, and applications. Common applications for Iridium the Indian Meteorological Department is a robust include vehicle tracking and asset management; and reliable solution, even in hurricane however, the growth of its use in environmental conditions. In fact, there are more than 25,000 monitoring applications is reflective of the environmental monitoring stations successfully stakeholder’s expectations of an economical operating on the GOES network in North and modern monitoring network. South America.

Iridium Satellite system - Short Burst Data Iridium telemetry satellite technology uses a network of 66 active low-orbiting satellites managed by Iridium Communications to provide global communication services reliably with low latency. The fee-based service is well situated for underserved or remote locations as long as there is a clear view of the sky. A distinct advantage of Iridium satellites is that this technology can provide two-way communication between a remote station and a back office or server with redundant mesh satellite communication architecture to ensure quality of service. In addition, the small footprint of the Figure 2. A diagram of an active data transmission from a remote modules along with their low measurement station using the GOES network power consumption, make this a viable option when the application

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Cellular Communications - Reliable include enhanced security services by Data Communication for Non- leveraging VPN technology, custom APN access, and Static IP addresses. Typically, Secluded or Local Applications users consider the network coverage, recurring For applications not located in secluded areas, fees, and application requirements when there are several telemetry options available for selecting the best option. performing reliable data communication. A In addition, the use of the terrestrial radio number of decades ago, the use of fax and communications in environmental monitoring modem dial up was common. The ability to applications is common, particularly in areas access remote equipment and its data was associated with agriculture, energy production possible given the proximity of the land line and mining. Having the ability to collect localized telephone network. With the growth of digital data from a range of different sensor parameters cellular technologies, such as Global System for over a relatively small geographic area or Mobile (GSM) and code division multiple access catchment is becoming increasing important for (CDMA), came the use of data collection using the modern larger scale farming operation. An methods such as short message service (SMS) excellent example of utilizing radio and high speed data transmission services. communication for localized information and Today, the use of handsets and smartphones is also leveraging cellular technology is the Adcon prolific, and the M2M industry has seen Telemetry suite of solutions. The low-power explosive growth. radio units have a range of up to 12 miles When deploying a new network of remote provided they have a good line of sight to the monitoring stations and building the central telemetry gateway or base station. infrastructure, some items the implementation There are of course monitoring locations where team needs to consider are service availability, landlines or cable still exists and can be fully latency, initial costs, sustainability, recurring utilized. The installation of a cable modem and costs, and two-way communications capabilities. Ethernet router is required in such cases. A big Depending on the needs and budget of the benefit of these modern fixed-line network organization, modern cellular technology can be installations is the live access to the sensor data an attractive option for many, especially since along with the capability to fully control devices if the monthly fee for these services has required. More and more stations are starting to decreased significantly in recent years. use cameras that can push their high-resolution Environmental sensor and data logger images through these routers. manufactures have kept pace with recent trends Having a monitoring network that has two-way to offer integrated hardware and software redundant communications and IP capabilities application solutions where the user only needs has long lasting strategic implications. All a data plan, SIM card, or appropriate account modern organizations have goals to drive with a cellular provider to get data from the field efficiencies, improve customer services, and to the desktop. Different regions globally use deliver insights into the data collected. Recent either GSM or CDMA digital cellular and in some trends have seen increases in cloud-based countries both technologies are available. solutions that are not only providing visualization Generally speaking from a technology of the recorded data from a sensor on the site, standpoint, the support for Internet protocol (IP) but also, the application is providing information services are similar. The cellular network hidden in the data. This metadata, or data about providers offer data plan products that target the the data, can be a valuable input for determining increasing demand of M2M communications and the quality of the data, site maintenance it is common to have a third-party company offer requirements, or perhaps underlining trends. managed services and connectivity solutions The ability to remotely send data back, that can be more competitive than the principle reconfigure the equipment, correlate sensor cellular service provider. Other services offered

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data, or perform other tasks on demand is hybrid telemetry approach is an excellent option, becoming part of an expectation of what a but, this is not something that is commonly modern and future hydro-meteorological available from most vendors. For example, if you monitoring network can do regardless of the have an application setup to monitor the flow of global location. a stream in an area that has access to a cellular connection, but, under normal conditions, you only need to send data to your office for review Strike the Right Balance to Receive once per hour, the most cost-effective telemetry option could be geostationary satellite Your Data When You Need It communication. However, if at a certain flow rate Current common telemetry methods are typically or precipitation intensity the stream could pose a based on a single communication method, and, flooding hazard or cause issues with a local as you can see from the options we’ve already municipality’s water supply, you may need to discussed, each method has clear advantages communicate the data more frequently or send it and disadvantages for various applications. to a different data ingestion web server Sometimes, the telemetry method that best suits application. In this case, cellular communication your application is an obvious choice, such as might be the best option. Therefore, a hybrid using a satellite-based method for a surface system that has the ability to change its water monitoring application in a remote area of transmission method based on site conditions or India or Brazil, but for some applications, there has a dual-communication path backup option is not always a clear answer. In some cases, a would be the ideal choice.

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Meeting the service delivery objectives of any Benefits of the Right Telemetry organization is always as priority. The ability to System leverage two-way communications when needed offers clear advantages. The use of the Sutron Throughout the environmental water cycle, Satlink 3 for data logging and satellite including surface water, groundwater, coastal transmission for day-to-day operations with water, and everything in between, there are optional Iridium and cellular transmissions as a water quantity and quality measurements that backup will increase the service efficiencies and need to be performed and communicated at decrease the total cost of ownership for some type of regular interval. To develop the monitoring networks spread over wide areas. most efficient system, it is important to consider all off your available communication options Another consideration for choosing the before selecting one. Choosing the right appropriate telemetry method is, how frequently telemetry method for your water monitoring are you willing or able to physically be onsite to application can offer many benefits including check on the application? If your application is extending the life of your onsite systems and located in an area that is not easy to access, offering cost savings for both data transmission you may want your application to function and system maintenance. autonomously for an extended period of time. Thus, using a low-power and less frequent data communication method to preserve battery life, such as Iridium satellite, is the best choice if you absolutely need that data but have no other cost-effective communication infrastructure in place.

One additional item to think about is how will you receive and review the incoming data? While most large organizations can invest in a large server/software system or develop a propriety one, this can be a challenge for smaller organizations. OTT Hydromet helps organizations collect and manage data through its advanced data collection Web service, SutronWIN, which delivers the acquired data via the Internet in a ready-to-use format (Figure 3). Users who are logged into the website can view, plot, download, and process the data as it’s received as well as set-up alerts and alarms for their systems. Hydromet Cloud can also take data from multiple sources and put the data into a single format for users. This service is hosted by OTT Hydromet, and is especially useful for organizations who need a monitoring network but don’t have the IT infrastructure to build a backend network to support an in-house model.

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For more information on choosing the right Sutron Corporation telemetry method for your remote water 22400 Davis Dr. Sterling, VA 20164 ∙ U.S.A. monitoring applications, please contact Sutron Phone (703) 406-2800 or OTT Hydromet. [email protected] ∙www.sutron.com

OTT Hydromet 5600 Lindbergh Drive Loveland, CO 80538 ∙ U.S.A. Phone (970) 669-3050 [email protected] ∙ www.ott.com

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