Remote Location IoT

This endeavour by Devices World and The University of Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) was on remote location IoT and how to efficiently execute iSCADA in this environment.

The purpose of this initiative was for scientific research on turtle nesting habits for the university. Through the utilization of small form junction boxes and remote data transmission using satellite internet, data on temperatures and activity within the nest were obtained.

For Devices World, it was a technical challenge to test our iSCADA platform’s remote IoT capabilities, for the university, it gave them valuable turtle nesting data.

Case Study on Remote IoT

SCADA provides researchers with unprecedented opportunities to perform global-scale coordinated studies.

The following are some of the benefits of regionally or internationally coordinated real-time research:

  • Simultaneous access to data.
  • Opportunities for online analysis and collaboration.
  • Standardization of research equipment and methodology.
  • Greater transparency.
  • Lowered risk.
  • Flexible sampling rates.

COLLABORATION – REMOTE IOT

  • Devices World and The University of Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) collaborated on this project, which focused on remote location IoT and how to efficiently perform iSCADA in this environment.
  • The initiative’s goal was to conduct scientific research on turtle nesting behaviours for the university.
  • Data on temperatures and activity within the nest were gathered utilising small form junction boxes and remote data transfer via satellite internet.
  • It was a technological challenge for Devices World to test our iSCADA platform’s remote IoT capabilities, but it provided crucial turtle nesting data to the university.

Challenges

• Typically, a research team will invest in equipment and resources for a localised study utilising conventional methods.
• Temperature impacts in sea turtle eggs, for example, have long piqued the interest of sea turtle biologists.
• Temperatures during incubation affect incubation time, hatchling sex ratio, emergence, embryonic growth, phenotypic, and population recruitment.
• Traditionally, data loggers were used to study nest temperatures, which were later downloaded for offline analysis.
• This resulted in a delay between data collecting and data analysis, which had a negative impact on the research's flexibility.

iSCADA Solutions

  • iSCADA provides researchers with a previously inaccessible way of investigation: real-time collaborative investigation of sea turtle nests at multiple places by multiple researchers on a worldwide scale.
  • When numerous research groups work together on a regionally or globally coordinated experiment utilising a web-based data acquisition system, each research group’s project investment in one site provides the group with real-time data from the total number of sites.
  • As a result, multiple researchers from various locations can undertake population nest temperature studies at little expense.

How It Works

As an example of iSCADA in the research environment, consider the iNEST (iSCADA Natural Sensor Terminal) solution:

Sensors:

Temperature and vibration sensors are placed at 3 different levels of the sea turtle nest: top, middle and bottom.

Solar Panel:

A solar panel connected to an environmentally friendly battery is fixed atop each junction. Solar energy is used to generate sufficient power to run the system and for daily activities.

Junction:

The iNEST system consists of 7 junctions that houses the various sensors. It is designed to accommodate 4 different types of sensors: light, humidity, vibration, and temperature.

ZigBee:

ZigBee is a wireless networking standard that is aimed at remote control and sensor applications. It is used in iNEST as it is suitable for operation in harsh radio environments and in isolated locations.

Master Panel:

The Master Panel on the beach collects data from every junction and transmits it to the mini server laptop in the cabin that is connected to the satellite.

Satellite:

The satellite system connects to the Internet via a mini server laptop, enabling both real time monitoring of the iNEST system at any location and data transfers to and from the iSCADA server. Communication is also possible between the team on the island and mainland.

With our iNEST infrastructure in place on-site, iSCADA technology allows researchers to view all the important data in real time on their phones, computers and other internet- enabled device anywhere, anytime.

Case Studies

The study was conducted on Talang-Talang Besar Island nesting beach at Talang-Satang National Marine Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Five platinum PT100 RTD sensors (Minco Products Inc, USA) were placed at the nest-bottom, nest middle-center, nest middle-side, nest-top, and sand at 15 cm below the surface, in a Chelonia mydas nest (1º44´N, 109º46°E). Sensors were factory calibrated to ± 0.1°C (N.I.S.T., USA) from 15.6 to 43.3 °C. Air temperature and humidity were measured with two other sensors (model HS-200V, Precon, USA) placed 1m above the nest. All seven sensors were wired to a weatherproof solar-powered data acquisition system comprising a datalogger with built-in embedded Internet gateway, a global system mobile modem, and a GSM signal booster. iSCADA was the hosted data acquisition service used for the duration of this study.

The high accuracy, resolution, repeatability, and robustness of iSCADA was illustrated in this real time end-to-end IP based data acquisition project.

Talang-Talang Besar Island

iSCADA was deployed at a remote island off Sarawak by researches from NTU and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation for the measurement of sand, nests, and egg temperature during incubation of reptilians – A new approach using Internet-based data acquisition technologies for concurrent analysis of globally consolidated real time data across multiple sites by multiple investigators.

“Conservation efforts should be done based on good scientific knowledge and principles, else we may cause more damage to the population that we are trying so hard to save. A good example are the Malaysian leatherbacks where decades of incubating their eggs in open hatcheries have completely skewed the sex ratio of that population, a possible major contributing cause to their decline. The fact that temperature-dependent sex determination occurs in all sea turtles make these populations vulnerable to changing beach temperatures which can alter the sex ratio of the population. When that happens, it can seriously affect the reproductive output and may contribute to extinction of that population.

The steadily increasing global temperatures as a result of climate change and factors contributing towards global warming may change sex ratio output of hatchlings from beach hatcheries. This may have long-term conservation implications, hence our interest in monitoring nest and beach temperatures at the ‘in-situ‘ turtle hatchery at Chagar Hutang, Redang Island using the iNEST system. In the past, beach and nest temperatures were monitored by inserting thermostat or thermocouple probes and the readings manually gathered at regular intervals throughout the incubation. This was very laborious and also not as accurate compared to the iNEST system. So, the introduction of the iNEST system automates this monitoring with the ability of sampling more regularly 24/7 and accurately and delivering the data in real-time.

Chagar Hutang

Our interest in monitoring nest and beach temperatures at the ‘in-situ‘ turtle hatchery at Chagar Hutang, Redang Island by using the iNEST system.

Committed to the Environment

SEATRU and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
    • For more than a decade, the University of Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) has been investigating the ecology and behaviour of sea turtles.
    • With a small workforce of full-time employees, the unit relies heavily on volunteer sustainability
    • Countless volunteers have given up their time over the years, staying on the island for weeks at a time to help with research and conservation efforts.
    • The camp’s attitude is one of good cheer and togetherness, and the unit works well with volunteers from many walks of life. It offers as both a delightful respite from the hustle and bustle of city life, and a sad reminder of the influence humans may have on nature’s ecology.
    • To participate in conservation efforts, learn more about the programme, and how to volunteer, visit the SEATRU official website at the URL below:

    http://seatru.umt.edu.my/

Implementation

For implementation, contact us or call +603 8075 8600

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