Commercial weather stations can effectively collect weather data for a specified area. However, their ground sensors limit the amount of data that can be logged, thus failing to collect precise meteorological data in a local area such as a micro-scale region. This happens because weather conditions at a micro-scale region can vary greatly even with small altitude changes. For now, drone operators must check the local weather conditions to ensure a safe and successful flight. This task is often a part of pre-flight preparations. Since flight conditions (and most important flight safety) are greatly affected by weather, drone operators need a more accurate localized weather map reading for the flight area. In this paper, we present the Arduino Sensor Integrated Drone (ASID) with a built-in meteorological station that logs the weather conditions in the vertical area where the drone will be deployed. ASID is an autonomous drone-based system that monitors weather conditions for pre-flight preparation. The operation of the ASID system is based on the Arduino microcontroller running automatic flight profiles to record meteorological data such as temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, etc. The Arduino microcontroller also takes photos of the horizon for an objective assessment of the visibility, the base, and the number of clouds.
The availability of real-time data on the state of railway facilities and the state-of-the art technologies for data collection and analysis allow transition to the fourth generation maintenance. It is based on the prediction of the facility functional safety and dependability and the risk-oriented facility management. The article describes an approach to assessing the risks of hazardous facility failures using the latest digital data processing methods. The implementation of this approach will help set maintenance objectives and contribute to the efficient use of resources and the reduction of railway facility managers’ expenditures.
The availability of real-time data on the state of railway facilities and the state-of-the art technologies for data collection and analysis allow transition to the fourth generation maintenance. It is based on the prediction of the facility functional safety and dependability and the risk-oriented facility management. The article describes an approach to assessing the risks of hazardous facility failures using the latest digital data processing methods. The implementation of this approach will help set maintenance objectives and contribute to the efficient use of resources and the reduction of railway facility managers’ expenditures.
