From vast prawn farms to estuarine oyster leases that grow Sydney Rock oysters in 32 NSW estuaries the aquaculture industry uses and needs technology. Prawn farms needs to continually monitor pH and dissolved oxygen whilst oyster harvesting is only permitted during periods of modest or no rainfall which is measured by tipping-bucket rain gauges and by the monitoring of estuarine salinity.

DAN data loggers take the guess-work out of aquaculture and for a very modest cost can automate data collection and send alarms when things go wrong.

DAN data loggers offer a number of benefits over more conventional data logging systems and more than often do so at a fraction of the cost. DAN data loggers are most applicable wherre:

1. There is a need to make routine or regular site visits to a remote location in order to maintain or adjust on site monitoring equipment
2. There is a need to gather information from and/or change control parameters in geographically remote locations or in locations which are difficult to access
3. There is the need to respond to alarm conditions if a site is unattended
4. There is a need to maintain records or log equipment performance due to legislated requirements
5. There is a need for production supervisors to monitor processes where the process is continuous
6. There is a need by senior management of multi-site organisations to compare performance between sites
7. There is a need to gather data from sites where access is restricted
8. There is a need to gather data from a vehicle that is constantly on the move 

The need for gathering information from remote sites has been growing steadily.  Around the world, the use of outsourced managed services, or in the context of DAN’s development ‘HOSTED MANAGED SERVICES” is clearly on the increase.  A recent survey conducted by IDC a large US based survey organisation, showed that the use of hosted managed services in the VOIP market is increasing at 282% per year and by 2008 will be worth US$7.8 Billion in the US market alone.

Unlike those that develop more capable systems by adding to existing technology, DAN has developed a new technology from the ground up while incorporating those elements of existing technology which fit the structure and provide a level of reliability.

The DAN Website communicates directly with the Data Control Centre located in the field. The DAN website hosts all necessary software enabling end users to set up and maintain their measurement or control application, specify alarm conditions, SMS and email addresses for alarm notification and to view measured data. Communication between the DCC and the website occurs via commercial networks including CDMA, Satellite or landline whichever is most appropriate for the particular situation. Within this innovative monitoring system, DAN has incorporated significant novel concepts and technological advancements over existing competitive products. The incorporation of these items has required significant research and testing prior to their release.

The DCC may be located at a remote site where parameters are measured and/or a simple process is controlled. DAN units can accept almost any probed input and where necessary the website can derive measures from various inputs. The DCC has both analogue and digital inputs that support most sensors and probes and 3 digital outputs for performing on/off control operations. The DCC also has the ability to recognise and alert the web site should pre-set alarm conditions be met. Communications with the web site would be via the GPRS network.

DAN has developed and taken to market, a flexible remote monitoring system that provides the ability to gather data from any site including difficult to reach or geographically remote sites and make that data available conveniently on a central and secure web site on a ‘real time’ basis.  Site reporting criteria and alarm notification can be altered and current information accessed from anywhere in the world where access to the internet is available.  In addition, the system may be extended to incorporate local control, with control variables also being altered over the internet via the web site.

New generation data loggers like those provided by Data Acquisition Networks do not require you to go to the data logger to retrieve your data.

 DAN data loggers routinely send data from the field to your PC over the mobile phone or satellite networks so all you have to do is ‘log on’ and your data is available for you to review.

Data retrieval has never been easier!

When you buy a product you need to know there is a strong support team behind it with problem-solving and ’support’ capabilities.Data Acquisition Networks has very strong technical leadership that is able to custom design solutions for almost any industry. Heading up this team is Bruce Davis and Ian Schmahmann. Bruce has a strong industrial marketing background.  He has worked in senior management roles requiring “hands on” expertise in construction, project management, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, technical development and sales marketing.  Bruce is a Degree qualified electrical engineer BSc Eng (EE), and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD).  Recent senior management appointments have seen Bruce involved in implementing change in technically sophisticated and financially difficult environments. Ian Schmahmann graduated from Natal University in South Africa in 1976 with a B-Sc Electrical Engineering (Light Current). Since 1978, Ian has been professionally involved in the design and implementation of industrial measurement and control products and systems.  He has had the full range of experience in this field from hands-on bread-boarding and developing circuits through to leading teams of hardware and software design engineers as well as marketing products nationally and internationally. The DAN team can design your solution and provide the back-up support necessary to give you the confidence you need that your data logger will always deliver the data you need when you need it. 

Data acquisition over the centuries has taken many forms. Today you can still see people collecting data for personal and commercial use with pencil and paper in hand as you will see people travelling routinely to a remote location to retrieve collected data that needs to be processed in some form in order for it to be suitable for its intended use.

The challenge with collecting data has always been that the things we need to monitor are not always where we live. Quite often they are remote to where we live. Some of the things we need to monitor are at our place of work and we are not there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Collecting and retrieving data from remote locations wherever we happen to be in the world at a time when the data is urgently needed has always posed a challenge and for many years was simply not possible.

Data Acquisition Networks Pty Ltd (DAN) and the products it supplies were born out of an acute understanding of people’s needs for real-time, accurate information that is delivered to wherever they may happen to be. Monitoring units supplied by DAN have many existing and potential applications. DAN units collect data and transmit it routinely to a secure website where it can be accessed by customers from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night. Instantaneous data can also be delivered to a mobile phone within seconds of an enquiry being made. Alarms are sent by DAN units when ‘things go wrong’ and DAN units are also able to take limited corrective local action where that is appropriate.