The team began with UI design. DMC used React TypeScript and Material UI to create a variety of pages for viewing and interacting with events and live data from RES’ sites. We completed back-end programming using C#, Microsoft Azure, and .Net Core. The resulting solution consolidated previous processes and streamlined the monitoring process. Staff who use the app to monitor alerts now have a cleaner interface and faster reporting.

Learn more about DMC’s Application Development expertise. 

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Part 1: Unsupervised Learning – Pattern Search

DMC preprocessed the data using K-Nearest Neighbor’s (KNN) imputation, feature scaling, normalization, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). DMC then created clustering models to discover the underlying pattern in the raw data and decoded the pattern to produce meaningful data. Later, evaluation matrices (Silhouette Score and Davies Bouldin Score) and cluster visualization techniques (T-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding and Principal Component Analysis) were applied to evaluate the results.

Oil wells that differed in condition (location, depth, equipment, etc.) had different telemetry performances. By clustering the well condition data, we could identify if there were similarities between certain well conditions and if clusters were substantially different from each other. Analyzing the corresponding telemetry performance of the clusters guided us to set up wells with better telemetry performance.

Part 2: Supervised Learning – Diagnosis and Prediction

After Phase I (Unsupervised Learning), DMC created a more powerful machine learning model capable of diagnosing well conditions and providing guidance on ways to optimize telemetry performance. We designed the model to predict telemetry performance for newly-acquired sets of well condition data.

To train supervised learning models, the prediction goal (telemetry performance) must match up with the inputs (well conditions). The raw telemetry performance data consists of time traces, so to prepare the training data, DMC extracted features from the time traces and paired them up with corresponding well condition data using Dataiku.

With the training data well prepared, DMC preprocessed the dataset using one-hot encoding, imputation on the missing values, and feature scaling. DMC then trained non-parametric models (K-Nearest Neighbors and Decision Tree Regression) and parametric models (Lasso regression, Kernel Ridge Regression) as baselines. Finally, a Deep Neural Network was developed to perform the diagnosis and prediction tasks.

In order to use the neural network to improve telemetry performance, DMC designed feature importance analysis methods targeting specific diagnostics. DMC used several statistical approaches to identify numeric and categorical features, then ranked the conditions of a well to optimize telemetry performance.

Part 3: Telemetry Analytics Dashboard – Visualization

The telemetry analytics web interface was designed using Plotly for the purpose of visualizing the massive dataset, running statistical analysis, and displaying the resulting graphs. The dashboard provided a tool for the client to easily visualize the data and obtain information without being exposed to implementation details.

The dashboard displayed the oil wells on a map based on their recorded geographic locations, allowing users to click on a well location to reveal detailed information about the well. Users could select multiple wells on the map or use filters to select wells meeting certain criteria. Based on the selected data, the dashboard can run statistical analyses and display a variety of visualizations (heat maps, word clouds, histograms). Users can also export selected data and graphs and save filter configurations for later use.

Learn more about DMC’s Test and Measurement expertise and contact us for your next project. 

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DMC first collaborated with the client to understand their networking and user interface requirements. From there, DMC engineers architected the cloud-based solution and DMC’s UI/UX team developed front-end mockups. This initial specification phase established a solid solution roadmap for DMC to follow, and the resulting system allowed clients to manage energy assets, send commands, view live data at customizable intervals, and request historical data exports. The system has been live since 2018 and is used for monitoring and performing data analytics to improve energy management and load balancing.

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DMC’s priority is to provide solutions for our clients that make their lives easier. We took special attention to understand everything the excel spreadsheet was tracking, whom it was relevant to, and what were the greatest inefficiencies overall. Once we fully understood the needs of our client, we created a high-level architecture of what we planned to build, both on the front end and the back end.

Using React and .NET, two powerful platforms for developing web applications, DMC’s Digital Workspace Solutions team constructed the databases for the employee management system. Connections with third-party software were integrated into the system as well, such as Paycor, automating repetitive tasks and eliminating many sources of human error. We also included a feature that automatically generated reports and workflows, saving our client a lot of time.

For the front end, our UI/UX specialist customized a user interface that was simplified and intuitive, while still having all relevant data available. For example, when an employee was about to go into overtime, the user can easily see their hours have turned from green to red and can then reassess which employee to dispatch.

