Management systems, management methods, and management programs

Abstract

To obtain a management system that can reduce operational risks while minimizing the use of dedicated hardware. [Solution] The river monitoring and control system 50 comprises: a first device 14 that monitors and controls rivers, etc.; a processing unit 123 connected to the first device 14 by a dedicated line 30 and performing a first processing using information acquired from the first device 14; a second device 23 that monitors and controls rivers, etc.; a processing unit 243 connected to the second device 23 via the Internet 40 and performing a second processing using information acquired from the second device 23; and a switching determination unit 245 that, when it is determined to switch the device performing the second processing based on at least one of the information from the second device 23, external information indicating the status of the area of ​​the second device 23, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing, transfers information from the target device to the processing unit 123 and causes the processing unit 123 to perform the second processing of the target device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management system, a management method, and a management program for performing at least one of monitoring a river or water use and controlling the state of a river or water use.

Background Art

[0002] In the management of agricultural water use, flood disaster prevention management of rivers, etc., a management system is constructed to perform at least one of monitoring rivers and water use and controlling the state of a river or water use. The management system, for example, collects information necessary for managing the water level, rainfall, flow rate, etc. of a river from the site, and performs control processing for taking actions according to the situation (construction of flood prevention systems, water diversion operations by gate control, etc.).

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a water level measurement system including a server and a monitoring terminal, in which the server acquires measurement data of the water level of a river and transmits the acquired measurement data to the monitoring terminal. In Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the measurement result by the water level gauge unit is transmitted to a server on the cloud. Generally, in the case of an on-premises configuration, compared with a cloud configuration, costs such as the maintenance cost of the server provided as dedicated hardware are required. Therefore, in recent years, in order to reduce the maintenance cost of servers, etc., the management system may be migrated from an on-premises configuration constructed with dedicated hardware to a cloud configuration.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When a system is built using a cloud configuration, such as the water level measurement system described in Patent Document 1, operational risks arise, including delays due to the use of public networks and unauthorized access such as hijacking.

[0006] This disclosure is made in view of the above, and aims to provide a management system that can reduce operational risks while suppressing the use of dedicated hardware. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the management system according to this disclosure comprises: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or water supply, and controlling a managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing a first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object and controlling a managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing a second processing using information acquired by the second device. The management system further comprises a switching determination unit that determines whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing for at least some of the second devices based on status information including information acquired by the second device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing for the second device; and, if it is determined that a switch should be performed, determines the target devices among the second devices that are subject to the switch, transfers information acquired from the target devices to the first processing unit, and causes the first processing unit to perform the second processing using the information acquired by the target devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The management system described in this disclosure has the effect of reducing operational risks while minimizing the need for dedicated hardware. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example configuration of the river monitoring and control system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example configuration of the master station device and the first terminal in Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example configuration of the monitoring and control server and the second terminal in Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure in the master station device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] A flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure in the monitoring and control server of Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] Sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the river monitoring and control system of Embodiment 1 [Figure 7] A flowchart showing an example of the switching process procedure in Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] A diagram illustrating the switching of the device that performs processing related to the equipment of Embodiment 1. [Figure 9] Sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the river monitoring and control system of Embodiment 1 after switching the device that performs processing related to the equipment. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example configuration of a computer system that implements the monitoring and control server of Embodiment 1. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a modified configuration of the river monitoring and control system of Embodiment 1. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example configuration of the monitoring and control server according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example configuration of the switching decision unit in Embodiment 2 when machine learning is used. [Figure 14] A flowchart showing an example of the switching process procedure in Embodiment 2. [Figure 15] A flowchart showing an example of the switching procedure for the first device in Embodiment 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The management system, management method, and management program according to the embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a river monitoring control system 50 according to Embodiment 1. The river monitoring control system 50 of the present embodiment is an example of a management system for managing rivers or water uses. The management system is a system that targets rivers or water uses and performs at least one of monitoring the management target and controlling the state of the management target. Water uses include water used for various purposes such as ponds, water intakes, dams, and the like. Hereinafter, as the management system, a river monitoring control system 50 that performs both river monitoring and control of the river state will be described as an example. However, the configuration and operation of the present embodiment may be applied to a management system that performs either river monitoring or control of the river state, a management system that performs at least one of monitoring of water uses and control of the state of water uses, and the like.

[0012] The river monitoring control system 50 includes a first system 10 that is a part having an on-premises configuration dedicatedly constructed by the administrator of the river monitoring control system 50, and a second system 20 that is a part having a cloud configuration using cloud computing in which a server environment (computer resources) is provided via a public line such as the Internet. That is, the river monitoring control system 50 is a hybrid system using both an on-premises configuration and a cloud configuration. Note that the administrator of the river monitoring control system 50 is, for example, an organization that performs at least one of management, operation, and use of the river monitoring control system 50, and is, for example, a local government, but is not limited thereto, and may be a business operator or the like.

[0013] In the present embodiment, devices (equipment) that perform at least one of monitoring the management target and controlling the state of the management target are divided into a first equipment group composed of important devices (equipment) and a second equipment group composed of non-important devices. The device includes, for example, any one of sensors such as water level gauges, cameras (monitoring cameras), floodgates, sluice gates, drainage airports, (movable) weirs, gates, etc., but is not limited thereto. Further, the device includes not only devices such as sensors but also devices constituting facilities such as drainage airports. Further, the device may include the facility itself.

