AWWA IMTECH57868

For many years, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems have been deployed using common architectures, hardware designed to maximize communications, and multiple software sub-systems that are not integrated off the shelf. These traditional systems have evolved over time from totally centralized mainframe systems to distributed systems built with off-the-shelf hardware and custom software. The growth in capabilities of these systems has been controlled largely by two major factors: the availability of reliable communications between remote locations and the central host control room; and, by the capabilities of software used to manage the hardware systems. However, it is now possible to create more flexible and manageable SCADA systems using several key technologies that have been available for many years. These important technologies include object-oriented programming (OOP) and operations environments, an improved communications infrastructure, and the use of robust software tools that allow you to design, configure, and test SCADA systems independent of the hardware they are originally intended to work with, thus allowing you to upgrade to as yet unknown hardware without re-engineering the system. By incorporating these key components into existing SCADA systems, utility owners will see a reduction in both time and cost associated with developing and maintaining a SCADA system. Owners will also see increased benefits from being able to establish and enforce consistent control and communication standards across their whole enterprise. This paper details important shortcomings of existing SCADA architectures, explains how the use of specific new technologies can benefit water SCADA applications, and describes how these technologies are built into automation software.