M2M : Machine 2 Machine

The Italian Ministry of Industry is providing Telit Communications with a total of Eur 25.5 million to set up a new research and development centre. The sum comprises a donation worth Eur 11.4 million and a loan of Eur 14.1 million. With this move, the Italian government is acknowledging the telecommunications specialist’s commitment to the field of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.

On a market which, according to the latest study by ABI Research, will grow by 33% year on year from 2005 to 2010, Telit has already successfully established itself with a wide portfolio of versatile M2M modules.

The communications experts, who thus far have been known primarily for their mobile telephones, have their own protocol stack with GSM/GPRS network protocols.

It is investing around 400 man-years in the development of this software platform, which enables the company as the sole owner of its software to respond flexibly to individual customer needs and requirements.

The Italian Government is now supporting Telit’s project, which involves expanding its research and development capacities in regions such as Sicily, Sardinia, Campania, Basilicata, Apulia and Calabria.

Telit aims to use the financial support to expand its team of experts involved with its Wireless Solutions Business, in order to push ahead the development of new and sophisticated products for wireless communication.

‘The support that we are getting from the Italian government is helping us maintain our position as specialists on the lucrative M2M market’.

‘With our technology expertise and our own protocol stack, we are able to focus on the further development of innovative products for this growth market’.

M2M, Automation, Telemetry, Remote Monitoring, LBS

Red Lion Controls has announced its new Data Station Plus, the industry’s most powerful tool for connectivity and machine data-management. The Data Station Plus is a multiple protocol converter, a system data logger, and a Web interface for industrial and M2M applications. The Data Station Plus converts numerous protocols simultaneously, allowing seamless communication between disparate devices, and can save collected data in CSV files that are easily viewed by programs such as Microsoft Excel and Access.

”The Data Station Plus’ comprehensive, yet easy to use set of data management tools makes it ideal for factories and machine builders wanting to interconnect and monitor dissimilar devices such as PLCs, drives, barcode scanners, vision systems, and modems,’ said Jesse Benefiel, product Mmnager for Red Lion.

‘The DSP’s virtual HMI interface provides remote access and control of the system using a standard Internet browser from virtually any PC.

Further, alarms and notifications can be sent via text-message or email to warn of pending problems or required maintenance.’ A removable CompactFlash memory card stores logged data into ‘IT-ready’ CSV files allowing for virtually limitless memory expansion and data collection capability.

* About Red Lion - Red Lion Controls is a leading manufacturer of industrial control solutions worldwide.

Products include digital/analog control, monitoring and panel meters, PID control, human-machine interface panels, and signal conditioning.

M2M, Automation, Telemetry, Remote Monitoring, LBS

BERKELEY, Calif. & NORWOOD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 18, 2006–Cantaloupe Systems (www.cantaloupesystems.com) and Crane Streamware (www.streamware.com) announced today that both companies have completed the integration of Cantaloupe’s Seed(TM) Remote Monitoring Platform and Streamware’s VendMAX Remote software solution and it is now benefiting vending operators at several locations.

Cantaloupe’s Seed(TM) Platform provides wireless monitoring and alert notification of a vendor’s remote assets, while Streamware’s VendMAX software provides the vendor with front- and back-office operational management solutions. Working in concert, the two systems boost vendors’ operating efficiencies, leading to significantly increased ROI. The systems also become a major selling advantage as they enhance the purchasing experience for the end consumer.

Foley Food Service — Enhanced ROI and used Remote Monitoring as sales tool

Steve Foley, of Foley Food & Vending Service (www.foleyfoodservice.com) in Norwood, MA runs his entire operation with the VendMAX software system. By using VendMAX’s advanced forecasting system, Foley can pre-pack all his machines at his warehouse. “VendMAX has always worked great for us,” noted Foley, “but integrating with the Seed(TM) wireless platform has taken us to the next level. The DEX data from Seed(TM) feeds into VendMAX several times daily and makes my warehouse pre-picking dead-on accurate. It’s perfect for colleges and other unpredictable public locations. I’m now experimenting with Dynamic Scheduling and have found that having access to real-time sales data has saved me from making unnecessary trips to far away locations.” Foley, who has always used the adoption of technology to his competitive advantage, was amazed by how much Remote Monitoring helped in closing new accounts. Foley said, “Cantaloupe’s Seed(TM) has been a phenomenal sales tool, often allowing us to land new accounts without having to offer the highest commission. It’s a real differentiator. My existing customers can log in and see sales information from a special Seed(TM) website and be confident that the data is legit since it is real-time electronically transmitted.”