[0014] In this embodiment, for important devices, by belonging them to the first system 10, highly reliable monitoring and control processing with an on-premises configuration is performed. On the other hand, if a server for accumulating information on a large number of devices and performing monitoring and control processing is provided within the first system 10, large-scale hardware such as using a large number of server devices is required, and the installation and maintenance of this hardware will be carried out by the administrator himself / herself, which is costly. Therefore, in this embodiment, for devices other than important devices, that is, non-important devices, by belonging them to the second system 20 and using a cloud system, the installation cost, maintenance cost, etc. of the server are reduced. In this embodiment, by adopting such a hybrid system, while suppressing dedicated hardware, the operation risk can be reduced.

[0015] Whether each device is an important device or not is set by, for example, the user of the river monitoring and control system 50. An important device is, for example, a device set as an important device by the user. Specifically, for example, an important device may be a device assumed to have a wide range of influence like a headworks, a device assumed to have a serious impact, or a device assumed to lead to a large damage. Also, an important device may be determined by operation conditions such as whether there is a person常驻 near the device, the installation location of the device, etc. The user may be the administrator of the river monitoring and control system 50 (a person belonging to the administrator's organization), or a person commissioned or entrusted by the administrator of the river monitoring and control system 50, etc. Also, in the monitoring and control of the river, an operator who actually executes monitoring, control, etc. using this river monitoring and control system 50 is arranged. The user includes this operator.

[0016] It should be noted that the Chinese character "常驻" in the original text seems to be a misspelling. I translated it as "常驻" as it is, but it might be better to check the correct expression. Also, the English translation is adjusted according to the context to make it more fluent.As shown in Figure 1, the master station device 12 includes a processing unit 123, which is an example of a first processing unit. Processing unit 123 processes information acquired by the first device 14. The monitoring and control server 24 also includes a processing unit 243, which is an example of a second processing unit. Processing unit 243 processes information acquired by the second device 23. As mentioned above, since the monitoring and control server 24 is located on the cloud and is not configured as dedicated equipment, it is possible that cloud-specific delays may occur due to increased processing load from other systems. Furthermore, whether or not a device is considered important is determined by the user when the river monitoring and control system 50 is introduced, but the level of importance may change depending on the actual situation and the environment of the site where the device is installed, and the importance of a device that was previously set as non-important may increase. If processing related to highly important devices is performed by processing unit 243 in the cloud-configured second system 20, the cloud-specific problems mentioned above may occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, the monitoring and control server 24 is equipped with a switching decision unit 245, which determines the importance of equipment according to the actual situation and the environment of the site where the equipment is installed. For equipment that has been set as non-critical equipment but whose importance has increased, the processing unit 123 in the first system 10 is instructed to perform processing. Details of the processing units 123, 243 and the switching decision unit 245 will be described later.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the first system 10 includes a VPN (Virtual Private Network) router 11, a master unit 12, a slave unit 13, a first device 14, and a first terminal 15. In Figure 1, the first terminal 15 is included in the first system 10 and the river monitoring and control system 50, but the first terminal 15 does not necessarily have to be included in the first system 10 and the river monitoring and control system 50.

[0018] The first device 14 provided in the first system 10 is an important device belonging to the first equipment group. The first device 14 is, for example, a device designated as an important device by the user, as described above. The first device 14 includes, but is not limited to, one of the following: a sensor such as a water level gauge, a camera (surveillance camera), a sluice gate, a drainage gate, a pumping station, a (movable) weir, a lock, etc. Furthermore, there may be one or more first devices 14, and if there are multiple first devices 14, the multiple first devices 14 may include multiple types of devices. If the first device 14 is a device for monitoring a river, such as a sensor or camera, the first device 14 transmits monitoring information acquired by the river to the slave station device 13.

[0019] The VPN router 11 performs processing to establish a virtual private line. The master station 12 is connected to the Internet 40, an example of a public line, via the VPN router 11, and is connected to the first terminal 15 and the slave station 13 via a private line 30, which is a private line. The master station 12 is connected to the first device 14 via the private line 30 (via the slave station 13) and is an example of a first control device that performs at least one of the following: processing using monitoring information acquired by the first device 14 and control processing of the first device 14 based on instructions from the first terminal 15. The master station 12 is, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), also called a sequencer, but is not limited to this. The master station 12 collects and stores information such as monitoring information acquired by the first device 14 from the slave station 13 and control information related to the control of the first device 14, and controls the slave station 13. The master station device 12 also has a web server function that provides information from a Web (World Wide Web) site, and transmits monitoring information and control information of the first device 14 to the first terminal 15 via the Web site. Furthermore, when the master station device 12 is instructed by the monitoring and control server 24 to execute processing related to the second device 23, it also performs at least one of the following: processing using monitoring information acquired by the second device 23 and control processing of the second device 23 based on instructions from the second terminal 26. Details of the master station device 12 will be described later.

[0020] The slave station 13 is, for example, a PLC, and acquires information from the first device 14, such as monitoring information acquired by the first device 14 and control information indicating the control results of the first device 14, and transmits the acquired information to the master station 12. The slave station 13 also controls the first device 14 under the control of the master station 12. For example, if the first device 14 is a sluice gate, the slave station 13 controls the opening and closing of the sluice gate. If the first device 14 is a camera, the slave station 13 acquires the video acquired by the camera as monitoring information from the first device 14 and transmits the acquired monitoring information to the master station 12. There may be one or more slave station 13s. There may be one or more first devices 14 controlled by one slave station 13. Note that here we describe an example where the master station 12 and slave station 13 are PLCs, but the master station 12 and slave station 13 are not limited to PLCs. Alternatively, the first device 14 may be controlled by a first control device that integrates the master station 12 and the slave station 13. Although not shown in Figure 1, the slave station 13 and the first device 14 are also connected by a private, dedicated line.

[0021] The first terminal 15 is, for example, a field terminal installed at the site, which is the river under monitoring and its vicinity. Generally, a management office or similar facility is set up around the river for river management purposes, and the first system 10 is installed at the management office. However, the first terminal 15 is not limited to being installed at the site; it may be installed outside the site as long as it is within a range where a private dedicated line connected to the master station device 12 can be laid.

