Tough Terrain Calls for Remote Sensor Data Solution
Nicholas Cheng with Geotechnical & Concrete Engineering (GCE) knew this construction monitoring project would be a challenge.
The project called for providing preliminary site data to inform the construction design of the Tsing Yi- Lantau Link, a major new highway planned for the northeastern side of Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. However, the location’s steep hillsides make it some of the most rugged terrain in all of Hong Kong. Some sensor site locations that the GCE team needed to access were only accessible via helicopter; others were accessible on foot but were both time-consuming and dangerous to access. Using traditional on-site data collection methods that required physically uploading data directly to a laptop or device were not ideal in such potentially treacherous terrain.
Inzwa Cloud's remote sensor data management platform a game changer for GCE
GCE chose to use GEOKON vibrating wire piezometers connected to data loggers to monitor the slope water level along these hillsides.
The ability of Inzwa Cloud's platform to integrate seamlessly with these devices and transmit data reliably and remotely meant that the need for physical site visits to access and upload the data was unnecessary.
GCE placed 13 GEOKON piezometers at strategic locations along the site, each connected to a data logger and attached to a solar panel to provide uninterrupted power.
The terrain made placement challenging, but Inzwa Cloud's remote sensor data management solution made this remote sensor data monitoring project more efficient, economical – and safer.
"Some sensor sites were so inaccessible that helicopters were required to reach them,” Nicholas Cheng explained. “This project would have been both time-consuming and dangerous without the data loggers integrated with Inzwa Cloud's remote sensor data management solution."
Inzwa Cloud: Customized formula created for reporting desired engineering unit
GCE needed to monitor and report water level data. In addition, the calculation needed to include a specific variable referencing the distance from the device’s location to a fixed, baseline location on Hong Kong Island. Inzwa created a customized formula for GCE to translate the water pressure data being captured into the desired water-level engineering unit by adding a secondary linear equation to the existing formula. This customization - now available to all Cloud platform users - not only allowed the remote water-pressure data to be captured and reported automatically in the desired engineering unit (with no additional manual data manipulation required), but it also provided the future flexibility for nearly any device to be configured to easily provide the same. "Their customization of this formula means their platform will now cover about 90% of the devices that I would use on future projects," Nicholas Cheng said.
Result: Risk, costs and time on site minimized with Inzwa's remote sensor data management platform
The implementation of Inzwa Cloud'sremote sensor data management solution revolutionized – and simplified - the construction monitoring process for GCE on this project. The platform's integration with the devices on site allowed for wireless connectivity and remote data access, eliminating the need for manual data retrieval and reducing associated risks. Seamlessly integrated, the data loggers automatically transmitted the collected data at regular intervals and in the required engineering units, ensuring immediate access to accurate and reliable readings for efficient analysis and decision-making.