Glenn Butler, President of Cantaloupe Systems, added, “Offering remote monitoring during the bidding cycle is one of the major reasons operators have adopted this technology. It lets operators focus on service and quality rather than the lowest price or highest commission rate.”

A & B Vending — Found “Alerts” invaluable, especially for frozen machines

Erich Markee, Operations Manager at A & B Vending Co. (www.abvendingco.com) in Wakefield, MA uses Streamware data to facilitate the pre-kitting of his snack and frozen machines. “I purchased Cantaloupe’s Seed(TM) platform as an enhancement to Streamware’s pre-kitting program,” said Markee, “but I was pleasantly surprised to find that, in addition to optimizing my pre-kitting data, the Seed(TM) system contains an extremely beneficial alert feature. Several times the Seed(TM) alerts feature saved me from serious inventory meltdowns when my frozen machines had compressor or power failures. When one of my frozen machines loses power, Seed(TM)’s battery backup enables it to notify me and my service manager via text message. The first time this situation happens at a frozen machine, the system is paid for.”

M2M, Automation, Telemetry, Remote Monitoring, LBS

AN interesting article on efficiently processing large volumes of data. In a M2M scenarios the central systems get bombarded with gigabytes of raw data. Having a way to efficiently analyze this data - brings out teh true potential of a M2M system. More on the data processing article here >>>

Swarm Intelligence– Nature’s way . . .

By borrowing from nature, Xiaohui Cui of Oak Ridge National Laboratory is devising more efficient ways to analyze large amounts of publicly available data and perform other tasks to make information more accessible and useful.

While ants and birds don’t know anything about mathematical models, they represent the ideal when it comes to teamwork, colony organization and devising the best way to accomplish a task.

Using the same concepts that allow ants and birds to keep themselves in a colony and perform duties that are essential to their survival, Cui uses a technique called multiple species flock clustering, which sorts through news items on the Internet to extract useful information.

Cui also is developing a disposable sensor network based on the ant colony mathematical model, which enables large numbers of sensors to self-organize and collect and exchange information. This can be used, for example, by 1,000 or more battery-powered sensors deployed in strategic locations to monitor environmental activity or gather other information over a long period of time.

M2M, Automation, Telemetry, Remote Monitoring, LBS

The oil and gas industry is making good use of well-establishing technology—SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition). Recently some significant companies in oil and gas applied SCADA for remote communication with assets.

OMV Austria Exploration and Production GmbH, www.omv.com, Wien, Austria, selected Invensys Process Systems Inc., www.invensys.com, Foxboro, Mass., to supply a SCADA systems based on its I/A Series hardware for a site revamping.

The company is a prominent player in the design of gas storage product in Europe; it also has important natural gas reservoirs. It wanted to upgrade its legacy control system, but found the system at its technical limit.

OMV instead has chosen a SCADA system from Invensys, which will communicate with OMV’s solar turbines, 121 remote gas wells, and its remote dispatch center. The Profibus DP fieldbus will be used for communication between the site’s drives and fire and gas detection systems. The Modbus protocol will enable communications with the gas dispatch station and the Trident emergency shutdown system Invensys will provide.

In India, ABB, www.abb.com, Zurich, Switzerland, was awarded a $95 million contract for a SCADA system from ONGC (Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd.), www.ongcindia.com, Dehradun, India.

It will monitor, control, and manage information from ONGC’s production and drilling facilities. It will link oil basins, processing plants, forward base, and other assets to the corporate data center. As the company is spread across India and has offshore facilities, the system should support better data access for quicker decision- making and response.

The turnkey project is slated for completion by the end of 2007 and includes a six-year annual maintenance contract. ABB is responsible for site survey, system design, engineering, supply, installation, and commissioning of a three-tier SCADA system.

ONGC expects to see results such as enhanced reliability and scalability, monitoring and control of assets in multiple locations, and improved efficiency of oil exploration.

M2M, Automation, Telemetry, Remote Monitoring, LBS