Data Collection / Overview

The NovaStar system collects data via a number of mechanisms, including:

  • running programs continuously to listen for data transmissions
  • running programs on a schedule to import data from files or web services
  • running programs on a schedule to interrogate remote stations

In all cases, data collection must be configured according to the NovaStar design. This requires that the following are configured in order:

  1. Station Type - define characteristics of data logger/data collection unit (DCU)/transmitter
  2. Station - configure station type and identifying information for station
  3. Point Type - define characteristics of data point type (sensor type or synthetic point type)
  4. Point (sensor or synthetic data point) - configure point type, identifying information, and metadata for data point
    • (optional) Rating - configure rating, if data point uses a rating table or equation to convert to derived value (e.g, water level to streamflow)
    • (optional) Import - configure data import, if data for data point are imported from an external file or web service
    • (optional) Calculation - configure calculation, if data for data point are calculated
    • (optional) Forecast - configure forecast, for example for estimating future streamflow
  5. Data collection processes - configure the processes that collect data for the above stations and data points

Next Steps

Once data collection is configured, the following additional configuration is appropriate: