A scalable IT infrastructure for automated monitoring systems based on the distributed computing technique using simple object access protocol Web-services

Automated monitoring systems are important in civil engineering industry. Existing utilities and infrastructures are monitored when their safety is of concern. These monitoring data also provide key indicators for their health and information for the life cycle management. With the prevalence of wireless sensor network (WSN) technology and the availability of various wireless communication technologies, large-scale automated monitoring systems call be deployed easily, and the cost of such systems are dropping owing to the use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technology. In this work, potential technologies for next-generation automated monitoring systems are first visited. A scalable IT (Information Technology) infrastructure for supporting large-scale automated monitoring systems capable of handling multiple projects is then proposed. Scalability, reliability, and extensibility are main considerations when designing the system and when choosing the technology for the system. Some scenarios are presented to demonstrate the characteristics and capabilities of the proposed infrastructure and information systems. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.