[0022] The first terminal 15 receives monitoring information and control information for the first device 14 from the master station 12 via the dedicated line 30, and displays the received monitoring information and control information. In the following, descriptions of at least some of the devices and lines through which information is transmitted and received may be omitted. For example, the transmission of information from the first terminal 15 to the master station 12 via the dedicated line 30 may be expressed as the first terminal 15 transmitting information to the master station 12. That is, when a device transmits information to a destination device, it is not limited to cases where the device directly transmits the information to the destination device, but also includes cases where it transmits the information via other devices, etc.

[0023] Furthermore, when the first terminal 15 receives a control instruction from the user indicating the control content of the first device 14, it transmits the control instruction to the master station 12. Users such as operators can understand the condition of the river by visually viewing the monitoring and control information displayed on the first terminal 15. In addition, by using the first terminal 15 to input a control instruction indicating the control content of the first device 14, the first device 14 can be operated (remotely controlled) via the first terminal 15, the master station 12, and the slave station 13.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, the second system 20 includes a GW (Gateway) device 21, a slave station device 22, a second device 23, a monitoring and control server 24, a Web server 25, and a second terminal 26. In Figure 1, the second terminal 26 is included in the second system 20 and the river monitoring and control system 50, but the second terminal 26 does not necessarily have to be included in the second system 20 and the river monitoring and control system 50.

[0025] The second piece of equipment 23 is a non-critical piece of equipment belonging to the second equipment group. Similar to the first piece of equipment 14, the second piece of equipment 23 includes, but is not limited to, one of the following: a sensor such as a water level gauge, a camera (surveillance camera), a sluice gate, a drainage gate, a pumping station, a (movable) weir, or a lock. Furthermore, there may be one or more pieces of equipment 23, and if there are multiple pieces of equipment 23, the multiple pieces of equipment 23 may include multiple types of equipment.

[0026] The GW device 21 performs conversion processing of the communication protocol between the Internet 40 and the dedicated line 30. The monitoring and control server 24 is connected to the slave station device 22 via the Internet 40, the GW device 21, and the dedicated line 30, and is connected to the second terminal 26 via the Internet 40. In Figure 1, for illustrative purposes, the Internet 40 is shown as two separate symbols, but these do not necessarily have to be separate. The monitoring and control server 24 is an example of a second control device that is connected to the second device 23 via a communication line including a public line (via the slave station device 22) and performs at least one of the following: processing using monitoring information acquired by the second device 23 and control processing of the second device 23 based on instructions from the second terminal 26. The monitoring and control server 24 may be located on the cloud, for example. Located on the cloud means that it is built using computer resources provided by a service provider via the Internet 40. That is, the monitoring and control server 24 is realized by a computer system corresponding to computer resources provided as a cloud service. The second control device may also include the monitoring and control server 24 and a web server 25. By using the cloud, administrators do not need to set up dedicated hardware. Below, we will describe an example in which the monitoring and control server 24 and the web server 25 are set up on the cloud, but this is not limited to services called cloud services; the monitoring and control server 24 and the web server 25 can be set up using an environment in which computer resources are provided using public lines. Note that in Figure 1, the monitoring and control server 24 and the web server 25 are shown separately, but this is not limited to this, and the monitoring and control server 24 may also serve as the web server 25.

[0027] The monitoring and control server 24 collects and stores information such as monitoring information acquired by the second device 23 from the slave station device 22, and control information related to the control of the second device 23, and also controls the slave station device 22. In addition, the monitoring and control server 24 receives and stores monitoring and control information of the first device 14 from the master station device 12 via the VPN router 11 and the internet 40. The monitoring and control server 24 also sends information to be transmitted to the second terminal 26 to the web server 25, and receives information transmitted from the second terminal 26 via the web server 25. Note that this example describes the monitoring and control server 24 storing monitoring and control information of the first device 14 in addition to the monitoring and control information of the second device 23, but the monitoring and control server 24 does not have to store monitoring and control information of the first device 14. The monitoring and control server 24 stores monitoring and control information for the first device 14, thereby ensuring redundancy in the storage of information related to the first device 14. Furthermore, users can monitor the first device 14 using not only the first terminal 15 but also the second terminal 26, enabling more reliable monitoring of the first device 14.

[0028] Furthermore, the monitoring and control server 24 acquires external information from the external information provider 60, which provides external information, and uses at least one of the external information and monitoring information to determine the importance of the second device 23. The external information is various types of information on the Internet 40, such as weather and disaster information related to the condition of the river or water supply under management. The external information is at least one of the following: weather information or weather warnings provided by weather information providers, news information provided on news websites, and information on SNS (Social Networking Service). The external information may also include information from blog sites. The monitoring and control server 24 then decides to switch the device that processes the second device 23 from the monitoring and control server 24 to the master station device 12 if the second device 23 is of high importance, notifies the master station device 12 of the decision result, and transfers the information regarding the second device 23 to the master station device 12. The processing subject to the device switching is at least one of the following: processing using monitoring information acquired by the second device 23 (hereinafter also referred to as monitoring processing) and control processing of the second device 23 based on instructions from the second terminal 26. Therefore, when the monitoring and control server 24 decides to switch the device that processes the second device 23 from the monitoring and control server 24 to the master station device 12, the information transferred from the monitoring and control server 24 to the master station device 12 is at least one of the monitoring information and control information. Details of the monitoring and control server 24 will be described later.

[0029] The slave station device 22 is, for example, a PLC, and acquires information from the second device 23, such as monitoring information acquired by the second device 23 and control information indicating the control results of the second device 23, and transmits the acquired information to the monitoring and control server 24. Although not shown in Figure 1, the slave station device 22 and the second device 23 are also connected by a private dedicated line.

