What was fundamental in the early years was collaboration with the Agrometeorology and Environmental Analysis Institute, I.A.T.A., of the Italian National Research Council. Within a short time the first meteorological stations were built following the standards of the W.M.O. (World Meteorological Organization).
Made for A.R.S.I.A. – Tuscany (regional agency for development and innovation in the farming-forestry sector), the system is made up of peripheral stations, central network management software modules and the regional UHF band data transmission backbone. The latter, consisting of 13 repeaters, of which 3 link and 10 area, allowed the agency to afterwards expand its peripheral instruments to over 140 measurement points without further investments in the transmission portion. This system, which has been operating continuously for over 18 years, was integrated in the Tuscany Functional Centre network and is still today considered one of the most important regional networks owing to the support it provides to the Civil Defence Service.
Built for Autostrade per l’Italia spa, first for the Bologna Section and then for those of Milan, Pescara, Cassino and Fiano Romano, the system comprises 40 reading stations that, by using a specific algorithm based on the data acquired from the single stations, such as surface temperature of the asphalt, the presence and quantity of saline solution on the road surface, and also the presence and type of precipitation in progress, the temperature and humidity of the environment, provides the 24/7 Room operators of Autostrade all the elements to be able to manage the extraordinary salting operations necessary to prevent ice from forming and in this way guarantee the safety of the users.
The monitoring and alert network of the Marches Region, initially structured on the regional radio network in UHF band, has evolved and expanded over the years, integrating the 2.4 GHz SHF data transmission carrier, reaching the point of including over 160 peripheral stations. The system is the key alert tool of the regional Civil Defence sector thanks to a widespread data survey network and specific waterway flow rate analysis and control models on the amount of aggregated rainfall in the most sensitive basins and on the temperature and level of snow blanket at the upper altitude.
The system, implemented by Arpa SMR near Cesenatico (FC), Italy, is concentrated on Wave Meter Buoys equipped with geolocation and radio and GSM data transmission devices, and provides essential parameters for sea and coastline monitoring such as the height and direction of the wave motion, the velocity of the current and the water temperature.
Built for Consorzio di Bonifica Canale Lunense, the system consists of 48 remote controlled stations capable of piloting draining pumps, flood gates and screen rakes according to a configurable automatism based on the hydrometric level to maintain along the canal. The stations are connected to each other and to the Control Centre by optic fibre in a ring data transmission structure in order to integrate 19 cameras in the system for the visual control of the working conditions of the moving parts. There is also redundancy via UHF radio.
Commissioned by DAB Sistemi Integrati> in order to acquire the solar radiation data in all of its components (global and diffused, on the horizontal plane and tilted), the system provides basic information to optimise the efficiency of 6 photovoltaic fields south of Rome, used to generate clean energy.
Commissioned by the Albanian Ministry of the Interior and funded by the World Bank, the system is aimed at acquiring weather, marine, hydrological and agrometeorological parameters of the territory, and at transmitting data through the GPRS carrier integrated in the satellite radio carrier in the EUMETCAST network.
By reading significant power plant parameters such as flow rates and pressures in the pipeline, hydrometric levels of dams and drops, the stations forming the system are able to provide Enel Green Power total remote control of its plants and monitor actual efficiency, net power produced and hydraulic efficiency. The system is also highly customisable, integrates functions to alert personnel on call and is connected to the Enel Data Centre through a TCP/IP connection.
The Consorzio di Bonifica Garda Chiese monitoring system is made up of 32 remote controlled lift installations with GPRS data transmission, focussed on measuring the flow rate of the pipelines, and a mesh network via 868 MHz radio of over 270 irrigation plants equipped with tangential meters and solenoid valves for the monitoring and scheduled drawing of the water resource by the Consortium users for farming purposes.
The integrated system for efficiently managing the water resource breaks down into 104 peripheral stations equipped with radio and GPRS double transmission vector to monitor in real time and to remote control and automate electromechanical components such as flood gates, draining pumps and water pumps. The system offers a high standard of safety in managing plants by acquiring and sending alarm signals from smoke and flood sensors and anti-intrusion cameras.
The integrated system for reading atmospheric precipitation, the hydrometric level and the water flow rate executed as part of the project to strengthen the remote monitoring system of the Hydraulic Node of Milan (NIM) for ARPA Lombardia consists of 5 remote measurement peripheral stations with data transmission via GPRS to the regional Control Centre. Used also for Civil Defence purposes, the system is integrated with the Tetra regional transmission network.
Following the earthquake that struck Central Italy and the province of Macerata in particular between August and October 2016, a project to strengthen the hydrometric and flow rate readings along the Nera river was set in motion as part of the Marches Region Civil Defence monitoring and alert network. The instrumentation installed, integrated with the image monitoring and reading of water turbidity, provides parameters essential for the safety of the areas and works implemented following the earthquake.
The project to strengthen the upper altitude survey stations installed in the Monti Sibillini district allowed the entities responsible to acquire parameters aimed at preventing avalanche risk, such as surface and stratified temperature of the snow blanket, as part of the Marches Region Civil Defence monitoring and alert network. These stations, integrated with an image monitoring system, play an important role especially in light of the seismic events that struck Central Italy in 2016.
Hydrometeorological and remote control of remote measurement systems