Case Study: Entura Campbell Update 4th Quarter 2015

At Entura, the consulting company of Hydro Tasmania, the Resource Investigations (RI) team exclusively use Campbell Scientific loggers and equipment for managing their client’s data collection needs in the field. RI manage a large fleet of Campbell Scientific loggers and associated equipment for multiple clients in a very diverse range of locations around the world. These range from the remote mountains of Western Tasmania, to the jungle of PNG and barren plains of South Africa, Campbell technology is being used by RI daily to meet their client’s data collection requirements.

Campbell Scientific loggers and associated equipment provide Entura with very versatile, robust and reliable platforms to ensure the remote site data is collected, collated, stored and transmitted to  Entura’s and other client databases via multiple communications methods (dial up, FTP, IP pull, landline, radio, 3/4G and satellite networks).

To keep such a large fleet of loggers and equipment in check is not an easy task. The ability of tracking Campbell logger and/or communications scheme changes and knowing what is currently deployed is not always the easiest of processes. Incorporation of any new logger for field sites brings with it inherent risks and requires rigorous QAQC testing before deployment.

Entura has set about alleviating these issues by building a standard Campbell program that works across 90% of sites encountered in the field including geotechnical, hydrometric, water quality and meteorological monitoring. This program has a number of key features to simplify all aspects of the management lifecycle:

1. Wizard like setup of new sites to determine what modems, sensors and reporting methods are required
2. Automated deployment of new programs from a centralised server
3. Push button change from test environment to production environment when new sites are installed in the field
4. Centralised system to automatically track IP addresses, OS versions and program versions
5. Real-time data feeds and control options over encrypted HTTPS channels
6. Secure access via iPads or Tablets to remotely access and configure sites as well as view the collected data

Entura has also built a comprehensive testing facility where sites can be rigorously tested and the data collected compared with calibrated master equipment before deployment. A significant reduction in build times have been achieved through the use of the standardised logger programs as well as through standardised cabinet and wiring layouts, and the quality of installs and the data collected has increased dramatically as a result of the extensive automated testing regime.

In the pictures attached are examples of the recent use of Campbell technology at client sites, including a picture of our testing facility at the Entura office in Cambridge Tasmania.