DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS - what you really need to know Ahead of the Fundamentals of Data Collection & Instrumentation: From Sensors to Certainty Seminar being held at MIRA Technology Institute on 27 February we spoke to convenor, Connor Bligh of Rail Ability Ltd, to find out why this is a must-attend event for all those involved in data collection and analysis. I work as Senior Development Engineer at Rail Ability Ltd, where we design, develop, manufacture and distribute specialist, road-rail machinery to sell into the railway industry for railway maintenance, renewals works and new infrastructure installations. My role involves the management and completion of development work, including DVPSOR tasks, overseeing development builds and development strategy. Machine development would not be possible without the understanding and tangible evidence that collection of data from sensors and instruments caters for. CHANGES OVER THE PAST DECADE The major culture shift that I have noticed in recent years is the motivation for a data collection activity has changed. Data is being using to validate the product less and less. It is instead used to validate the simulations and digital twins, and it is those models that validate the products. These activities tend to focus on more of the “bigger picture” measurements, such as global position and terrain, rather than more specific sensors validating individual components, for example strain gauges on weld details. It is a far more efficient way of working and, with the right data collection methodologies and the right understanding of the model, can be just as accurate. CHALLENGES OF DATA COLLECTION As with most engineers in industry, it comes down to the time-cost-quality triangle. Given the chance, most data collection engineers want to do in-depth exercises, collecting everything that they might need with the best suited sensors and the best suited acquisition system, on the best suited machine, at the best suited location, and they will want to repeat it 10 times on 10 different products. This delivers a great product, but not one that a customer will see in the next 20 years for an agreeable price. If you can understand 80% of the answer in 20% of the time, this is a better commercial decision than understanding 100% of the answer but taking five times as long to complete the exercise. Finding that balance, and agreeing the course of action with all stakeholders, will always be a challenge for the data collection engineer. KEY PRIORITIES So often, data collection engineers are presented with a methodology, or some equipment, and asked to go and fetch some information, only to realise once they have delivered that this was not the right approach. It is therefore essential to identify what question needs answering, which may result in not necessarily following a method that has previously been used. There are many instances where companies fall into a pattern of repeating the same procedures without questioning the value in adopting a new approach. Likewise the
engineer must assess the importance of gaining an answer as well as how accurate this needs to be. Timescale and budget will also determine whether this is a job for a tape measure or a job for a laser displacement sensor. Planning is key in the execution of the task and it is vital to construct the methodology to answer the question you have been posed before progressing. Exercises can soon become confused and stray from the original question when proper planning is not in place. By front loading the organisation of the exercise, the time and cost critical part where you are occupying a machine and incurring costs for operator and engineer time and use of a test space, the process can be made as efficient and as useful as possible. FUTURE OF DATA COLLECTION It is often assumed that data collection is going to disappear and the simulation will take care of everything. However, a model is only as good as the real-world data you feed it. As technological advances enable remote operation and better connectivity, the life of a data collection engineer is changing. Projects will become more front-loaded, and the range of sensors will continue to broaden, so the setup will become more intense, but the collection will become more remote. Live data streaming from machines in the field will negate the need to be physically with the test machine, and simulations can be fed more data from working machines during test. Automation will rise, but the need for field data will never go away. ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS The February seminar will cover a broad range of sensor and acquisition technologies, meaning that whatever your data collection goal, the principles discussed during the event will benefit your acquisition exercises. If you handle data, the understanding of what is required to collect it can and will change your perception of it for the better. If you design product and are involved in the development specification, an understanding of the challenges faced by collection engineers can aid your design, as well as the understanding of the reports back from those testing your products. In short: all engineers can benefit from a better understanding of data collection. In the shadow of Covid, it is easy to think that we live in a totally remote world where we don’t need to meet each other. The EIS has been holding events for nearly 40 years and will always be, first and foremost, a platform for engineers to share knowledge and interact. The EIS ethos is to enable two-way conversation and a key part of any seminar is the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussion with presenters and other delegates. Participants at EIS events often comment that the panel discussion session and the chance to focus on areas of specific interest are . I look forward to joining like-minded engineers with a passion for growth at the seminar, which will enable them to leave with knowledge, drive and new connections.
SEMINAR:
Fundamentals of Data Collection & Instrumentation: From Sensors to Certainty Tuesday 27 February 2024, MIRA Technology Institute
For full details of the agenda for the seminar and to book your place visit: www.e-i-s.org.uk