[0030] The web server 25 provides information stored by the monitoring and control server 24 to the second terminal 26 via a website. For example, the web server 25 obtains monitoring and control information for the second device 23 and monitoring and control information for the first device 14 from the monitoring and control server 24, generates website information for displaying the obtained information on the website, and transmits the website information to the second terminal 26. The website information may include information that displays the monitoring and control information in the form of graphs, etc. In this case, the web server 25 may generate the graphs, or the monitoring and control server 24 may generate the graphs. The web server 25 also receives information from the second terminal 26 indicating the input received by the second terminal 26 on the website, and transmits the received information to the monitoring and control server 24.

[0031] The second terminal 26 is a management terminal connected to the monitoring and control server 24 via the Internet 40. The second terminal 26 receives monitoring and control information for the second device 23 and monitoring and control information for the first device 14 from the monitoring and control server 24 via the Internet 40, and displays the received information. If the monitoring and control information for the first device 14 is not stored in the monitoring and control server 24, the second terminal 26 does not need to receive and display the monitoring and control information for the first device 14. Furthermore, when the second terminal 26 receives input of a control instruction indicating the control content of the second device 23 from a user, it transmits the control instruction to the monitoring and control server 24. Users such as operators can understand the state of the river by visually checking the monitoring and control information displayed on the second terminal 26. In addition, users can operate (remotely control) the second device 23 via the second terminal 26, the monitoring and control server 24, and the slave station device 22 by inputting control instructions indicating the control content of the second device 23 using the second terminal 26. In this embodiment, control of the first device 14 from the second terminal 26 is disabled. For example, the display screen shown on the second terminal 26 may not show a screen for controlling the first device 14. Alternatively, when the second terminal 26 receives a control instruction regarding the first device 14 and the instruction is sent to the Web server 25, the Web server 25, the monitoring and control server 24, and the master station device 12 may discard the instruction and display a message indicating that control is not possible on the second terminal 26.

[0032] Note that Figure 1 is an example, and the specific configuration of the device is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1. For example, in Figure 1, a GW device 21 is provided for each slave device 22, but multiple slave devices 22 may be connected to a single GW device 21. Also, a VPN router 11 may be used instead of a GW device 21, or a GW device 21 may be used instead of a VPN router 11.

[0033] Furthermore, while Figure 1 shows an example where the master station 12 and the web server 25 exchange information with the first terminal 15 and the second terminal 26, respectively, using a website, the method by which the master station 12 and the web server 25 exchange information with the first terminal 15 and the second terminal 26 is not limited to this. For example, by installing application software (hereinafter also referred to as "app") for exchanging information with the master station 12 on the first terminal 15, the first terminal 15 may perform information exchange and various display processing with the master station 12. Similarly, by installing an app for exchanging information with the monitoring and control server 24 on the second terminal 26, the second terminal 26 may perform information exchange and various display processing with the monitoring and control server 24.

[0034] As described above, the communication path from the second terminal 26 to the slave station device 22 includes public lines such as the Internet 40, and is subject to operational risks such as line disconnection, communication delays, and unauthorized access. Therefore, in this embodiment, by using not only the cloud-based second system 20 but also the on-premise first system 10, both cost reduction and mitigation of operational risks are achieved.

[0035] Next, an example configuration of the master station 12 and the first terminal 15 in the first system 10 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the master station 12 and the first terminal 15 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the master station 12 includes an information storage unit 121, a transmitting / receiving unit 122, a processing unit 123, a slave station transmitting / receiving unit 124, and a Web processing unit 125.

[0036] The transmitting / receiving unit 122 communicates with other devices. For example, in accordance with instructions from the Web processing unit 125, the transmitting / receiving unit 122 transmits monitoring information and control information of the first equipment group, i.e., the first device 14, to the first terminal 15 via the dedicated line 30 as information from a website. When the transmitting / receiving unit 122 receives a control instruction from the first terminal 15 indicating the content of the control of the first device 14, it outputs the control instruction to the processing unit 123. The transmitting / receiving unit 122 also transmits the monitoring information and control information of the first equipment group stored in the information storage unit 121 to the monitoring and control server 24 via the VPN router 11 and the internet 40. Note that the transmission of monitoring information and control information of the first equipment group from the master station device 12 to the monitoring and control server 24 does not necessarily have to be done as described above.

[0037] The sub-station transceiver 124 communicates with the sub-station device 13. For example, when the sub-station transceiver 124 receives a control instruction from the processing unit 123, it transmits the control instruction to the corresponding sub-station device 13. The sub-station transceiver 124 also receives monitoring information and control information for the first device 14 from the sub-station device 13 and outputs the received monitoring information and control information to the processing unit 123. The processing unit 123 performs the processing specified for the information received from the sub-station transceiver 124 and stores the processed information in the information storage unit 121. Note that information received from the sub-station transceiver 124 that does not require processing may be stored in the information storage unit 121 without going through the processing unit 123. The processing performed by the processing unit 123 includes, but is not limited to, calculations such as the summation process that sums the accumulated monitoring information and newly acquired monitoring information, the process that calculates the maximum, minimum, and average values ​​of monitoring information over a certain period, and the process that generates data for displaying the collected monitoring information as history.

