MAWS HydroMet™ Systems for Meteorological and Hydrological ...

Chapter 5 ________________________________________________ Telemetry and Communication
CHAPTER 5
TELEMETRY AND COMMUNICATION
Telecommunication costs are frequently the major annual cost of
operating an observation network. Therefore, it is essential that there
are several alternative telecommunication options available to best
optimize this function. In addition, the availability of
telecommunications is frequently a restrictive factor.
In addition, the availability of data sets requirements for the
telecommunication equipment used in the network. When e.g. flood
warning is a critical requirement, then near real-time data transmission
must be guaranteed. In the MAWS systems there can be two or more
redundant communication devices connected at most critical sites,
where data availability is of the highest concern.
On the other hand, when data is used for statistical purposes or
processes which do not require real-time data, other, often less costly
methods, can be used. The MAWS system offers solutions for all
these requirements.
Serial I/O Lines
The MAWS system has one (1) RS-232 and one (1) RS-485 port as
standard. Two (2) optional plug-in communication modules can be
used for enhancing the number of serial I/O channels up to seven (7),
including SDI-12 serial sensor interface(s). The high number of serial
channels allows the interfacing of intelligent sensors. Redundant
communication channels can easily be used for applications and sites
where data accessibility is highly important.
The standard RS-232 interface is normally reserved for local use and
maintenance tasks such as command interface, updating software,
uploading new configurations or downloading logged data files. For
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