PiCUS TMSO Manual
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Are there any obstacles that could affect the radio connection and therefore have to be
taken into account when planning the device positions?
Basically any object that blocks the direct line of sight between the TMSO.IM and the
TMSO.CU can negatively affect the radio range. The larger or more massive the object
the greater the influence.
Examples of natural objects: Trees, bushes, rocks, uneven ground...
Examples of unnatural objects: Structures, poles, fences, vehicles...
Maybe a part of a bush could also be removed?
What is the access to the trees like?
If the trees are in inaccessible terrain or are heavily overgrown with bushes, additional
equipment or tools may be required.
Are the trees standing freely or are they shaded from the wind by buildings or other
trees from certain directions?
Wind shadowing is a crucial issue when interpreting wind tilt measurement data! (see
also
chapter 5 of the TMS.Software manual
)
But this question is also important for the basic function of the PTMSO!
As explained in
3.6.1Wind Response Measurement (WRM)
, the system uses control
sensors to check and filter the tree movements registered by the base sensors for
relevance. Therefore the selection of the reference tree (for the positioning of the
control sensor) is decisive for the measurement resolution and the ability of the system
to detect inclination events at all.
Where is the north-south axis located? What are the expected lighting conditions on
the trees throughout the day?
Since the components of the PTMSO, in addition to the internal batteries, are powered
by solar cells, their orientation and illumination has an impact on the runtime of the
individual devices. Most important is knowing the direction of the highest position of the
sun (e. g. South for the northern hemisphere). Shady obstacles are also interesting,
but as long as they do not prevent the lighting of the devices for the whole day, they
are of minor importance.
NOTE!
Depending on the situation other information may also be relevant. This list therefore does not
claim to be exhaustive.
6.4 Planning of the System Structure
The structured setup of the PTMSO is strictly hierarchical. The data is also entered into the
project in the TMSO.App and later filtered and evaluated in this way.
The 1st level and starting point is the project:
It contains an identification of the person performing the measurement and an identification of
the monitored tree group, so that further measurements at other times or with other
measurement methods can also be assigned to the same tree group in an organizational way.
The 2nd level is the tree clusters:
These are an artificial tool for organizing the individual devices within the system and for the
correct allocation of the measured values. They are only identified by a unique ID.
As already described under
3.6.1Wind Response Measurement (WRM)
simultaneously recorded measurement data of a control sensor are required for the correct
filtering of the measurement data of the base sensors.
The easiest way to achieve this is to equip each tree to be monitored with its own control
sensor in addition to the base sensor. This is also the preferred solution for isolated single
trees.
