Using VTSCADA:

VTSCADA
A Guide for Real-Time Data Users

Please complete this tutorial if you are new to the VTSCADA system.
On each screen, click in the highlighted box or press next to move
through the tutorial.

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Launch the SCADA web application from where you started
this tutorial. Click the text in the red box below:

Click here for

SCADA Tutorial

Be sure to turn off your pop-up blockers! Check the ActiveX

settings for
Internet Explorer
on this Web page
for important
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You will now be prompted for a username and password –
enter user for both and click OK:
OK

Having trouble
logging on?
Hold down your
Ctrl key while
pressing the OK
button to bypass
WindowsXP pop-
up blockers.

Check the box to save your log-in information for the next time.

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If this is the first time you are accessing VTSCADA,
you will be prompted to download a plug-in from
Trihedral Engineering Ltd.

Click YES in the

Security Warning box

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Please read the disclaimer concerning use of the data
provided by the District’s SCADA system, then click CLOSE
to proceed to the application:

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Please read the disclaimer concerning use of the data
provided by the District’s SCADA system, then click CLOSE
to proceed to the application:

There are several options shown on

the left side of your browser window.
Click on each button to learn more
about that option.

First time here? Start with MAP.

MAP

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The MAP option displays all

of the sites currently active
in the SCADA system. The
map tools enable you to
zoom in and out, pan, and
label SCADA sites with their
sensor numbers. Hovering
over a site will display its
tag name, as shown.

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Selecting a specific county or site type from one of the pull-
down menus will display a subset of those sites on the map.

Clicking on an
individual site on
the map display
will show you all of
the latest readings
from that site for
all data types
monitored there.

Try it now…

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Clicking on a data reading will display
a graph of the trended data over time.

Try it now…
Trended data are
calculated values derived
from raw data values
collected over time, and
displayed for a regular
time interval. They may
be averaged from multiple
raw data values.

Click the GridView

tab at the lower left
of the graph window
to see trended data
in a tabular format.

Try it now…

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Clicking on a data reading will display
a graph of the trended data over time.

Try it now…
Trended data are
calculated values derived
from raw data values
collected over time, and
displayed for a regular
time interval. They may
be averaged from multiple
raw data values.

Click the GridView

tab at the lower left
of the graph window
to see trended data
in a tabular format.

Try it now…

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There are additional graphing and

data display options available on
almost every screen. Try them out
at your convenience.

Now, let’s look at how to view the

actual recorded data from individual
sensors.

The recorded, or raw, data

values are those actually
collected by the sensor.
Multiple recorded values,
displayed over regular time
intervals, comprise the
trended data you see in
graphs and the GridView on
the previous screen.

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On the main screen, choose the SITES option this time.

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The site list shows you every

installation in the field with SCADA
capabilities. There may be multiple
sensors measuring different types of
data at each site.

Notice that you can get to other

screens by selecting a button on the
left margin or by clicking on the
MENU button at the lower left.

Try it now…

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The site list shows you every

installation in the field with SCADA
capabilities. There may be multiple
sensors measuring different types of
data at each site.

Notice that you can get to other

screens by selecting a button on the
left margin or by clicking on the
MENU button at the lower left.

Try it now…

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Clicking on one of the column

headings will sort the sites in
ascending order for column values
(you may also resize column width
by dragging the line between
columns to either side).

Clicking on one of the symbols in

the STATUS column will bring up the
individual sensors at that site and
their latest readings, similar to
clicking on a point on the map.

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Using the option buttons or your pop-up menu, select the
SENSORS option.

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You now see all of the sensors

currently collecting data. The Sensor
Type menu has been highlighted to
show you the different types of data
collected. You can create a subset of
sensors (here, we chose water level)
for just the data type you want to
Let’s find out about
view.
creating reports.
Clicking on a sensor description will
Click on the REPORT
display a graph of the data.
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Check ‘User Select’

for all reports.

Creating a report requires more user

input than viewing data on the map,
site, or sensor screens. However, you
also have more flexibility to view,
save, or e-mail the data for the time
period and in the format you need.

