Atlas: Streamlining Data Centralization with Advanced RTU Solutions

Atlas: Streamlining Data Centralization with
Advanced RTU Solutions

1. Introduction – Problem Statement

It is crucial for telecommunication providers to maintain remote visibility of critical assets at their sites to ensure the reliability and the resilience of their networks. To monitor the state of health and statuses from the equipment, many telecom companies install and deploy Remote Telemetry Units (RTUs) across their various sites. These RTUs collect critical information from different power and cooling assets present in telecom sites, such as:

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems;
Battery Distribution Fuse Bays (BDFBs);
DC power plants;
Rectifiers;
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs);
Generators; and
Fuel systems.

RTUs can also monitor the environmental conditions in sites and raise alarms in case of site intrusion.

Considering that telecoms typically have hundreds of such RTUs deployed in the field, data centralization can present significant challenges. Technicians and engineers are often required to log into numerous RTU units and smart devices using individual IP addresses to access the information they require, making the planning process cumbersome. In this document, we will explore the ways in which the Atlas software can help centralize information collected by multiple RTUs and smart devices in the field to facilitate the management of the site equipment.

2. The Use of Remote Telemetry Units

As previously mentioned, RTUs are widely utilized across telecom networks to remotely monitor different types of cooling and power equipment. The following are some methods the data from the equipment can be remotely monitored by the RTUs:

Analog measurements: Most RTUs are equipped with analog inputs that enable the measurement of voltage and current signals. Consequently, RTUs can continuously monitor a site’s AC power (main entrance) and the DC power provided by the power plants along with the environmental conditions at the site.

Binary inputs (dry contacts): Binary inputs can be used to generate alarms in case of site intrusion, fire, loss of commercial power, battery on discharge or equipment failure. For instance, Multitel’s ACD-01 device (figure 1) can be connected to the iO Supervisor (figure 3) to be notified when a power outage occurs. Similarly, Multitel’s BOD (figure 2) can be integrated to the iO Supervisor to be notified when a battery goes into discharge mode.

Serial communication protocols: Many devices, like HVAC systems, UPS units and generators, use the serial communication protocol such as Modbus RTU. Certain RTUs have the capability to read the Modbus registers from these devices and aggregate the available information for analysis.
Modbus TCP/IP and SNMP: Some RTUs can poll intelligent equipment that use IP communication protocols.
Other communication protocols: Some RTUs can communicate with devices using various protocols, such as BACnet and MQTT.

Figure 2: The iO Supervisor, Multitel’s Newest RTU

Thus, various methods and protocols can be employed to monitor critical information at the site level. Once the data is collected, RTUs typically use the secure SNMP v3 protocol to communicate the information to a network management system, such as Multitel’s Atlas software. This type of software consolidates all data collected from the sites across the network, providing access to the entire dataset through one single interface.

3. Solution: Data Centralization via the Atlas Software

Atlas is a network monitoring and asset data analytics platform that enables the data monitored throughout the network to be available in a single location. A key feature of the Atlas software is its ability to poll Remote Telemetry Units and smart devices in the field using the SNMP communication protocol. Hence, all site and equipment monitored by the RTUs or directly connected to the network can be accessed through a map view as illustrated in the figure below.

Figure 3: Example of a Network View Available in Atlas

Through this network view, users can access the entirety of the data points monitored at both the RTU and equipment levels. Additionally, users can click on individual sites within the network view to obtain a detailed visual of all the equipment and data monitored at a specific site.

4. Data Management Available in Atlas

In addition to centralizing the data collected across the network, Atlas also features robust data management and analytics capabilities. Below are some examples of how Atlas can be used to organize and transform data collected throughout the network.

4.1 Network View

It is possible to configure custom views in Atlas to access only the most critical information relevant for each user. For instance, the custom view shown below was created to view only the generators within a network.

Figure 4: Custom View for Visibility on Generators

In the custom view above, users can click on the different columns of the dynamic table to sort the assets. For example, clicking on the “Fuel Level Percentage” column will arrange the generators from lowest to highest fuel levels, and vice versa. Users can also click on the icon on the top-right corner (see #1 in above image) to add and remove information from the dynamic table. Filters can also be applied to the view by clicking on the first icon in the top-right corner (see #2 in above image).

Such data organization directly in Atlas’ map view allows the users to have visibility on the fuel levels and remaining runtimes of their generators throughout their network. It also allows users to quickly determine which generators in the network are running. Of course, such custom views could be added for every type of cooling and power equipment in the network: HVACs, power plants, BDFBs, etc.

4.2 Configurable Statuses

Customized statuses can be added to every data point collected from the equipment in the Atlas software. For instance, in the figure below, a status has been applied to the temperature measurement reported by an RTU at a specific site.

Figure 5: Example of a Status Configured for the Temperature Measured in a Site

In this example, the temperature reported by the RTU is 23.75°C, and the status “Normal” has been assigned to this temperature value. Note that every status associated with numerical measurements in Atlas is configured through user-defined business rules. Hence, statuses are fully programmable to meet each user’s reality and requirements.

Statuses can also be applied with binary quantities reported to the RTUs via their dry contact inputs. The figure below illustrates an example of such statuses applied to an HVAC unit.

