Bird-Tracking Equipment
Cogent DataHub™ Use Case
A company based in Europe has developed equipment for detecting and tracking the flights of birds in a three-dimensional space. This technology has proven valuable to wind farm operators, as it allows them to coordinate wind turbine operation with the presence and flight habits of various species of birds, to avoid injuring them. Data is collected from cameras mounted on each wind turbine and other locations on the property, and sent to the wind farm operations center.
The system uses the Modbus protocol for data communications, but different customers implementing the system often have different data connectivity requirements. Some, for example, need the data in OPC DA, others in OPC UA. Still other customers require support for redundant connections. Using DataHub software, the company can offer its customers OPC DA or OPC UA, depending on their needs, as well as support for redundant connections.
The DataHub instance sends the data in real time to an AI system in the operations center. The AI system analyzes the incoming data and triggers an alarm whenever it senses that there may be birds at risk. This allows operators to shut down the wind turbines temporarily until the birds move on.