[0038] The information storage unit 121 stores monitoring information and control information for the first equipment group, i.e., the first equipment 14. The monitoring information and control information for the first equipment 14 may be transmitted from the slave station device 13 at different timings. The monitoring information is transmitted periodically from the slave station device 13, for example, but the transmission cycle of the monitoring information from the slave station device 13 may differ for each slave station device 13 or may be the same among the slave station devices 13. Furthermore, if one slave station device 13 controls multiple first equipment 14, the slave station device 13 may transmit the monitoring information for the multiple first equipment 14 to the master station device 12 all at once, or it may transmit it to the master station device 12 individually. The control information includes information indicating the result of the control obtained when control is performed, i.e., the response to the control command from the first equipment 14. The control information may also include information indicating the content of the control instruction when control is performed. The master station device 12 may store the information indicating the content of the control instruction as control information in the information storage unit 121 based on the control instruction.

[0039] The processing unit 123 is connected to the first device 14 via a dedicated line 30 and is an example of a first processing unit that performs first processing using information acquired by the first device 14. The processing performed by the processing unit 123 (first processing) includes, for example, monitoring processing using monitoring information acquired from the first device 14, and control processing for the slave station device 13 for controlling the first device 14. The monitoring processing includes calculations such as accumulation processing which accumulates the accumulated monitoring information and newly acquired monitoring information, processing which calculates the maximum, minimum, and average values ​​of the monitoring information over a certain period, and processing which generates data for displaying the collected monitoring information as history. Furthermore, for example, the control processing for the slave station device 13 for controlling the first device 14 may also include processing using control information acquired from the first device 14. For example, similar to monitoring information, calculations such as processing which generates data for displaying the control information as history may be performed using the control information. Note that the content of the processing in the monitoring processing and control processing is predetermined for each type of monitoring information and control information, and the processing unit 123 performs processing according to the type of monitoring information and control information. The type of information is identified, for example, according to the identification information of the device (first device 14) and the type of data acquired by the device. If the device acquires only one type of data, the type may be identified solely by the device's identification information.

[0040] Furthermore, when the processing unit 123 receives a control instruction from the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122, it converts the control instruction into a format that the slave station device 13 can interpret, and transmits the converted control instruction to the slave station device 13 that controls the first equipment 14 corresponding to the control instruction, via the slave station transmitting / receiving unit 124. The processing unit 123 maintains the correspondence between the identification information of each piece of equipment belonging to the first equipment group, i.e., each first equipment 14, and the slave station device 13 that controls that piece of equipment, as first equipment information. The first equipment information may be stored in the information storage unit 121. The processing unit 123 also converts the monitoring information and control information received from the slave station device 13 via the slave station transmitting / receiving unit 124 into a format that can be stored in the information storage unit 121, and stores the converted monitoring information and control information in the information storage unit 121. If these conversions are not necessary, the processing unit 123 does not have to perform them.

[0041] When the Web processing unit 125 receives a request from the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122 to access a website that provides monitoring information and control information, it transmits website information for displaying the website to the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122. The website information includes monitoring information and control information stored in the information storage unit 121. The Web processing unit 125 determines the monitoring information and control information to transmit to the first terminal 15 in response to the input received by the first terminal 15 on the website, reads the corresponding information from the information storage unit 121 based on the determination result, and transmits the website information including the read information to the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122. The website information may also include information that displays the monitoring information and control information in the form of a graph, etc. In this case, the Web processing unit 125 may generate the graph, or the processing unit 123 may generate the graph.

[0042] The first terminal 15 comprises a transmitting / receiving unit 151, a receiving unit 152, a processing unit 153, and a display unit 154. The transmitting / receiving unit 151 communicates with other devices. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 151 receives website information, including monitoring and control information for the first group of equipment, from the master station device 12, and outputs the received website information to the processing unit 153. The transmitting / receiving unit 151 also transmits input information addressed to the master station device 12, which it received from the receiving unit 152, to the master station device 12.

[0043] The processing unit 153 controls the operation of the first terminal 15. For example, when the processing unit 153 receives website information from the transmitting / receiving unit 151, it displays the received website information on the display unit 154. More specifically, for example, the processing unit 153 has the functionality of a web browser and displays monitoring information and control information on the display unit 154 in a layout specified by the website information. The monitoring information and control information may be displayed on the same screen or on different screens (different pages).

[0044] The reception unit 152 receives input from the user and outputs input information indicating the content of the received input to the processing unit 153 or the transmitting / receiving unit 151. For example, the reception unit 152 receives input indicating the content of control of the first device 14 and outputs control instructions indicating the content of control to the transmitting / receiving unit 151 as input information addressed to the master station device 12. The display unit 154 displays various information. For example, under the control of the processing unit 153, the display unit 154 displays monitoring information and control information based on website information.

[0045] Next, an example configuration of the monitoring and control server 24 and the second terminal 26 in the second system 20 will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the monitoring and control server 24 and the second terminal 26 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the monitoring and control server 24 includes an information storage unit 241, a transmitting and receiving unit 242, a processing unit 243, and a slave station transmitting and receiving unit 244.

[0046] The transmitting / receiving unit 242 communicates with other devices. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 242 transmits monitoring information and control information of the first equipment group and the second equipment group, i.e., the first device 14 and the second device 23, to the second terminal 26 via the Web server 25. When the transmitting / receiving unit 242 receives a control instruction from the second terminal 26 via the Web server 25, indicating the content of the control of the second device 23, it outputs the control instruction to the processing unit 243. The transmitting / receiving unit 242 also receives monitoring information and control information of the first equipment group from the master station device 12 and stores the received information in the information storage unit 241. The transmitting / receiving unit 242 also receives external information from the external information providing device 60 and outputs the received external information to the switching determination unit 245.

[0047] The slave transceiver 244 communicates with the slave device 22. The operation of the slave transceiver 244 is the same as that of the slave transceiver 124 of the master station device 12, except that the communication partner is the second device 23 instead of the first device 14. The information storage unit 241 stores the monitoring and control information of the first equipment group and the monitoring and control information of the second equipment group.

