Water Meter Data Management System Analysis

Water Meter Data Management System Analysis SYSTEM ANALYSIS EXISTING SYSTEM The conventional billing system for water usage involves person visits each residential and read the meter data manually. The collected data are used for billing purpose. Manual readings can cause error and can lead to corruption. Thus the billing system can become inaccurate and inefficient. There are chances of leaks and theft which could not be identified. A traditional water meters provide only total consumption of water and provides no information about when the water was consumed at each meter site. Traditional water meters requires back end billing which may not provide accurate billing. PROPOSED SYSTEM Water Meter Data Management provides several benefits to both utilities and customer. It involves long-term meter data management for vast quantity of data received from smart meters. The data is then validated according rule engine and stored in database for billing purpose. Water Meter Data Management (WMDM) involves smart meter data collection, planning and management. It fetches and records water meter reading periodically to identify amount of water is being used by the consumer. It also creates awareness among consumers about the consumption of water. Water meter readings are collected automatically without human intervention. After manufacture, meters will have a universally unique ID (UUID) which will be printed on meter and will act as part of the meter’s serial number. Under normal operating conditions the Data Concentrator Unit will query a meter periodically to read its meter data. It is Data Concentrator Unit which always initiates the communication between meters. Meter commands will be sent over radio frequency to various meters from DCU and responses is sent by meters. DCU periodically communicates with meters and collects data from them and sends to Head End Server (HES) typically through HTTP. A WMDM system performs accurate data storage and fast management of vast quantities of data delivered by smart metering systems. This data primarily consists of usage and events that are imported from the Head End Servers and that manage the data collection in Automatic meter reading (AMR) systems. A WMDM system will mainly import the data, then validate, cleanse errors and estimates it and makes it available for analysis and billing purpose. Each meter is integrated with SIM, WMDM make use of Existing Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) networks for sending request and receiving data. It promises fast and accurate billing. System offers alerts on leaks and suspected theft. MODULES DESCRIPTION Project contains the following modules: Head End System Data Collection Validation and Error Estimation Visualization Head End System HES is used receive stream of meter data from DCU through the Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI). Data Concentrator Unit (DCU) communicates with several numbers of meters and collects the data from them and transmits to HES. The data is sent in multiple frame formats and frames are of constant size of 20 bytes. The frame consists 4 bytes of header, 2 bytes of data size, 1 byte of frame id, 2 bytes of flags, 4 bytes of source address, 4 bytes of destination address, 1 byte of checksum, last 2 bytes of CRC. HES periodically collect data from DCU and store it in different file formats such as CSV, XML, and TXT. HES pings DCU to check whether water meter is responding or not responding. This is one of main advantage in WMDM where it alerts in case if meter is not working but water is being consumed. READ command is used to get particular meter readings among several number of meters using meter serial number. It is DCU which always initiates the communication between sets of meters. DATA COLLECTION Data collection allows data to be stored easily and efficiently. It easy-to-use data acquisition solution for collecting water usage information and for display and reporting purposes. It mainly concentrates on acquiring various sets of data from different file formats stored in database. Rule engines are developed to convert raw data into respective formats, processed and stored on to database. Radio Frequency HTTP Raw data Converted to Native formats Exact data VALIDATION AND ERROR ESTIMATION Rule-based algorithms are developed to validate meter readings stored in database. It provides either actual data or the best possible estimate. Invalid data can be analysed to further identify the root causes of any problem. Multiple rules can be executed simultaneously and can be prioritized to match business needs. Estimation based on consumption profiles or historical data are automatically calculated as a substitute for missing data. VISUALIZATION This module mainly concentrates on meter data interpretation fetched from database and visualized by hourly, daily, monthly data using graphs. Visualization module is also used to Compare meter data of different customers. Visualization is more user-friendly and also creates awareness by comparing meter data of different customer. REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT Meters: DCU communicates with meters to collect and store meter readings according to interval of 30 minutes or hourly. Provides a capability to remotely access meters readings to support customer billing, service and system operation. Provide processing at the meter or within system necessary for customer service or system operation application. Allows customer to view meter data using graphs. Utility Data Processing: Entry, update and monitoring of data on installation and replacement of meters. Data stored according to regular intervals are validated in accordance with billing standards and updated to database. Validated data must be integrated to support customer billing and other system functions. AMI Network System: It provides a capability to manage vast meter data collection schedules, and alerts in case of meters problem and all other system maintenance and operations. NON-FUNCTIONAL REQUIRMENTS Availability: Water meter Data Management System is available 24/7. Customer can view their water usage anytime. Reliability: The reliability of the overall application depends on the reliability of the meter data being collected. Maintainability: In case of a failure, the meter data can be requested from DCU. Vast amount data can be easily stored and updated. Extensibility: New features can be added and system can be upgraded to meet business requirements. Performance: Response times – application loading, screen open, refresh times, etc are highly responsive. Processing times –Calculations of bill, importing and exporting data are done in less amount of time. Query and Reporting times – The application initial loads and subsequent loads are done fast. Fraud Tolerance System identifies the tampering in meters automatically.

