Case studies in integrated autonomous remote monitoring

This paper will describe the technology that enables autonomous collection and Internet display of measurements from a wide variety of geotechnical sensors. In order for continuous monitoring to be economical, data must be collected without travel to the site, and ideally with no human intervention. Northwestern University's Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) has developed and deployed several techniques for the effective continuous remote monitoring of geotechnical facilities, all of which employ the same Internet display. These techniques include systems for control, data acquisition, and power management of instruments in the field as well as methods for data distribution and display. These technologies are readily adapted and scaled to sites ranging from a single-family home to projects covering entire city blocks. The case studies described herein include monitoring sinkhole-like subsidence on a Florida highway, monitoring soil movement adjacent to deep excavations in downtown areas of two major cities, and monitoring the effects of mine blasting vibration on a house in Kentucky.