Figure 6: Example of Statuses Configured for an HVAC Unit

When Atlas detects failures or abnormal conditions based on the data, it is possible in the RTU or smart equipment’s web interface to obtain more information on the site and to support troubleshooting. Atlas can store the IP addresses for the RTUs and smart devices within the network. It is thus possible to directly log into every IP-capable device present within the network directly from the Atlas platform

Figure 7: Example of the IP Address of an RTU stored in Atlas

4.3 Customized Dashboards

Lastly, Atlas enables users to create customized dashboards for a comprehensive global view of all the assets within the network. The figure below shows an example of a dashboard created in Atlas, customized for telecom sites with information collected from the RTUs in the network aggregated and transformed in Atlas.

This dashboard provides the following information:

The number of sites with different statuses of Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). This data is often critical for telecom providers to ensure they consume the power efficiently.
The number of sites with different statuses related to the average temperature measured in the site.
The number of sites where there is an ongoing power outage.
The site statuses related to the ratio of the heat dissipation provided by the equipment in the site over the heat removal and rejection capacity. These metrics help determine whether the HVAC cooling capacity is sufficient in the sites to support the heat load from the equipment.
A dynamic table storing the most critical data from each site, including the PUE and AC main power status. This table also displays a “valid” status to ensure that there is no connectivity error with the RTU in the site, thus ensuring that the alarms are communicated to the Network Operating Center (NOC).

Dashboards can be created and customized for every type of asset connected to the RTUs in the network, such as power plants, HVAC systems, UPS units, generators, and more.

5. Outputs and Benefits

As demonstrated, Atlas is a powerful data centralization platform that offers significant advantages for telecommunications providers with their operations. Specifically, some benefits of using the Atlas software on a day-to-day basis for centralizing data collected by the RTUs in the field include:

Increased operational efficiency: With Atlas’ network view and dashboards, users can access at a glance their most critical information. The data centralization offered by Atlas provides a means for users to plan maintenance activities more effectively, eliminating the need to log into multiple RTUs and smart devices to prioritize their maintenance tasks.

Example: An operator wants to determine which generators in their network have fuel levels below 50% to assess which sites are at risk of a service interruption in case of a power outage. In this scenario, users can use dynamic tables provided in Atlas’ network view and dashboards to quickly determine the fuel levels from all the generator in the networks. Had the operators not used Atlas for this matter, they would have had to log into every individual RTU in the network to determine the fuel levels from the generators. Hence, Atlas provides a means to significatively accelerate the planning process and allows to manage the network in a proactive manner.

Increased Equipment Uptime: The user-configurable statuses in Atlas clearly highlight abnormal conditions at a site. Combined with instant notifications, this functionality helps to reduce unforeseen service interruptions.

Example: A major storm causes a power outage in five different sites. Users are quickly notified of this situation by the Atlas software via email. Using the Atlas interface, users can determine in which of these sites a generator is present for back-up power supply in a matter of seconds. They can also quickly assess the remaining runtime of the generators as well as the battery reserve time in those sites using Atlas’ custom network views. In this manner, Atlas assists users in planning the appropriate corrective measures efficiently, thus minimizing the risk of a service interruption.

Reliable and accurate budgets: Atlas is a powerful database and can store information about all equipment present within a network. By tracking the equipment’s targeted maintenance and replacement dates, Atlas helps in creating budgets more swiftly and accurately. Budget processes are also facilitated using lifecycle reports which are easily exportable from the Atlas interface.

Example: At a given telecommunications company, operators are required to create budgets for battery replacements required in the upcoming year. Luckily, the operators previously stored in Atlas critical information regarding the batteries in the network such as their manufacturing date, their installation date, their warranty end date and their cost. Thus, users can quickly identify the batteries requiring replacement during the upcoming year and hence provide their management with a more realistic budget.

Reduction of unnecessary truck rolls: The network view and user-configurable statuses in Atlas streamline for engineers and technicians their maintenance and truck roll planning for the day. Engineers can also troubleshoot remotely abnormal conditions ongoing in their sites and come better equipped when their presence in a site is required. As a result, truck rolls are better optimized and more unnecessary visits to the sites are avoided.

Example: A user is notified by Atlas that the temperature in three sites is abnormal. Using Atlas’ network view, users can easily sort the sites in decreasing order of temperatures to prioritize the necessary truck rolls. Still using Atlas, the user notices some HVAC units in the most critical site are offline and do not respond. A visit to this site is thus necessary. Before the visit to the first site, the operator uses Atlas’ dynamic table to determine when a battery maintenance is due at this same site. Hence, the user can bring the necessary material for the battery maintenance, potentially saving an additional truck roll. After the first visit, the user moves to the site with the second highest temperature. However, the user notices in the Atlas interface that some of the HVACs in this site seem to have been set accidentally in “heating” mode. Consequently, the operator uses the IP addresses from these devices stored in Atlas to log into the HVAC units and switch these devices to “cooling” mode. The temperature in the site subsequently decreases slowly, and a potential second truck roll has been saved.

6. Next Steps

In this first use case of the Atlas, we have examined the advantages of utilizing Atlas for polling Remote Telemetry Units and smart devices within a telecom network. More precisely, we have explored the types of data that can be centralized on the Atlas platform, the ways in which this data can be managed, and some of the benefits of centralizing network data.

As we have seen, Remote Telemetry Units are employed to monitor different types of power and cooling assets at telecom sites, such as DC plants, batteries, HVAC systems and UPS units. In the upcoming series of use cases, we will see how the Atlas interface can be customized to deliver transformed, actionable information for each of these equipment types. The following applications will be addressed in the upcoming use cases: