Automation Committee Workshop Presentation 2 Life of a Signal Practical Uses of Big Data

What is a Signal? As defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary: a detectable physical quantity or impulse (such as a voltage, current, or magnetic field strength) by which messages or information can be transmitted

Types of Signals Discrete (a.k.a. digital or binary) – on or off Analog – continuously variable

Sources of Signals Primary Instrumentation – directly connected to the process or equipment Flow, pressure, level, temperature instruments Analytical measurements such as pH, chlorine residual, turbidity Machine conditions such as motor temperature, vibration, power consumption

Sources of Signals Secondary Instrumentation  – performs automation and user interface functions Control panels, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) SCADA software Laboratory management software Maintenance management software

Signal Transmission Discrete – output of switches - opens or closes an electrical circuit Analog – output of transmitters - typically 4-20 mA current proportional to the process measurement

Signal Transmission Bit Byte Digital Communications – discrete or analog signals represented by binary digits (bits) based on a network protocol Bit Binary digit, 0 or 1 Byte A sequence of bits operated on as a unit, typically representing a letter, number or other character

Local Signal Reception Signals received by local panels For operator notification For automatic control functions (e.g., safety shutdown) Signals received at PLCs For automatic control functions For retransmission to other PLCs or SCADA computers

Remote Signal Reception (SCADA) Network connections PLCs to SCADA server Instrument to SCADA server SCADA server to operator workstation

SCADA Historian SCADA server pushes data to a Historian server Signal values are saved at full scan rate or based on rules to minimize data Analysis/reporting/trending software Time series signals from Historian server are viewed in trend graphs Signal values may be included in calculations and reports

Example “Life of a Signal”

Example “Life of a Signal” Cloud Platform Example “Life of a Signal” Ethernet Switch SCADA HMI PLC/RTU Ethernet Switch SCADA Server Historian Server

Practical Uses of “Big Data”

What is Big Data? As defined in Wikipedia: a term used to refer to data sets that are too large or complex for traditional data-processing application software to adequately deal with

Big Data Concepts Volume – how much data Variety – the type of data Velocity – the speed at which data is generated Veracity – the quality or uncertainty of the data Visibility – availability of the data Value – the business reason to collect and analyze the data

Industry Trends Pressure to “do more with less”. Emphasis on sustainability. Growing reliance on data driven decision making. Growing expectations to have access to data and information. Big Data tools are at our finger tips!

Utility Management Systems Process Control/ SCADA Connectivity Access to diverse datasets to facilitate advanced analytics Collaboration with other utilities Immediate connection with customers “Internet of Things” (IOT) enabled instrumentation can communicate directly to data management platforms Utility Management Systems Process Control/ SCADA Instrumentation CMMS/ Asset Databases

Hindsight Insight Foresight What can we make happen? Advanced Analytics Growth What will happen? Prescriptive Analytics Facilitated by access to diverse data sets Computing power Solve complex problems Resolve issues before they escalate Machine Learning What happened? Predictive Analytics Descriptive Analytics Hindsight Insight Foresight

Data Visualization Strategies (Dashboarding) SCADA HMI Business Management Platforms (i.e. SAP, Sales Force, SAS). “Big Data” platforms such as PowerBI, Tableau, etc…

Discussion Topics: Describe the most important data sources used by your organization. Describe additional sources of data that your organization intends to acquire and why. What challenges does your organization face in acquiring or using more data?