Uses Of Data Acquisition And Supervisory Control Systems

For successful working of any organization data acquisition and making use of such information is vital. There are loads of data being crunched and generated in any given workplace. From financial data for marketing and sales data, production data and so forth, every department run its own applications, processes and systems that in turn churn up data of different kinds. However, assimilation of such data and turning it into meaningful analysis is what challenges any business, especially when a business is large and its operations spread over several regions or even countries.

Comprehensive data acquisition

The first step is to ensure that data from one department or process do not remain isolated. Even a simple quantity figure of a resource being used can have replications on costs and so forth. Hence, when data is acquired in a central repository, it can help in data acquisition from different departments and locations. This is possible if a SCADA system is implemented which has such a setup in place. It would comprise of a central repository system that would gain data from different units in a central database. This in turn can be made available for different applications and even at remote control units.

Assimilating collected data

For any comprehensive data analysis to be done, it is important that the data are put to meaningful use. Here comes into play the retrieval of data in different applications and systems. For instance, the production data need to be available for sales and marketing team to make an analysis of the kind of supplies being made and to develop trend reports of the same. With production trends being analyzed with such data, it becomes apparent as to how successful the sales and marketing efforts have been. When production follows a relatively flat line, it would indicate market stagnation. This in turn would require new strategies to be formulated. This could prompt the marketing team to position products in a different way or to run research to explore new market segments and so forth.

Forecasting support

The data acquisition and supervisory control systems usually use Modbus protocol to allow communication between a supervisory unit and other units. Such a system allows comprehensive data acquisition as well as data retrieval for different purposes. One of the important functions could be forecasting trends in different parameters. For instance, the financial cost analyses could showcase the increase percentages and help companies budget for operational costs in the forthcoming year.

Control of access

Many companies also ensure proper control through such systems in order to ensure that data does not fall into unauthorized usage. For that reason, the supervisory control aspect in such a system is vital. It allows monitoring and intervention in the automatic data flow processes. SCADA systems built with Modbus protocol allow information to flow to and fro between the supervisory and different units. Proper control and access parameters can be built into such systems to ensure that only personnel with the right credential and authority can access data through such systems.

Archer Finch is a full-time blogger with extensive knowledge on a variety of subjects. His recent blog posts on Modbus explains different aspects on the data acquisition quite beautifully.

Pioneer in the industry of automation, flexible manufacturing systems, Cncs and so on, has presented his views here about Scada Free.