[0048] The processing unit 243 is connected to the second device 23 via a communication line including a public line and is an example of a second processing unit that performs second processing using information acquired by the second device 23. The second processing includes, for example, monitoring processing using monitoring information acquired from the second device 23, control processing for the slave station device 22 for controlling the second device 23, and processing to read information requested by the Web server 25 from the information storage unit 241 and output it to the transmitting / receiving unit 242. The monitoring processing is the same as the monitoring processing in the processing unit 123 and includes calculations such as, for example, accumulation processing that accumulates the accumulated monitoring information and newly acquired monitoring information, processing that calculates the maximum, minimum, and average values ​​of monitoring information over a certain period, and processing that generates data for displaying the collected monitoring information as history. In addition, calculations using control information may be performed, similar to the processing in the processing unit 123. For example, the content of the processing in the monitoring processing and control processing is predetermined for each type of monitoring information and control information, and the processing unit 243 performs processing according to the type of monitoring information and control information. The type of information is identified, as in the case of the first device 14, for example, according to the identification information of the device (second device 23) and the type of data acquired by the device.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, when the processing unit 243 receives a control instruction from the second terminal 26 via the web server 25 and the transceiver unit 242, it converts the control instruction into a format that the slave station device 22 can interpret, and transmits the converted control instruction to the slave station device 22 that controls the second equipment 23 corresponding to the control instruction, via the slave station transceiver unit 244. The processing unit 243 maintains the correspondence between the identification information of each piece of equipment belonging to the second equipment group, i.e., each second equipment 23, and the slave station device 22 that controls that piece of equipment, as second equipment information. The second equipment information may be stored in the information storage unit 241. The processing unit 243 also converts the monitoring information and control information received from the slave station device 22 via the slave station transceiver unit 244 into a format that can be stored in the information storage unit 241, and stores the converted monitoring information and control information in the information storage unit 241. If these conversions are not necessary, the processing unit 243 does not have to perform them.

[0050] The switching decision unit 245 determines, based on the status information, whether or not to switch the equipment that performs the second processing for at least some of the second equipment 23, and if it decides to switch, it determines which of the second equipment 23 will be subject to switching. The status information is, for example, information that indicates the status of the second equipment 23 or the status of the site where the second equipment 23 is installed. The switching decision unit 245 then transfers the information acquired from the target equipment to the processing unit 243, and causes the processing unit 243 to perform the second processing using the information acquired by the target equipment. In detail, for example, the switching decision unit 245 determines the importance of the second equipment 23 using the status information which includes at least one of monitoring information and external information, and determines whether or not there is any equipment with high importance among the second equipment 23 whose importance has changed (changed since the previous importance determination). The monitoring information in the status information is an example of information acquired from the second equipment 23, and the external information is an example of information that indicates the status of the area corresponding to the second equipment 23.

[0051] The criteria used to determine high importance can be predetermined according to the type of information, for example. For instance, if the importance is determined using monitoring information acquired from a second device 23, which is a water level gauge, the criterion may be that the amount of rise in water level per unit time exceeds a threshold. Alternatively, the criterion may be that the water level exceeds a threshold. In this way, the situation information includes measurement results from the water level gauge, and the switching decision unit 245 may determine the second device 23 with high importance, i.e., the target device to be switched, based on the water level measured by the water level gauge. Furthermore, if the importance is determined using monitoring information acquired from a second device 23, which is a rain gauge, the criterion may be that the amount of increase in rainfall per unit time exceeds a threshold. In this way, the situation information includes measurement results from the rain gauge, and the switching decision unit 245 may determine the target device based on the rainfall measured by the rain gauge. Furthermore, the switching decision unit 245 may determine the target device using multiple types of information, such as determining the target device based on both water level and rainfall.

[0052] Furthermore, the decision criterion may be set that external information includes weather warnings and news information, and at least one of the following is issued in the area where the second device 23 is installed: a special heavy rain warning, a heavy rain warning, a flood warning, etc. The switching decision unit 245 may also search for information from SNS, etc., using keywords such as information identifying the location (site) where the second device 23 is installed (address, facility name, local nickname, etc.) and information indicating abnormalities related to rivers or waterways such as heavy rain, floods, and inundation, and count the number of hits for each site. The decision criterion may then be set that the increase in the number of hits per unit time is equal to or greater than a threshold. Furthermore, the decision criterion may be set by combining monitoring information obtained from the second device 23, which is a water level gauge, and weather warnings included in the external information. In other words, the switching decision unit 245 may use both monitoring information and external information to determine whether the importance of the second device 23 is high or not. Note that the information used to determine importance (information used to decide on switching) and the decision criterion for determining high importance are not limited to the examples above.

[0053] Here, it is assumed that each substation device 22 is installed in a different location (site, area), and the second equipment 23 controlled by the substation device 22 is installed in the site corresponding to the substation device 22. For this reason, it is assumed that the switching of the equipment that processes the second equipment 23 is performed on a substation device 22 basis; that is, the equipment that processes the second equipment 23 controlled by the same substation device 22 is switched collectively. However, the unit on which the switching of equipment that processes the second equipment 23 is performed is not limited to this. The switching of the processing equipment may be performed on a per-equipment (second equipment 23) basis. Also, multiple substation devices 22 may be installed in a single site (area). In this case, the switching of equipment that processes the second equipment 23 may be performed on a site (area) basis.

[0054] The second terminal 26 comprises a transmitting / receiving unit 261, a receiving unit 262, a processing unit 263, and a display unit 264. The transmitting / receiving unit 261 communicates with other devices. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 261 receives website information from the monitoring and control server 24, including monitoring and control information for the first equipment group and monitoring and control information for the second equipment group, and outputs the received website information to the processing unit 263. The transmitting / receiving unit 261 also sends input information addressed to the web server 25, which it received from the receiving unit 262, to the web server 25. The web server 25 sends control instructions and other information from the received input information to the monitoring and control server 24.

