Measurement data management system
A measurement data management system (MDMS) in drainage systems has the task of supporting the planning and implementation of measurements as well as the checking, correction, evaluation, documentation and archiving of measurement data in a structured manner. The aim is to provide meaningful and reliable basic and operational data on drainage for further tasks.
Areas of application
The main areas of application of an MDMS include evaluations and provision of checked measurement data for:
- planning
- Billing
- Operation, entertainment and management
- Self-monitoring
- Assessment of flooding events
- Indirect discharge monitoring
- Forecasting and alerting
- Evaluation of the system and operational behavior of structures (success control)
- Internal and external reporting
- statistics
Different forms of MDMS
The software solution should be able to be adapted to specific tasks depending on the scope of the measurement data. In the simplest case, it can be a software application in a spreadsheet or a simple database if only very few and short time series are managed once. In the majority of applications, freely programmable database solutions and / or commercial software solutions must be used. The MDMS should then be based on a database based on national and international standards with open and described access to the data structure and enable flexible process support ( data warehouse ).
Basic functionalities of an MDMS
The essential basic functionalities of an MDMS are:
- import
- Data check (manual and automatic)
- Data correction
- Documentation and evaluation of measurement data
- export
- Archiving
meaning
Once measured data has been collected, it has a high economic value. Not only the expenses for measurement technology and measurement operation are reflected in the value of the measurement data, but also savings and investment security through planning and operation based on reliable data. The German Association for Water Management, Sewage and Waste (DWA) has created a checklist on the subject of the value of measurement data and the necessary components of an MDMS .
Introduction of an MDMS
Before the introduction of an MDMS, a description of the application areas and required functionalities as well as the possibilities for software-technical support of the data management processes must be made. The four main steps of an introduction are:
- Definition of objectives and consideration of strategic benefits
- System analysis and definition of information products
- Development of an MDMS architecture
- Description or tendering and implementation of a new system
literature
- Leaflet DWA-M151 Measurement data management (MDMS) in drainage systems. DWA German Association for Water Management, Sewage and Waste e. V., Hennef 2014, ISBN 978-3-944328-67-6 .
- H. Hoppe, KI Fricke, St. Kutsch, Ch. Massing, G. Gruber: From data to values - measurements in drainage systems. In: Aqua & Gas. Volume 96, No. 10, 2016, pp. 26-31. ISSN 2235-5197 .