Our solution is as easy to use and convenient as it is powerful. The web application is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, multiple users can access the application at the same time, and text/email notifications always keep employees in the loop—unlike the Excel system they were using prior to DMC. Our team also ran UAT (User-Acceptance Testing) by giving our system to the employees who will actually be using it, making sure it meets their needs and they find it easy to use.

DMC’s customized solution provided our client with a powerful employee management system with an intuitive, accessible design. The system is flexible and can change with them—ensuring a sustainable future for their data collection needs.

Read more about DMC’s Custom Application Development solutions and contact us to get started on your next project.

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BHS had a battery management system that was bar code driven, which was originally on a local portable PC. The system was not connected to the internet which meant that the client was unable to retrieve any of the operating statistics from each end-client. Instead of having an instance of the application on a local PC, DMC created an AWS hosted web application that would allow BHS to provision any device to connect to the application.

Web Application Development

The backend of the application was written using ASP.NET, while the UI was written with HMTL, CSS, and React. The application stores all the information in a PostgreSQL database, and the entire application was containerized using Docker.

Before starting development, DMC created a simulation to assist in identifying and solving edge cases that the previous system could not handle. This provided our team with a full understanding of how BHS’s existing system worked. The simulation proved to be cost-effective, as many issues were debugged before the commissioning stage of the project. 

Application and UI Improvements

With the previous application, an operator would navigate through multiple screens to find and input the proper information. DMC reorganized BHS’s operator portal to streamline the UI. Pairing this reorganization with a sleek interface design made the application more efficient and user friendly.

With the application now being hosted on AWS instead of on a non-network connected computer, DMC was able to create a new web user portal that allowed managers to view and modify any of the assets within their facility. In addition, the application has a dashboard that allows managers to get critical real-time statistics that offer insight into their facility. This statistical information was critical of BHS’s sale to end customers.

DMC was chosen for this project because of our expertise with IIoT, battery management systems, and application development. Contact our experts with project inquiries. 

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Device Management

Working with Vital Command, the AWSAM application demonstrates DMC’s experience with managing a host of devices in many different locations. In this application, devices are managed throughout their supply chain by different organizations and users, therefore, it was very important to carefully design a flexible permissions scheme so that each user can do everything they need, but nothing they shouldn’t, with the device. DMC added live-update functionality to the web application to display device data and alerts in real-time. Thorough historical logging and CSV report export functionality allow users the ability to dig through what happened in the case of an incident.

Vital Command requested that DMC change many of the protocols and also added new device types into the Vital Command ecosystem. These protocol changes and new sensors required firmware and software changes in C, Java, SQL, C#, and React Typescript. During development, DMC improved and streamlined the existing communication system for the devices to allow users to confidently command all device functionality from anywhere, including updating the device with the latest firmware.

DMC continues to support and enhance the application as the customer finds opportunities for new features and enhancements.

Learn more about DMC’s Application Development Services and Contact Us with any inquiries.

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We then made a protocol gateway that communicated the relevant information from the MQTT service to the correct location in the cloud through an Azure IoT Hub. The MQTT messages were received in the cloud by the broker service, which parsed the data through the gateway for storage in to our SQL cloud database. The gateway is also capable of receiving commands from the website via the API and passing the commands to the PLC.

Finally, DMC built a custom REACT webpage with all the same functionality as the system’s HMI screen on site, as well as a few additional features. The webpage provides a complete user experience with all controls and functionality for the PLC. The website includes access to user administration, additional units of measurement, and the ability to see historical data including flow rates, pressures, alarm logs, setpoints, and usage. The webpage interacts with the API to send and receive data from the cloud database.

DMC also created a mobile version of the application.

Additional Information

DMC trained the client on emerging technologies that are available and guided them toward a more high-tech yet cost effective solution. Additionally, we trained the client on using the custom REACT website we built, the capabilities of the technologies used, and on debugging and troubleshooting.

The customer was also working with multiple other vendors and clients, and DMC navigated communication challenges to manage and complete the project. Finally, we accommodated scope changes and completed additional programming to add features relevant to the client.

Learn more about DMC’s PLC Programming Services and Application Development expertise. 