[0055] The processing unit 263 controls the operation of the second terminal 26. For example, when the processing unit 263 receives website information from the transmitting / receiving unit 261, it displays the received website information on the display unit 264. More specifically, for example, the processing unit 263 has the functionality of a web browser and displays monitoring information and control information on the display unit 264 in a layout specified by the website information. The monitoring information and control information may be displayed on the same screen or on different screens (different pages). In addition, information regarding the first equipment group and information regarding the second equipment group may be displayed on the same screen or on different screens (different pages).

[0056] The reception unit 262 receives input from the user and outputs input information indicating the content of the received input to the processing unit 263 or the transmitting / receiving unit 261. For example, the reception unit 262 receives input indicating the content of control of the second device 23 and outputs control instructions indicating the content of control to the transmitting / receiving unit 261 as input information addressed to the Web server 25. The display unit 264 displays various information. For example, under the control of the processing unit 263, the display unit 264 displays monitoring information and control information based on website information.

[0057] Next, the operation of the master station device 12 and the monitoring and control server 24 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure in the master station device 12 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the master station device 12 acquires monitoring information of the first device 14 (step S1), and processes and stores the monitoring information of the first device 14 (step S2). In detail, the slave station transceiver unit 124 receives the monitoring information of the first device 14 from the slave station device 13, outputs the received monitoring information of the first device 14 to the processing unit 123, and the processing unit 123 processes the monitoring information and stores it in the information storage unit 121. In Figure 4, steps S1 and S2 are shown before step S3, but steps S1 and S2 may be performed in parallel with the processing from step S3 onwards, and the timing of performing steps S1 and S2 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 4.

[0058] The master station device 12 determines whether or not it is necessary to send information to the first terminal 15 (step S3). Specifically, the Web processing unit 125 determines that it is necessary to send information to the first terminal 15 (transmission is required) when it receives a request from the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122 to access a website that provides monitoring information and control information. The Web processing unit 125 also determines that it is necessary to send information to the first terminal 15 if at least one of the monitoring information and control information is updated.

[0059] If it is necessary to send information to the first terminal 15 (step S3 Yes), the master station device 12 sends the stored information to the first terminal 15 (step S4). Specifically, in step S4, if the Web processing unit 125 receives a request to access a website, it sends website information to the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122. If at least one of the monitoring information and control information stored in the information storage unit 121 has been updated since the last time information was sent to the first terminal 15, it sends the updated information to the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122. The information sent to the first terminal 15 includes, for example, monitoring information and control information for the first device 14, but the information to be sent may be selectable based on the user's request via the first terminal 15. If it is determined to be No in step S3, the master station device 12 proceeds to step S5, which will be described later.

[0060] The master station device 12 determines whether or not it has received a control instruction from the first device 14 (step S5). More specifically, the Web processing unit 125 determines whether or not it has received a control instruction from the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122.

[0061] If the master station 12 receives a control instruction for the first device 14 (step S5 Yes), it performs control processing for the first device 14 (step S6). Specifically, in step S6, the Web processing unit 125 outputs the control instruction for the first device 14 received from the first terminal 15 to the processing unit 123, and the processing unit 123 transmits the control instruction to the slave device 13 corresponding to the first device 14 via the slave transceiver unit 124. If the master station 12 determines No in step S5, it repeats the process from step S1.

[0062] After step S6, the master station device 12 acquires control information for the first device 14 (step S7), and processes and stores the control information for the first device 14 (step S8). If no processing is required for the control information, the control information may be stored in the information storage unit 241 without processing. Specifically, the processing unit 123 receives control information from the slave station device 13 via the slave station transceiver unit 124, indicating the control result of the first device 14 that was controlled in the control processing of step S6, and stores the received control information in the information storage unit 121. The processing unit 123 may also store the control information in the information storage unit 121, including the content of the control instruction.

[0063] The master station device 12 transmits the control information of the first device 14 to the first terminal 15 (step S9), and repeats the process from step S1. In step S9, more specifically, the processing unit 123 transmits the control information of the first device 14, which was controlled in the control processing of step S6, to the first terminal 15 via the transmitting / receiving unit 122.

[0064] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure in the monitoring and control server 24 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the monitoring and control server 24 acquires monitoring and control information for the first device 14 and monitoring information for the second device 23 (step S11), and processes and stores the acquired information (step S12). Specifically, the slave transceiver 244 receives monitoring information for the second device 23 from the slave device 22, outputs the received monitoring information for the second device 23 to the processing unit 243, and the processing unit 243 processes the monitoring information and stores it in the information storage unit 241. In addition, the transceiver 242 receives monitoring and control information for the first device 14 from the master device 12 and stores the received information in the information storage unit 241. Note that this monitoring and control information may include information that has been processed as described above in the master device 12. Note that the acquisition of monitoring information for the first device 14 and the acquisition of monitoring and control information for the second device 23 may be performed at different timings or simultaneously. In Figure 5, steps S11 and S12 are shown before step S13, but steps S11 and S12 may be performed in parallel with the processing from step S13 onward, and the timing of performing steps S11 and S12 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 5.

[0065] The monitoring and control server 24 determines whether or not it is necessary to send information to the second terminal 26 (step S13). Specifically, the processing unit 243 determines that it is necessary to send information to the second terminal 26 (via the web server 25) when it receives a request from the web server 25 via the transmitting and receiving unit 242 to obtain information to send to the second terminal 26. If it is not necessary to send information to the second terminal 26 (step S13 No), the monitoring and control server 24 proceeds to step S15, which will be described later.

