During May-July

1
Integrating LabVIEW and Real-Time Monitoring into
Watershed Assessment
Parhum
Delgoshaei John Kenny Vinod K. Lohani
Tamim Younos
Virginia Tech
University of Kansas Virginia
Tech Virginia Tech
Abstract
Results
System Overview

• During May-July 08 VirginiaTech hosted National
  Science Foundation Research Experiences for
  Undergraduates (NSF-REU) in the interdisciplinary
  area of watershed sciences and engineering. This
  work was performed by one of the NSF-REU fellows
  (second author) under mentorship of the first
  author and the direction of the program
  Co-directors (third and fourth authors). Water
  quality data is sent from a multi-probe sonde to
  LabVIEW which is loaded on the server computer
  and shared with remote client via Wireless LAN.
  Client can control the server VI remotely and
  receive measurement data. This poster will detail
  how LabVIEW was incorporated in establishing
  communication between the measurement instrument
  and the client computer and how the system can
  be expanded.

Blacksburg, VA
http//maps.google.com
Duck Pond, (VT Campus)
Introduction

• Water resources are increasingly stressed and
  reliable data on water quality is needed.
• Conventional methodologies are labor- and
  time-intensive , result in poor temporal and
  spatial resolution.
• Remote sensing is chosen as a feasible
  alternative
• Stroubles Creek is chosen on Virginia Techs
  campus
• Water quality fluctuations will be studied
• The health of the impaired stream can be
  monitored
• Best Management Practices (BMP) efficacy can be
  monitored
• A remote client requires a programmable,
  scalable server
• Server runs LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT (future
  extension)

Method

• Objective
• To develop a VI that enables the server computer
  to extract water
• quality parameters from the MiniSonde RS-232
  interface
• To enable remote client(s) access measurement
  data in real time
• Implementation
• VI reads RS-232 serial data and extracts water
  quality parameters
• The server VI is published , clients can
  request and receive
• control of the VI
• LabVIEW is chosen for processing the data over
  Hydras 3LT,
• the software that ships with the MiniSonde,
  mainly for three
• reasons scalability(multiple remote users),
  potential to run on a headless
  system ( NI compactRIO) and ease of development.

Client (left) displaying front
panel of server VI
Equipment Setup

• RS-232 to USB Converter
• HydroLab MiniSonde 4a water quality sonde
• Measures Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen,
  Conductivity, and pH
• Provides RS-232 and SDI-12 computer interface
• LabVIEW 8.5
• VI developed to extract ASCII characters related
  to water parameters
• Enables user to store the parameters in files
  and/or plot them
• Client and Server computers
• Server computer running Windows XP with wireless
  LAN
• Client computer can be any platform running
  LabVIEW Run-Time Engine with a web browser and
  Internet connection

Future Directions

• Complete headless operation by replacing the
  server computer with NI compactRIO equipped
  non-volatile memory, WLAN and RS-232 C series I/O
  modules
• Powering the unit with solar cells connected to
  rechargeable batteries
• Controlling the MiniSonde through SDI-12
  commands
• The authors would like to acknowledge the
  financial support of the National Science
  Foundation (grant number 0649070, REU).
• National Science Foundation (grant number
  0431779 , DLR).

Server Computer and Sonde
Presented at NIWeek August 4 - 7, 2008 Austin.
TX

• The authors would like to thank Frank Gronwald,
  NSF-REU fellow, for his assistance with testing
  the remote VI control.
• Contact pd1352_at_vt.edu