Author Archives: Jason Vine

FlowWorks Graphic Editing QA/QC Tools

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FlowWorks graphic data editing and QA/QC tools make it possible to edit any and all data, on a single secure web platform, from anywhere. Designed by power users from the FlowWorks community, the editing tools combine the game-changing FACE (FlowWorks Advanced Calculation Engine) with an intuitive interface designed to make short work of data editing. Using the tools, analysts and data managers can select data directly on graphs and tables to delete or modify it including applying offsets, interpolation and much more. A complete history of all edits is stored in the permanent record so reviewing data across multiple hardware platforms has never been easier.

The new FlowWorks Graphic Editing QA/QC tools make it easy to:

  • Quickly select data channels to edit
  • Select data points directly by drawing boxes on time-series graphs or scatter-graphs, using date range selection tools, or through direct entry of dates and times
  • Raw data is always protected from editing – editing tools make it easy to save edited data to new records
  • Find and replace missing data
  • Apply corrections to ranges of data, or to individual data points
  • Make quick work of simple operations such as nulling invalid data, applying constants and linearly varying ramps, and data substitution.
  • Automatically create and edit QA/QC flags
  • View and make direct edits in the tabular data display
  • Add notes to document your edits, which can be displayed on the graphical interface

One-stop data editing – all part of the power of FlowWorks.

FACE: FlowWorks Advanced Calculation Engine

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The one-stop data management platform has arrived. A major new upgrade to the FlowWorks data platform places the power of the FlowWorks Advanced Calculation Engine (FACE) directly into user’s hands.

FACE gives FlowWorks a set of real-time data manipulation tools allowing users to create and define new data channels out of incoming channels using advanced math, statistics and logic equations. Now users can create, edit, delete and combine data channels with powerful mathematical functions for sophisticated real-time analysis. All part of the power of FlowWorks.

Included in FACE:

  • All the standard mathematical functions needed to combine and manipulate values across all sites and channels
  • Tools to define lookup tables for weirs, flumes, pipe cross-sectional areas and other physical constraints and map them to data channels
  • Conditional logic statements (IF…THEN…ELSE) to branch your calculations to other levels of complexity as needed
  • Tools to create rolling averages and sums, and set up sophisticated alarm rules based on those values to monitor specific events across multiple stations
  • Functions to create true time-weighted averages of irregularly spaced data
  • Tools to turn irregularly spaced time-series data into clean, continuous datasets of 5-minute, hourly, daily, or any other calculated interval
  • Advanced rainfall conversion functions to turn ANY rainfall data type (cumulative, event-based, time-interval) directly into 5-minute, hourly, daily, or other rainfall interval desired.
  • Tools to move data forward or backward in time to compare it with previously collected datasets
  • The ability to define constants, apply linearly varying offsets, and much more

FACE: Think of it as an Excel-quality calculation tool for real-time data analysis.

How can FlowWorks help with Combined Sewage Overflow Monitoring?

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There’s a good website I found called about Combined Sewage Overflows, I’m going to shamelessly pull some of the writing from it for this blog entry.

The definition of a combined sewer overflow (CSO), from Water Environment Federation Manual of Practice FD-17: Prevention and Control of Sewer System Overflows is: “A CSO is the intentional or unintentional discharge of untreated sanitary wastewater mixed with stormwater runoff or snow melt and occurs when the carrying capacity of a single conveyance system is exceeded by the instantaneous rate of flow within the single conveyance system. To control where overflows occur, engineers design diversion structures at strategic locations within the single conveyance system that ultimately discharge extraneous commingled flow to receiving waters.”

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a national framework in the United States for control of CSOs called the ‘Combined Sewer Overflow Control Policy’. The Policy was developed through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program, which requires that all point sources discharging pollutants to surface waters must have a permit. The CSO Control Policy provides information on how to meet the pollution control goals of the Clean Water Act flexibly and cost-effectively. The Policy, published in 1994, contains four fundamental principles to ensure that CSO controls are cost-effective and meet local environmental objectives:

  • Clear levels of control to meet health and environmental objectives
  • Flexibility to consider the site-specific nature of CSOs and find the most cost-effective way to control them
  • Phased implementation of CSO controls to accommodate a community’s financial capability
  • Review and revision of water quality standards during the development of CSO control plans to reflect the site-specific wet weather impacts of CSOs3.

