Solution details
Platform:
Server
Description:
CE TowerTrack monitors the verticality of towers and masts in real time with centimetre-level RTK GNSS. Tall towers are usually inspected once a year and after severe storms, by a crew that measures inclination by hand. TowerTrack covers the time between those visits: tower companies, mobile operators, utilities and public safety networks see how a structure moves in the wind, whether it has started to lean, and which towers need an inspection after a storm. A tower-top unit below the lightning rod carries an RTK GNSS receiver (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou) that measures the position of the tower top eight times a second to about 1 cm, an anemometer with a direction vane, and a camera that looks down the structure. Angular accuracy is 0.02 degrees, about 1 cm of deflection on a 30 m tower. One Cat5e cable carries power (PoE) and data to a ground unit with a 4G router, and the whole system draws about 10 W. Positions are corrected in real time with RTK corrections (RTCM over NTRIP) from a reference station network. The unit sends its measurements over MQTT. On the server, minimum, maximum and average deflection are calculated for each interval, and the stream is published to ArcGIS, so tower readings appear in ArcGIS maps and dashboards next to other operational data. The web application works on desktop, tablet and phone. A map shows every monitored tower with its status, and the live view shows deflection and wind on polar plots against yellow and red limits. When deflection crosses a limit, an event opens, the camera captures images and an e-mail alert goes out. History produces PDF tower reports, and data is exported as CSV or read through the CE REST API. Limits, reference coordinates and wind sensor orientation are set in a setup wizard, and the unit is configured and updated remotely. Units are built to order and installed by Cellular Expert or authorised partners. TowerTrack units are installed and reporting on towers in Lithuania and the United States.
Industries:
Electric & Gas,Telco