To create a report, begin at step (1)

in the upper left of the screen and
follow through to step (5) on the
right. Then, run the report…
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Since creating a report requires several steps, let’s build
the first one together...

STEP 1: Choose the report type

The standard report (1) will display

raw sensor data. For a more
meaningful report, try one of the
summary options.

For discrete data, such as rainfall, use

option (3), (4), or (5).

For continuous data, such as water

level, use option (6), (7), or (8).

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STEP 2: Select the sensors to be included in the report

First click the User Select button in

the Tag List section, since you will
be specifying which sensors to
include on your report.

You can limit the sensors you see by

selecting a Sensor Type, such as
water level or precipitation, from
the pull-down menu here.

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Before a report can be generated, you have to indicate which
sensors you would like to include in the report.

Notice that there are 133

sensors (tags) available (left
window) for reporting, but there
are currently 0 tags specified for
use (right window) in this
report. If you tried to run a
report now, it would be empty.

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Select tags in the left window and move them to the right menu
window for inclusion in the report. Use the arrow buttons to
move sensor tags between windows.

Try it now by clicking the red box…

The ROMP TR 5-1 Laurel Park

sensor has been added to the
report tag list above.

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Select tags in the left window and move them to the right menu
window for inclusion in the report. Use the arrow buttons to
move sensor tags between windows.

Try it now by clicking the red box…

The ROMP TR 5-1 Laurel Park

sensor has been added to the
report tag list above.

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STEP 3: Specify the reporting period for the sensor data

In this step, you can select a

Preset time period for which to
display the data, or specify your
own more specific date and time
range using the Start Time and
End Time windows.

To specify a day, date, and time,

highlight it with your cursor and
click the up- and down-arrows to
the desired values. Make sure
your end-date is after your
start-date, or you will get an
error.

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When you choose one of the

LAST options, you will get
data for that period from the
current date and time.

Choosing one of the

PREVIOUS options will report
data for that period from
midnight to midnight only;
you cannot vary the hour and
minute settings.

The CUSTOM option will

enable you to set your own
time period using the arrow
buttons located in the upper
right of the report screen.

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STEP 4: Specify how many consecutive time periods to view

In this section of the report

screen, you type in the number
of consecutive periods of time
for which you want to display
data.

For example, if you had chosen

Last Month from the Presets
pull-down, and then typed 3
here, you would see the last 3
months of data in your report.

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STEP 5: Choose the format of your report output

There are several options for your report output, including

screen display, comma-separated value (CSV), and e-mail
attachment. Choose the one your want from the Report
Destination pull-down menu in step (5).

If you choose to e-mail the report,

you must click the E-Mail Settings
button and enter the recipient’s e-
mail address.

If you choose to save the report to a

file, you must browse to where you C:\myfiles\output\report1.csv
would like to save the file on your PC.
This location will then appear in the
File window.

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This is an example of a report using

option (4), Daily Totals,
Totals in step (1).
Daily Totals (as well as Hourly and
Weekly) is an appropriate report
choice for rainfall data. For water-
level data, use one of the Min-Max-
Ave options in step (1).

Each tag name in the report header

corresponds with a column of data for
that sensor.

review reports next

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When you have completed your VTSCADA session, exit the

application by pressing the user button at the upper right of
the browser window and choosing Log Off in the pop-up box.

Try it now…
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When you have completed your VTSCADA session, exit the

application by pressing the user button at the upper right of
the browser window and choosing Log Off in the pop-up box.

Try it now…
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You have come to the end of the tutorial. If you would like to
review any particular section, return to the main menu and
select the appropriate button option. To download a printable
(PDF) copy of this presentation, click here. Please note that it
will print in full color (ink-intensive).

If you still have questions using the VTSCADA system, please

contact us in the Operations Department, Southwest Florida
Water Management District, at 1-800-423-1476 or by e-mail.

Non-real-time (historical) hydrologic data and selected reports

are available on the District’s Web site.

quit start over Hydrologic Data Section, Operations Department, 2005