As part of the CSO Control Policy, all communities with combined sewer systems were required to implement ‘nine minimum controls’ by January 1, 1997. These controls are measures that can be implemented to reduce the effect of CSOs without large engineering studies. The ‘nine minimum controls’ are summarized below:

  • Proper operation and regular maintenance programs for the sewer system and the CSOs
  • Maximum use of the collection system for storage
  • Review and modification of pre-treatment requirements to assure CSO impacts are minimized
  • Maximization of flow to the publicly owned treatment works for treatment
  • Prohibition of CSOs during dry weather
  • Control of solid and floatable materials in CSOs
  • Pollution prevention
  • Public notification to ensure that the public receives adequate notification of CSO occurrences and CSO impacts.

So it’s not surprising that one of the biggest uses that we see for FlowWorks is clients who are looking for cost-effective monitoring and reporting of CSO’s. The equipment to do this is now WAY cheaper than it used to be, so much so that it’s now possible to instrument overflow manholes or chambers with battery powered, underground wireless level equipment for about the same price that just the basic programmable logic controller (PLC) would cost in a traditional SCADA system. As a result, putting monitors in every overflow location is now within striking distance of cities that have even modest funding available. We are seeing clients instrument their overflow points with ultrasonic level sensors, pressure transducers, and even good old-fashioned float switches. There are even some amazing load-rated all-in-one monitoring manhole lids available on the market!

Once you have those locations instrumented, watching near-realtime data coming into FlowWorks is where the real fun begins. When all is well, you see all of the locations as green symbols on the FlowWorks map. When levels are nearing critical values the symbols switch to orange, and finally to red as the event begins. At several stages before and during the event, FlowWorks will issue alarm emails and text messages to everyone that needs to know. At anytime during or after the event, the FlowWorks graphing and reporting functions can tell you how long the event was. Plus, if the station is setup correctly you can get an estimate of how much overflow volume has been spilled.

It’s even possible for us to customize the reporting functions to match the exact format and requirements of your regulatory agency. After the events are over, a few mouse clicks is all it takes to produce the CSO overflow duration and volume reports to meet your regulatory obligations.

Using FlowWorks with SCADA

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Making an Operator’s Life Simple

SCADA control room

Did you know that you can connect your existing SCADA system to FlowWorks? Why would you want to do this? The first reaction that many people have is “we already have a SCADA system, why would we want to use FlowWorks?” Because FlowWorks is not just for dataloggers, and it does a lot more than just store and plot data. Think of some of the things you could be doing with your SCADA data if you used FlowWorks to do it…

If you are in the municipal business, odds are that you have a SCADA system. You probably also have some dataloggers and maybe some sewer flow meters. Wouldn’t it be nice to put all of that data into one place? Do you want to easily plot flow data from your treatment plant SCADA with rainfall data collected by your dataloggers? How about adding some laboratory measurement results along side? If you use FlowWorks, you can do this.

Plus, if you want, the data flow can go BACKWARDS from FlowWorks to your SCADA! What if you use FlowWorks to collect rainfall from some rain gauge dataloggers, but your SCADA also collects rainfall data? The two can give data to each other, so you and your users see the complete dataset! Core staff who use SCADA see valuable information, using the interface that they are used to. At the same time, data from SCADA (which is often difficult to distribute to users outside of the SCADA system) is made available to a larger set of users. No more having to deal with different data formats because some of your data came from the SCADA, some came datalogger brand X and yet other info came from Brand Y.

Setup Personal Alarms

Use the FlowWorks alarming system to setup notifications for other purposes that aren’t mission critical SCADA alarms…maybe you need to know when flows at a treatment plant reach a certain point so you can take a sample…or it’s time to photograph potential flooding at a drainage location…or maybe you want to know the next time a chlorine analyzer shows a low value so that you can go and take a sample to verify it. These are all things that you can do but might not have SCADA alarms setup for…with FlowWorks you can create your OWN notifications without requiring your SCADA staff to setup these alarms for you.

Your OWN Notifications

Yes, that’s what I said – this is a big deal. In FlowWorks, each user can customize their alarms and notifications, independent of anyone else. This can help you do your job more efficiently, the way you want to do it, and without extra corporate overhead that is so often required.

Custom Reporting

Use the reporting functions to produce tables for your reports…total water consumption, water quality reporting, rainfall summaries and statistics, pump run times, chemical injection summaries…if your SCADA system has been measuring it there is something that FlowWorks can do to make it more useful to you. Why record it if you can’t use it for anything?

