We’re previewing a new feature in Temetra aimed at interactive planning on very large networks.

Our MDM platform allows high-speed searching, geo-location and assignment of meter reading jobs, with the capacity to handle high volume meter data from meter readers in the field, through to fixed network interval data. This brings together many of the underlying technologies in Temetra to make an interactive mapping tool with real-time data on meter reading.

More success in the UK

We’ve just won another big customer in the UK, and our largest so far. Temetra’s ability to read multi-vendor AMR, and store in our modern MDM platform were key to our success. More details to follow as we help our latest customer roll out their new meter reading system.

Fieldwork live in Australia

We’ve also got our first live customer in Australia, with Unitywater using our Android app as part of their meter replacement programme. Unitywater, who operate in the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast regions just north of Brisbane, replace thousands of meters annually, and is now using Samsung Tabs with Temetra Fieldwork to record the details, including GPS, photographs and details about each job. This replaces a spreadsheet and SD-card solution that was very cumbersome to manage.

Temetra’s cloud based delivery and auto-updating Android app means fast deployment to get Unity up and running quickly. Android devices with their intuitive interface and built-in connectivity means photo and data updates in the field are within reach of many utilities, without the need for expensive asset & work management systems.

This is to upgrade some internal software and add more capacity.

 Update

Upgrade and changes went smoothly, and full service restored at 14:30

Embedded Maps using OSM

We’re now using OpenStreetMap to show maps throughout Temetra. Using these high quality crowdsourced maps allows us to give display more visual information about your meters, without the high costs normally associated with map display on subscription web sites.

Temetra has contributed much of the initial mapping in the Clonmel area, and we’re delighted that the quality is now high enough use it for all our customers.

Fieldwork Version 2.0

Fieldwork has been updated to include some new features aimed at improving usability. We can now vary the forms displayed per-network, and more feedback is given when communicating with Temetra. As usual, use the upgrade button within Temetra Fieldwork to upgrade your version to the latest available.

 

 

GS828 3G data Logger

We have now integrated another data source for sensor data in Temetra. This powered data logger has up to 15 input channels and uses GPRS/3G for communications with Temetra. This data logger is best suited to housed locations where high frequency updates are required. Contact sales@temetra.com for pricing and availability.

We tried several new technologies before selecting Riak, which provides an elegant and reliable way to move beyond the capabilities of traditional databases. Meter data in particular, is ideally suited to these distributed computing solutions where aggregate data is often required for business intelligence, but traditional methods are unsuitable because of the volumes involved.

Temetra will be introducing new features over the coming months using the capabilities of Riak.

Sustainable Excellence, it@cork

Temetra is pleased to announce its Finalist award, in the category of Sustained Excellence, at the it@cork Leaders Awards 2011.

The Sustained Excellence category is awarded annually to a technology company that has demonstrated a consistent record of growth, profitability, employment or innovation, is a strong contributor to the economy, and has a management team that has adapted consistently over the lifetime of the company to maintain a sustained contribution to the region.

In the last few years Temetra has invested huge time and effort in Continuing Improvement strategies, market development, environmentally friendly campaigns and superior, direct customer service. “We are proud to be recognised in this category, especially among such esteemed competitors.” said Paul Barry, CEO of  Temetra.  “it@cork was an exceptionally well run event, it is great to see such a vibrant IT community, especially in todays’s recession Ireland.”

Temetra is bolstering for an active expansion year in 2012, so watch this space.

Advanced Searching

We’ve put in new search functions that allow for super-fast, ranked results, with capacity to work with very large networks of meters. As the number of meters in Temetra increases, and the size of individual customer networks gets much larger, we need to ensure that searching remains fast and relevant.

In particular, the more words you use in your search, the more accurately it will find meters, but we can also change the priority of different information on the meter. So for example, if a customer has 10 meters and the search results return all 10, we can make sure the meter with the most recent readings is at the top, since it’s most likely this is the meter you’re interested in.

Additionally, the new search function is aware of location of meters with GPS. This allows you to search by proximity, so if you’re looking at a meter, we can you meters that are closest, ranked by closeness.

Unaccounted For Water (UFW)

Unaccounted for water calculations are now automated in Temetra based on standard formulae. Enter the number of households, commercial usage, and length of downstream pipework, and Temetra will automatically calculate the estimated UFW.

This is particularly useful for smaller areas of your network, where it’s difficult to justify the extra cost of telemetry and detailed metering. Local caretakers can enter readings from the meter and see changes in UFW, allowing them to compare meters in their area and their UFW profile.

Scheduled Fixed Date Readings

As the price of GSM data loggers and other fixed network telemetry drops, it’s no longer the preserve of very large users. We have more and more loggers being deployed for billing customers, so we’ve introduced an automated way of transferring a small subset of the available data for billing. If a meter is getting a meter index every 15 minutes, but a billing read is only required once per month, you can now configure a schedule to extract the index for billing.

Temetra Reader version 3

We’ve come a long way since version 1.0 of Temetra Reader in July 2007. With many new features, upgrades and improvements along the way, we’re now introducing version 3.0.

New in this version are the ability to simultaneously read Itron and Elster wireless transponders from a single handheld, and improved over-the-air upgrades. This new version will provide us with a spruced up platform on which to base our next round of features.

Temetra is uniquely experienced in the variety of data gathering used in the non-domestic metering projects in Ireland. We’ve used this knowledge to develop an app this is suited to domestic metering, and takes advantage of the advances in handheld devices in the last few years.

Today we’re announcing Temetra Fieldwork, our new surveying and data collection application, running on any Android device, including smart phones, mini and full-size tablets.

Temetra Fieldwork incorporates all our experience from the non-domestic project, and improves the survey process in several important ways.

Android gives us access to a wide variety of form factors, allowing you to select the most appropriate device and has several advantages over older Windows Mobile based devices

For surveying, we’re suggesting the Samsung Galaxy Tab, a 7″ tablet device. This device is a good compromise – bigger than a phone for easy data entry, but smaller than a full size tablet or netbook for good portability. A variety of cases and ruggedised enclosures make it suitable for field work.

This gives you more information on the summary view of the meter and gives us scope to add more details from the latest generation of AMR transponders. As these devices get more and more sophisticated, they get closer to full data logging, and Temetra needs a way to accommodate all the new features.

We believe one of Temetra strengths is the ability to show you information about your meters in a quick and easy to understand way. These new transponders contain very detailed logging of the meter data, including min and max flows with timestamps, time of use, and detailed consumption information over a much greater period than previously possible. As we introduce support for these new transponders we need a way to give you an overview of the important data, without swamping you with the details, while keeping these details just a click away should you need them.

We now incorporate many different items into a single infographic, with the new timeline display showing you incidents and events that have happened on the meter, in context with the flow & consumption data.

Got a reason for increased flow, or why a tamper occurred? Add a dated note to the meter that’s a permanent record for others when they see problem, without the need to specifically open the notes.

We continue to aggregate the data from several wireless readings into a single continuous view, showing you data from the full meter lifespan, now with colour coding to show expected flow rates visually. We have transponders installed in Kerry & Dungarvan in 2001 that show full monthly details all the way to the present day.

All this means Temetra and meter.ie are faster than ever to use, and we’re ready for data volumes coming from the latest generation of transponders and data loggers. As the volume of data increases, we can maintain the speed of Temetra by adding additional computers, often referred to as cloud computing.

We’ve got some exciting new developments coming by summer 2011, incorporating a range of smart metering technologies.