Delta Watch: Configure hardware monitoring of stations and observations

Be automatically notified when selected observations could not be made or when a total station has not sent any data at all.

Configure Delta Watch to keep an eye on things, leaving more time for other tasks.

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Delta Watch: Configure hardware monitoring of stations and observations

Introduction

When looking after a monitoring site, making sure all is operating as it should, it is invaluable to keep an eye on the status of the monitoring equipment and the sensors.

In such situations one might not be directly interested in, for example, how much a prism moved, or what the current tilt is of a structure. Instead, knowing that the tilt sensor is still transmitting data or that a prism is still being measured is equally, if not more, important.

For these purposes, Delta Watch has various tools to assist. These tools allow checking on the age of the data import of a specific sensor. Whether that is a prism, tilt sensor, or total station, it is possible to configure Delta Watch such that emails could be sent when the sensor does not have data for a set time.

This article explains how to configure the hardware monitoring of stations and prisms. Especially in a multi-station network with common points, this could be very useful. Common points are normally measured by 2 or more stations. If one station loses line of sight, Delta Watch might still be able to calculate the network and use the data. By configuring the hardware monitoring section, you, the operator, will also know that a station was not able to measure that specific point and can thus investigate to keep the network healthy.

Pre-requirements

Below is a list of requirements to be able to successfully complete the configuration of the hardware monitoring and receive an email alarm in case the configured criteria are met:

  • A working Delta Watch project with an active automated network
  • A working and tested email server configuration in Delta Watch
  • Remote access to all Delta Link units sending data to the network
  • Contacts added to the project with names and email details

General workflow

The following is the general workflow for configuring the hardware monitoring functionality of a network. Those users familiar with Delta Watch can simply use this as a reminder of the steps to complete this simple task.

  1. Transfer the current target list from each Delta Link unit.
  2. Add the station to the Station IDs, and import points to include for alarms.
  3. Configure Hardware monitoring on the Network tab.

Detailed workflow

1. Transfer the current target list from each Delta Link unit.

Delta Watch can import a target list generated by a Delta Link unit to be used for configuring the points that need to be included in the hardware monitoring. The list can be generated on demand and will automatically be transferred to the data folder on the Delta Watch computer, just like any observation of information data files already used by Delta Watch.

  1. Connect to each Delta Link unit used in this network. The simplest way is to use the web portal VNC functionality, but the same can be achieved using a computer with direct connection and a VNC client.
  2. Once connected, click on the Settings button in the main screen of DeltaLog, see illustration.
  3. Navigate to the Tools & Info tab, and click on Transfer Target List.
  4. DeltaLog will now inform us the list has been created and will be sent to Delta Watch shortly. Once sent, the list will be available in the same folder as where the observation data files arrive.
  5. Repeat this for any other Delta Link unit that is used in the network.

2. Add the station to the Station IDs, and import points to include for alarms.

Now that the target lists are generated and sent to the Delta Watch computer, it is time to configure Delta Watch itself. At this point it is assumed that:

  • There is a fully configured and active automated network, ready for processing.
  • The email server settings have been entered and validated.
  • One or multiple email recipients (contacts) are available in the project.
  • Exact names of the total stations are known (case-sensitive).

If the above is not the case, configure these items first. For the network, it might not have processed its first automated epoch yet but should be fully configured to start doing so when activated.

  1. Open the Networks module in the Administration group, and select the automated network to be configured.
  2. Navigate to the Station IDs tab.
  3. Click on the Add button Add  to add your first station. Enter the name exactly as it is configured in DeltaLog. The name is CasE SeNSiTiVe.
  1. Click on the Import icon Import,  and select the target list belonging to this station. This is the file that was transferred from the Delta Link unit in the previous step. It can be found in the Base directory as configured in the Network tab. The filename will be as follows: dltarget_[Station ID]_[yyyymmddhhmm].txt
    1. [Station ID] is the name as specified in DeltaLog and should match the name of the station that is being configured.
    2. [yyyymmddhhmm] is the timestamp of when the dltarget file was created.
  2. When the file is read, Delta Watch presents a dialogue window where a selection can be made of which points to import. In the Import column, select only the points which should be checked as part of the hardware monitoring configuration. Uncheck everything else if applicable.

 

If there are many monitoring points and/or the site is very dynamic in regard to line-of-sights regularly being blocked for short periods, then it is advised to be selective with which points to include for the hardware monitoring functionality. A suggestion is to include only the important points, like reference and common points.
  1. When finished with the selection, click OK. Delta Watch will import only the selected targets and all their details as configured on DeltaLog. These details are for information only and are not used for anything else in Delta Watch. The illustration below shows a limited selection.
  2. To save the details, click on Apply Apply, and repeat the steps for any additional monitoring stations.

3. Configure Hardware monitoring on the Network tab.

Now that all stations are added and have one or more points included for the hardware monitoring function, it is time to enable the monitoring function and configure when email warnings should be sent.

  1. Activate the Network tab of Networks.
  2. The Hardware monitoring section is at the bottom. Enable what should be monitored: total stations, prisms, or both.
  3. For each selection specify the Alarm time interval. This needs to be a multiple of the Time interval per epoch as configured at the top under Status.

The Alarm time interval for total stations is normally not bigger than the time set for the prisms when monitoring both.

  1. Select which contacts should be emailed if the above configured criteria are met.
  2. Click Apply to save the changes.