Lab †Risk Essay

Name and Number: CIS 333 LAB#6 Instructor Name: Professor West Lab Due Date: 19 May 2013 1. What is the difference between a risk analysis (RA) and a business impact analysis (BIA)? Risk analysis is often identifying the potential threats and the associated vulnerabilities to the organizations . Risk analysis doesn’t view the organization from the mission critical Business Process point of view. More over BIA perceives the organization from the impact that is going to occur for an organization if the critical business processes are interrupted or tampered What is the difference between a Disaster Recovery Plan and a Business Continuity Plan? Disaster recovery is the older of the 2 functions. DR planning is an essential part of business planning that – too often – gets neglected. Part of this has to do with the fact that making a Disaster Recovery plan requires a lot of time and attention from busy managers and executives from every functional department within the company. Business continuity is a newer term which was first popularized as a response to the Y2K bug. In order to stop your company from bleeding money in these situations, you need a plan that will allow the organization to continue generating revenue and providing services – although possibly with lower quality – on a temporary basis until the company has regained its bearings. 3. Typically, a business continuity plan is also a compilation or collection of other plans. What other plans might a BCP and all supporting documents include? Technical backup Plan: How can you recover smoothly from technical glitches. Communications Plan: What communication will facilitate this recovery. Why is it important to have detailed backup and recovery steps within your disaster recovery plan (DRP)? 5. What is the purpose of a risk analysis? What is the purpose of a business impact analysis? Why are these an important first step in defining a BCP and DRP? The purpose of a Business Impact and Risk Assessment is to determine the approximate business value of IT assets, to assess the impact the loss of those assets would have on business units, and to assign recovery priorities to the assets. 6. How does risk analysis (RA) relate to a business impact analysis for an organization? The purpose of a Business Impact and Risk Assessment is to determine the approximate business value of IT assets, to assess the impact the loss of those assets would have on business units, and to assign recovery priorities to the assets. 7. Given the list of identified mission critical business functions and processed, what kind of company would you say this organization is, and what do you think are its most important business processes and functions? It Company; Risk Analysis & Disaster Recovery Plan to get the business up and running on the web 8. Given the prioritization list provided for the organizations identified business functions and processes, write an assessment of how this prioritization will impact the need for IT systems, applications, and data access? Recovery strategies should be developed for Information technology (IT) systems, applications and data. This includes networks, servers, desktops, laptops, wireless devices, data and connectivity. Priorities for IT recovery should be consistent with the priorities for recovery of business functions and processes that were developed during the business impact analysis. IT resources required to support time-sensitive business functions and processes should also be identified. The recovery time for an IT resource should match the recovery time objective for the business function or process that depends on the IT resource. Information technology systems require hardware, software, data and connectivity. Without one component of the â€Å"system,† the system may not run. Therefore, recovery strategies should be developed to anticipate the loss of one or more of the following system components: * Computer room environment (secure computer room with climate control, conditioned and backup power supply, etc.) * Hardware (networks, servers, desktop and laptop computers, wireless devices and peripherals) * Connectivity to a service provider (fiber, cable, wireless, etc. ) * Software applications (electronic data interchange, electronic mail, enterprise resource management, office productivity, etc. ) * Data and restoration Some business applications cannot tolerate any downtime. They utilize dual data centers capable of handling all data processing needs, which run in parallel with data mirrored or synchronized between the two centers. This is a very expensive solution that only larger companies can afford. However, there are other solutions available for small to medium sized businesses with critical business applications and data to protect. 9. For the top identified business functions and processes, what recovery time objective (RTO) would you recommend for this organization and why? The RTO must match or be shorter than the MTD 10. Why is payroll for employees and Human Resources listed as a co-number 1 business priority? It is listed as a number one because it is highly what runs the office and something very important for these to parts to be correct.