SCADA Data Security and FlowWorks

FlowWorks provides data viewing and analysis tools only. There are no control functions that would be in a typical SCADA setup. This means that when you are viewing data sent to FlowWorks from your SCADA system, it is a mirrored COPY of the data rather than the original data itself. In this way the finite control details of your system are protected from the user, leaving your system and network ultimately secure.

Do you have information that you want to distribute to a larger group of users, but due to security concerns over your SCADA system you can’t do it? If your SCADA system is connected to FlowWorks then you get the best of both worlds…your SCADA system stays locked behind your corporate security, but the data that you want to distribute to others is made available. FlowWorks CANNOT be used to alter data or access your SCADA system and controls in any way.

In the meantime, you and other FlowWorks users within your organization enjoy simple, unlimited access to the information you need, from anywhere with an internet connection. Even if the only thing you use your SCADA system for is to graph data, I guarantee you that FlowWorks will do a better job than your SCADA graphing engine.

Data Loggers for Remote Data Collection Systems: Which One to Choose?

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cassette tape

I am a practising Professional Egineer who does A LOT of data collection applications, both for my clients as well as for the 150 or so employee needs within my own firm. When someone asks me what kind of data logger they should use, I always start by asking them where the data logger will be located, and what it will be used for. There are plenty of choices! Here’s a few of the systems and applications that are currently connected to FlowWorks.

Telog

We have some small water and sewer treatment plants that talk to FlowWorks using Telog’s wireless 1XRTT modem. We like the Telog products (particularly the 3307 and 3314), as these units are very reliable and they have some very flexible telemetry options (including dialup phone, wireless, and direct Ethernet connections).

ISCO

ISCO 2150 area-velocity meters in sanitary sewers come in via ISCO’s wireless 1XRTT system. The ISCO’s are purpose-built and hence not as flexible as the Telog wireless system, but the ISCO’s are compact units that generally get the job done well enough.

Marsh McBirney

There are a few Marsh McBirney FloDar’s connected to FlowWorks. These units were plugged into the Telog RU33 product, which acts as a data recording and telemetry module for the FloDar.

ADS

There is an ADS FlowShark connected to FlowWorks. We don’t have a lot of experience with these yet, but our client out East seems to be happy enough with the unit. It uses wireless 1XRTT just like the Telog and ISCO systems.

Satellite Stations

We have remote stations that use satellite because there is no other option where these sites are located. Right now we have Campbell Scientific and Unidata Neon systems connected. We know that Campbell Scientific systems have been around for a long time and have a proven track record. The Neons also seem to be holding up well.

The bottom line is that there are several ways you can do any particular data collection application. We are always doing new applications, and we keep on top of what’s out there on the market, what works well and what doesn’t. Feel free to ask us for a bit of advice the next time you are looking to do a new data collection application!  We work with an expanding list of logger manufacturers, and we provide unbiased advice.

Using a Solar Panel on a Remote Climate Monitoring Station

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Weather station solar panel

Are solar panels worth it?

There are a lot of hydrometric, sanitary, and rainfall/climate monitoring stations sending data into FlowWorks. Many of our clients have asked us if it’s worth putting a solar panel system on their stations to extend the run times between battery changes. I know there are people who will disagree with me, but my personal opinion is that generally the answer is No.

The main reason to have solar power on your station is to either eliminate or extend the run time between battery changes. There’s also a bit of a “green” look to them. But here’s my main arguments for not bothering:

  1. Any station should be able to run for at least 2 or 3 months on battery power, including those that run on the wireless telemetry systems that Telog, ISCO, ADS, and other manufacturers make. You should be visiting a station to do other station maintenance more often then that anyway, so battery changes shouldn’t be the only reason to go to a site.
  2. If the main reason you want solar is for the Green Theme, that’s great, but the station still needs a battery, which still has to be recycled eventually just like a non-solar station.
  3. Any solar panel large enough to operate a station reliably is usually an easy vandal target. Solar panels are favorite and very expensive targets for guns.
  4. If the panel is very small (like a trickle charger you can buy at an automotive store), you won’t get a huge benefit from it. But they are cheap enough that when they get vandalized you won’t miss the money as much.

Absolutely there are times when solar is a good idea. If you can secure the site against vandalism, or if the site is very remote (and hence not that likely to be vandalized), then if you can stomach the extra expense go for it. Solar panels are still fairly pricey, and they can add up to a large part of the bill for a typical monitoring station. Otherwise, save your money and put it towards more monitoring sites instead.