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The Kiosk Controller Software provides a touch screen user interface for interaction with the kiosk. Different on-screen workflows are initiated based on the type of user logging in. Additionally, transaction flows are supported, which rely on single-use codes instead of user accounts.

The software sends and receives data over a WebSocket using MQTT. Data is also persisted locally in an SQLite database allowing for offline functionality.

Furthermore, the software manages multiple hardware devices, including a camera for security, a barcode scanner for easy login capability, and locker modules for storing packages.

Administrative Portal

DMC developed a front-end portal for managing clients and kiosks. The portal makes it simple to assign newly created kiosks to clients, manage user access for both the portal and kiosks and provision API Keys and webhooks to allow clients to integrate with the system programmatically. It also provides the ability to group sets of users and kiosks for easy bulk-management and to view a combined dashboard summarizing kiosk activity.

Locker Controller Firmware

DMC developed the firmware for custom PCBs designed to control the locker modules. The firmware communicates with the kiosk controller software using the Modbus protocol over TCP and allows it to command lockers to open on demand. The status of each door is also reported back as doors are physically opened and closed.

Learn more about DMC’s Application Development and Embedded Development solutions.

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We then developed a broker and API that communicated the relevant information from the MQTT driver to the correct location in the cloud database. The MQTT messages were received in the cloud by the broker service, which parsed data and sent it on to the API. The API connected with our SQL cloud database to communicate information in and out of the database. 

DMC built a custom REACT website to display the data and add vehicles and drivers, as well as control the wash system. End-users can see tables that contain wash event data, vehicles, users, and drivers. Red Arrow can also use the website to manage the end-users, wash systems, and view global data. All data can be added and edited in the tables, except for the wash event data. Users can also edit their personal data.

DMC is continuing to work with Red Arrow to add additional functionality for end-user convenience and increased overall productivity and automation, including RFID scanning and more advanced control. Red Arrow continues to come back to DMC for work due to the complexity and success of the system. The upcoming wash system control page allows the user to enable and disable the wash system, schedule times when the wash can be on, and provide feedback of tank levels, connectivity status, and connection information.

Contact DMC for more information regarding our PLC Programming services or Web Application Development expertise.

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• The enterprise-level software platform provides options for future scalability
• Cross-platform compatibility for access via PC or mobile device, which meets the client’s requirements for remote viewing capabilities
• Easy to create a responsive UI to allow for screen resizing
• Web browser natively supports viewing multiple windows simultaneously
• Web sockets provide high-performance data transfer to ensure the displayed data is always up to date
• Popular and well-supported graphing packages are available for web applications
• Microsoft’s Entity Framework facilitates database querying and manipulation
• Good integration with version control and continuous integration software to manage a large, multi-developer team

DMC was able to leverage many libraries compatible with the React and ASP.NET Core framework to make this happen and deliver the client with an aesthetically appealing, performant solution. On top of React, we made use of the powerful Redux state management library to control our application state. The chosen web socket solution allows for a high volume of data collection, real-time data display, and the connection of clients to essential data. We decided to use the SignalR library from Microsoft as our web socket implementation.

SignalR is an excellent library with thorough and comprehensive documentation. This library allowed us to create performant and powerful functionality for the client. Receiving test data and test status updates via a web socket rather than actively polling for them from the React app ensured that the user interface (UI) always had access to the same data, whether this be actual data for our graphs or information on what stage the test is in/important status updates. In general, Redux’s underlying pattern of dispatching actions on events and reacting to these actions to update the application state works extremely well with web sockets.

Our polling for data, therefore, was done on the server. By using the Redux-saga library within our React app, our web-client acted reactively, waiting on messages and data received over our web socket connection. By harnessing the power of React and Redux, we could then update our application state and graph. We used some downsampling techniques and algorithms to preserve the shape of the data over time and maintain the performance of the graph as well. For some situations, we implemented our downsampling algorithms, such as when the time interval window of data being viewed dictated what we would show on the graph. Then, for other situations, we used the LTTB (largest triangle three buckets) downsampling algorithm.

In summary, DMC’s ability to make the right choice between a field of platform options, and our resourceful use of different libraries for React and ASP.NET Core allowed us to offer an impressive solution to a request of great scale.

Learn more about DMC’s Application Development Services. 

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