Explain what is meant by the ideal pupil Essay

In classrooms, many teachers labelled and classified certain students to their ethical and academic backgrounds. Becker concluded the common image of the ‘ideal pupil’ as being intelligent, well behaved, motivated and usually from a middle class background. Suggest three reasons why students from the upper social classes and those who have attended independent schools are more likely to gain places at elite universities such as LSE and Oxbridge even when they have the same A levels as students from state schools One of the main reasons is cultural capital which is used by Marxists to explain cultural influences on educational influences. Bourdieu and Passeron (1977) suggested that middle class culture is as valuable in educational terms as material wealth. Schools are run by middle class and therefore they will support middle class students whose form of knowledge, values and ways of interacting and communicating are practiced and taught by their parents. Working class students and ethnic minorities however are likely to lack qualities such as playing an instrument and being in a band or an orchestra or be able to express themselves through the language that middle class students use. This therefore decreases their chances of success. Middle class students also don’t suffer from material deprivation which means they are able to learn to play many instruments and join many extra-curricular activities which will look better on their applications whereas working class students may not be able to afford all these extra advantages. Further supporting the idea of working class and middle class differences in educational attainment, Ball et al (1994) showed another reason for why upper class students performed better than working class through his studies which showed how middle class parents were able to play the system by using their cultural capital and thus ensure their children are accepted into the best schools and throughout their studying their parents will continue to use their advantages such as interview and speaking and language skills to ensure their children are in the best classes with the best tutors and therefore will perform better overall than a working class student whose parents don’t have these advantages therefore the students must stay in wherever they are placed and work harder to achieve. West and Hind (2003) found that interviews were also often used to exclude working class and ethnic minority families or make the process more difficult for them whereas middle class families had the cultural capital to negotiate and make their interview successful. Another reason which supports this theory of difference in educational attainment between middle and working class is Social Capital which

Humor and Violence in A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Flannery OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find is surely one of the funniest stories anyone has ever written about the murder of innocent people. Maybe thats not saying much, except that it is also, without a doubt, one of the funniest stories anyone has ever written about anything. So, how can something so disturbing make us laugh so hard? The murders themselves are chilling, not funny, yet perhaps the story achieves its humor not in spite of the violence, but because of it. As OConnor herself writes in The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery OConnor: In my own experience, everything funny I have written is more terrible than it is funny, or only funny because it is terrible, or only terrible because it is funny.   The stark contrast between the humor and the violence seems to accentuate both. What Makes the Story Funny? Humor is, of course, subjective, but we find the grandmothers self-righteousness, nostalgia, and attempts at manipulation hilarious. OConnors ability to switch seamlessly from a neutral perspective to the grandmothers point of view lends even greater comedy to the scene. For instance, the narration remains absolutely deadpan as we learn that the grandmother secretly brings the cat because she is afraid he might brush against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself. The narrator passes no judgment on the grandmothers preposterous concern but rather lets it speak for itself. Similarly, when OConnor writes that the grandmother pointed out interesting details of the scenery, we know that everyone else in the car probably doesnt find them interesting at all and wishes shed be quiet. And when Bailey refuses to dance with his mother to the jukebox, OConnor writes that Bailey didnt have a naturally sunny disposition like she [the grandmother] did and trips made him nervous. The clichà ©d, self-flattering phrasing of naturally sunny disposition tips readers off that this is the grandmothers opinion, not the narrators. Readers can see that its not road trips that make Bailey tense: its his mother. But the grandmother does have redeeming qualities. For instance, shes the only adult who takes the time to play with the children. And the children arent exactly angels, which also helps balance out some of the grandmothers negative qualities. The grandson rudely suggests that if the grandmother doesnt want to go to Florida, she should just stay home. Then the granddaughter adds, She wouldnt stay at home for a million bucks [†¦] Afraid shed miss something. She has to go everywhere we go. These children are so awful, theyre funny. Purpose of the Humor To understand the union of violence and humor in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, its helpful to remember that OConnor was a devout Catholic. In Mystery and Manners, OConnor writes that my subject in fiction is the action of grace in territory largely held by the devil. This is true for all her stories, all the time. In the case of A Good Man Is Hard to Find, the devil is not the Misfit, but rather whatever has led the grandmother to define goodness as wearing the right clothes and behaving like a lady. The grace in the story is the realization that leads her to reach out toward the Misfit and call him one of my own children. Ordinarily, Im not so quick to allow authors to have the last word on interpreting their work, so if you favor a different explanation, be my guest. But OConnor has written so extensively -- and pointedly --about her religious motivations that its hard to dismiss her observations. In Mystery and Manners, OConnor says: Either one is serious about salvation or one is not. And it is well to realize that the maximum amount of seriousness admits the maximum amount of comedy. Only if we are secure in our beliefs can we see the comical side of the universe. Interestingly, because OConnors humor is so engaging, it allows her stories to pull in readers who might not want to read a story about the possibility of divine grace, or who might not recognize this theme in her stories at all. I think the humor initially helps distance readers from the characters; were laughing so hard at them that were deep into the story before we start to recognize ourselves in their behavior. By the time we are hit with the maximum amount of seriousness as Bailey and John Wesley are led into the woods, its too late to turn back. Youll notice that I havent used the words comic relief here, even though that might be the role of humor in many other literary works. But everything Ive ever read about OConnor suggests that she wasnt particularly concerned about providing relief for her readers -- and in fact, she aimed for just the opposite.