Monitoring a coastline as vast and remote as Australia's is challenging for any authority, let alone one that needs a full suite of data across multiple locations to be uploaded every minute of every day. This was the challenge facing Australia's Bureau of Meteorology when implementing its component of the Australian Tsunami Warning System.

The system depends on collecting data from sensors installed both onshore and offshore. Many of these installations are within cellular range of the shoreline and have radar units that monitor changes at sea level. Sudden changes in sea level (particularly drops) can be indication of an impending tsunami. The sea level data from each of these stations is collated and uploaded to the Bureaus headquarters in Melbourne. When combined with tidal measurements, seismic readings and data from a variety of other ocean sensors, this information forms the basis for the issue of regional tsunami alerts.

The installation and operation of sensor equipment in remote and offshore locations obviously required a robust wireless solution. For the Bureau of Meteorology, using the 3G network and the rugged CDM-882seu cellular router has proved to be the clear choice. The ability of the router to carry customized applications written into the unit itself eliminated the need for an expensive PC to be installed between the radar and the modem.

Being designed for adverse environments, the CDM-882seu is contained within a metal case and utilizes industrial strength components. Its ability to operate in a wide temperature range (from -300C to 700C) make it ideal for deployment in outdoor applications.

The CDM-882seu also has an integrated 'Keep Alive' system monitor that periodically checks the full status of the network connection by pinging an IP address. Should the unit determine that the connection has been lost, it automatically restarts itself to reestablish connection. This feature is vital in unmanned, hazardous or remote locations such as the offshore stations of the Tsunami Warning System.

The communication capability and the computing power of the CDM-882seu have now enabled an effective and reliable solution to safeguard the lives of many people living in low lying areas along Australias northern coast. Precisely because this solution is so cost effective, greater numbers of people throughout the Asia-Pacific region can now benefit from increased levels of protection afforded by the network.

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