Essentials of Remote Infrastructure Health Monitoring
The processes involved in Remote infrastructure health monitoring are listed below.
- Data Sensing
- Data Logging
- Data Acquisition
- Data Transfer
- Data Reading
- Data Storage
- Data Analysis
- Data Interpretation
- Data Interpolation
A typical data set in a Remote Infrastructure health monitoring is made up of the following:
- Material Properties Data – Material used
- Engineered Properties Data – Dimensions and proportions
- Imposed Loads Data – Impending Loads
- Imposed Loads Data – Environmental
As the focus of this paper is the application of Web based GIS technologies, in Remote Health Monitoring of Highway Infrastructure, the engineering details of the stages involved are not being elaborated upon.
The Application of Integrated Remote Health Infrastructure Monitoring System to Highway Infrastructure is looked into by looking into the functionality of each of the modules that make the system.
Module 1 – Infrastructure Clustering Module
Module 2 – Data Acquisition Module
Module 3 – Data Conversion Module
Module 4 – Data Communication Module
Module 5 – Data Receiving and Sorting and organising
Module
Module 6 – Real-time Environmental Data Module
Module 7 – Mathematical Modeling Module
Module 8 – Algorithmic Module
Module 9 – Analytical Module
Module 10 – Graphic Display Module
All the above modules go into making an integrated system of Infrastructure health monitoring. Module 1 and Module 10 are based on GIS and GPS technology. Module 1 and Module 5 are based on networking. Module 2 and Module 3 are based on Instrumentation. Module 4 is based on Internet technology. Module 7, Module 8 and Module 9 are based on Engineering principles. Module 10 is based on Graphic Design and Mapping.
As it can be seen in the following description of each of the above modules, some of these modules have been used in isolation for different purposes, including remote highway infrastructure monitoring. But the integrated approach envisaged here offers the following advantages when compared with an isolated use:
- Simultaneous monitoring of several units of an infrastructure.
- Widely spread out units of infrastructure can be monitored
- Single Command and Control Center
- Data from Real-time Environmental Satellite feed can be superimposed
- Environmental forecasts can be extended to influence on infrastructure as well.
- Good control on infrastructure behaviour in Disaster Management
Module-1: Infrastructure Clustering
This module involves incorporating all the basic information about the entire infrastructure within the region of a command center. The modes and types of infrastructure may vary over a wide range. A single command and control center may have several steel bridges, concrete bridges, tunnels, culverts, etc. Clustering of these units of infrastructure requires inputting their geophysical. In other words the global positioning of these units is defined here.
MODULE –2: Data Acquisition
This module involves identification of appropriate sensors, instrumentation of the infrastructural units, data logging. Again here no single technique is appropriate and universally applicable. The sensors attached to a reinforced concrete bridge may vary from the sensors attached to a cable suspended bridge, yet tunnels might have completely a different set of sensors. This module allows the option of selecting appropriate sensors and the data acquisition instruments.
MODULE –3: Data Conversion
This module involves conversion of data generated from sensors to a digitised form. Some Data recorders might directly convert the data into a digitised form. However, this module not only converts the data thus read, but also labels and packages the data for identifying it with and correlating it with the relevant mathematical and thus the graphical model displayed at the Infrastructure Monitoring Command Center.
In case of El Hormiguero Bridge-20011 remote monitoring, the instrumentation at the bridge comprised of a set of Accelerometers, Amplifiers filters and FM transmitters. These FM modulations are modified and converted and digitised by an A-D Converter.
MODULE –4: Data Communication
Once digitised, the data can be transferred to any point through internet or intranet irrespective of distance. Global Positioning System (GPS) techniques are applied to identify the data emanating from a given static location of an infrastructure. This principle of data collection from a single point can be applied to geographically dispersed locations to collect data from several locations simultaneously.
Communication or transfer of digitised data to the command center can be achieved in a combination of ways
- It can be directly transferred thru a modem, where available.
- Digitised data can be read into a Mobile data recorder and then transferred from the nearest web node.
- Radioed data from a set of remote infrastructure can be sequentially read through a FM receiver and then transferred to the command center after converting it to a digitised data.