Challenge
Our client is based in UK and is a leading provider of Complete Lightening Control System, which helps to manage street lightning and other associated illumination equipment anywhere and at any point in time. The client also Assembles & Sells devices like S6000 Socket, External & Internal DALI Node and Sub Master. Clients wished to have a system comprising of 4 parts: Nodes (hardware) which was installed on every street lightening unit, Sub master for a group of nodes, masters for a group of sub-masters (Load balancing), and a Back-Office system.
Below are some of the challenges we faced as well as got new learnings while developing this smart system:
- Understand the existing system developed in Delphi.
- Establish communication between Back Office and the master databases via messages sent in the format of WCF services and from master WCF service to sub-master in form of text message.
- Manage/Communicate with all street lightening units e.g. set their on/off timings based on the latitude, longitude and time zone they belong to, increase/decrease dim level of very unit/street light based on the necessity of the area and time duration, etc. without travelling and with the ease of managing it from the back office.
- View nodes (In Bulk) and their data on Google maps using clusters. Extensive functionality with Google map e.g. Display nodes in different colors to differentiate nodes based on associated sub masters, differentiate faulty nodes, move nodes from one sub master to other sub master, repositioning nodes and sub masters etc.
- Automate the system to sync up daily with different master databases and process the switching history, measurement data received from every node, and further perform operations to analyze data.
Expertise
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Reporting Tool
Crystal Reports
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Database
Microsoft SQL Server
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Server
Internet Information Server
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Tools & Technologies
C#, ASP.NET, MVC, WCF, Entity Framework, Google maps, Google Charts
Solution
TatvaSoft developed a smart web application Intelligent Light Management System which is easily accessible from Internet, Anywhere and At any point of time.
It offered following features which include:
- Facility to view every nodes data and manage the same on Google Maps.
- Manage Inventory of all types of lightening units purchased/received from multiple vendors.
- Manage Users and their Access Rights.
- Manage Time zones, Schedules, Switching Regimes, masters, Sub Masters, Nodes & authorization requests.
- Access to dynamic reports for faults, Network Measurement data, Equivalent Data Meter Analysis, Missing Measurement Details, Node Authorization Request Statistics and Switching Regimes pe Street Report.
- Ability to Configure System Settings, Email Notifications, and Fault codes, SMTP Details, Consumption Utilities, Logs, etc.
- Ability to configure Dashboards as per user preferences.
- Ability to run automated actions using web application.
- Ability to send commands (Set dim level, get measurement data etc.) to specific nodes using web application.
- Message level security while communicating with WCF services and rights based WCF method access.
Result
Complete Lighting Control systems represent the 21st Century solution for the management of street lighting and associated illuminated equipment. Now, for the first time, the user can dynamically control each individual lighting unit from the comfort of the office. The functionality of the system will give users the ability to:
- Monitor and control switching and dimming.
- Manage energy consumption and billing.
- Report faults automatically.
- GPRS and SMS based communication with street poles.
- Configuration of 200,000+ street poles getting managed by the software.
- Switching regimes which functions based on photo sensors (sunlight) or predefined time.
- Integrations with inventory systems for street light management companies.
- Graphical view of implemented lights, current status, faultiness etc.
- Support for MoRLiCS and DALI Commands.
- Generate and clear faults automatically by analyzing measurement data.
- Generate consumption data automatically based on switching history.
