40
Geotechnical News • March 2018
GEOTECHNICAL INSTRUMENTATION NEWS
2. There may be difficulty in pass-
ing the project from one party to
another using the proprietary code.
Open-source solutions
Open-source solutions are also
available for some ETL options. The
availability of this code is largely
dependent on the size and culture
of the group that is using the data-
logger products. Essentially, there
needs to be a large, dedicated group
of technically savvy people to write,
update, and maintain an open-source
program to deal with data like this.
Two examples of programs like this
are the open-source HyperTerminal
emulators (commonly used for basic
communications and downloads from
many dataloggers) and Earthworm (an
open-source system used by regional
seismic networks to monitor seismo-
graphs).
Advantages of using open-source solu-
tions are:
1. It’s free and some of the program-
ming has already been done.
2. Not beholden to a specific company
for software updates.
Disadvantages of using open-source
solutions are:
1. They have a steep learning curve,
and inconsistent documentation /
manuals.
2. There is not a customer service
department to call for help with
problems.
Conclusions
When selecting among several bids on
an instrumentation project, it’s impor-
tant to ensure that the firms bidding
are aware of and capable of dealing
with more than just the connections
to the datalogger. Look for thorough
bids that thoughtfully plan for ETL
protocols and answer all the design
questions presented here. Conversely,
when bidding on a project, ensure that
your bid and cost estimate take into
account the needs and cost of ETL
protocols.
There are five crucial elements of
instrumentation data automation -
Telemetry, ETL protocols, Storage,
Processing, and Visualization – are all
equally important to the proper setup
of a near-real time instrumentation
monitoring system.
Garrett Bayrd
Senior Engineering Geologist
Shannon and Wilson, Inc
400 North 34th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
206-695-6668
