Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) Visibility Monitoring System

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Florida regularly experiences periods of heavy fog and random brush fires.

In 2013, SUTRON designed, integrated and delivered six exclusively battery-powered (no solar panels) portable visibility monitoring stations to the Department of Transportation (DOT) in Florida.

Purpose of the Stations

The purpose of the stations was to monitor visibility distance during these fire and fog events so that the DOT can archive the data and use it for emergency management decisions and forecasting.

Station portability was critical in order to ensure data is collected wherever and whenever there is an event.

The Main Challenge - Components Not Standard

The main challenge of this project was that all of the components, except for the SUTRON CDMALinks, were not standard station parts. Therefore, every component had to be extensively researched before choosing it as part of the station.

Each Station is Equipped With:

• A visibility sensor
• A SUTRON CDMALink Data Logger with Transmitter integrated into the enclosure (18”x14”x12”)
• A separate battery enclosure connected via a single cable wiring harness that houses two 55AH batteries to charge the station
  
• Standard fuses
• Quick battery disconnects
• Indicator lights to show that components are properly connected and powered
• Wiring harness that is 21 ft long and is equipped with miniature MS connectors 

Stations are Compact and Portable

The stations are compact and portable, so they can be quickly assembled and mounted on a pole as well as safely stored during transportation. Every element of the station was designed for quick installation and storage.

The pelican cases provided protected portability as did the easy, quick disconnects for the batteries, and the large enclosure for batteries to be replaced. The Visibility Monitoring System also included two storage racks for equipment, as well as charging stations for batteries.

Storage racks are powder coated steel that each house:

• Three pelican cases
• Two battery chargers
• Three aluminum enclosures
• Twelve batteries
• Racks which are about 5 ft high and 6 ft wide