[0066] If it is necessary to send information to the second terminal 26 (step S13 Yes), the monitoring and control server 24 sends the stored information to the second terminal 26 via the web server 25 (step S14). Specifically, in step S14, the processing unit 243 reads the stored information from the information storage unit 241 in accordance with the request from the web server 25 and sends the read information to the web server 25 as presentation information. As a result, the presentation information is sent from the web server 25 to the second terminal 26. The presentation information includes, for example, monitoring information for the first device 14, control information for the first device 14, monitoring information for the second device 23, and control information for the second device 23, but the information to be sent may be selectable based on the user's request via the second terminal 26.

[0067] The monitoring and control server 24 determines whether or not it has received a control instruction for the second device 23 (step S15). More specifically, the processing unit 243 determines whether or not it has received a control instruction for the second device 23 from the second terminal 26 via the web server 25 and the transmitting / receiving unit 242.

[0068] If the monitoring and control server 24 receives a control instruction for the second device 23 (step S15 Yes), it performs the control processing for the second device 23 (step S16). Specifically, in step S16, the processing unit 243 transmits the control instruction to the slave device 22 corresponding to the second device 23 that issued the instruction, via the slave transceiver unit 244. If the server determines No in step S15, the monitoring and control server 24 repeats the process from step S11.

[0069] After step S16, the monitoring and control server 24 acquires control information for the second device 23 (step S17), and processes and stores the control information for the second device 23 (step S18). Specifically, the processing unit 243 receives control information from the slave device 22 via the slave transceiver unit 244, indicating the control result of the second device 23 that was controlled in the control processing of step S16, processes the received control information, and stores it in the information storage unit 241. If processing of the control information is unnecessary, the control information may be stored in the information storage unit 241 without processing. The processing unit 243 may also store the control information in the information storage unit 241 including the content of the control instruction.

[0070] The monitoring and control server 24 transmits control information of the second device 23 to the second terminal 26 via the web server 25 (step S19), and repeats the processing from step S11. In step S19, specifically, the processing unit 243 transmits the control information of the second device 23, which was controlled in the control processing of step S16, to the second device 23 via the transmitting and receiving unit 242.

[0071] Note that the procedures shown in Figures 4 and 5 are illustrative examples, and any equivalent processing will suffice. The order, timing, and content of processing in the master station device 12 and the monitoring and control server 24 are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0072] Furthermore, in the example described above, the first device 14 is controllable from the first terminal 15 and the second device 23 is controllable from the second terminal 26. However, it is also possible to allow control of the second device 23 from the first terminal 15. As mentioned above, in this embodiment, control of the first device 14 from the second terminal 26 is not possible. This reduces the operational risks associated with using public lines for the first device 14, which is an important device.

[0073] Next, the overall operation of the river monitoring and control system 50 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the river monitoring and control system 50 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the monitoring information acquired by the first device 14 is transmitted to the slave station device 13 (step S21), and from the slave station device 13 to the master station device 12 (step S22). The master station device 12 processes the monitoring information and stores it in the information storage unit 121 (step S23). The monitoring information is also transmitted to the monitoring and control server 24 (step S24), and if transmission to the first terminal 15 is necessary, it is also transmitted to the first terminal 15 (step S25). The first terminal 15 displays the received monitoring information (step S26). In step S25, the control information stored in the information storage unit 121 may also be transmitted from the master station device 12 to the first terminal 15, and the control information may also be displayed in step S26.

[0074] When the first terminal 15 receives a control instruction input (step S27), it transmits the control instruction to the master station 12 (step S28). The master station 12 transmits the received control instruction to the slave station 13 (step S29), and the slave station 13 outputs a control command based on the received control instruction to the first device 14 (step S30).

[0075] The first device 14 transmits control information indicating the control result based on the control command to the slave device 13 (step S31), and the slave device 13 transmits the received control information to the master device 12 (step S32). The master device 12 processes the received control information and stores it in the information storage unit 121 (step S33), and also transmits it to the first terminal 15 and the monitoring and control server 24 (steps S34, S35). If there is no need to process the control information, in step S33, the master device 12 stores the received control information in the information storage unit 121. The first terminal 15 displays the received control information (step S36).

[0076] Furthermore, the monitoring information acquired by the second device 23 is transmitted to the slave station device 22 (step S37), and from the slave station device 22 to the monitoring and control server 24 (step S38). The monitoring and control server 24 processes the monitoring information and stores it in the information storage unit 241 (step S39). Also, when the monitoring and control server 24 receives monitoring information from the first device 14 from the master station device 12, it stores the received monitoring information in the information storage unit 241 (step S40). If it is necessary to send presentation information to the second terminal 26, the monitoring and control server 24 sends the presentation information to the second terminal 26 (step S41). Although the Web server 25 is not shown in Figure 6, information exchange between the monitoring and control server 24 and the second terminal 26 takes place via the Web server 25. The presented information may include, for example, monitoring information for the first device 14 and monitoring information for the second device 23, but is not limited to these, and may also include at least one of the control information for the first device 14 and the control information for the second device 23 stored in the information storage unit 241. The second terminal 26 displays the received presented information (step S42).

[0077] When the second terminal 26 receives a control instruction input (step S43), it transmits the control instruction to the monitoring and control server 24 (step S44). The monitoring and control server 24 transmits the received control instruction to the slave station device 22 (step S45), and the slave station device 22 outputs a control command based on the received control instruction to the second device 23 (step S46).

[0078] The second device 23 transmits control information indicating the control result based on the control command to the slave station device 22 (step S47), and the slave station device 22 transmits the received control information to the monitoring and control server 24 (step S48). The monitoring and control server 24 processes the received control information and stores it in the information storage unit 241 (step S49), and also transmits it to the second terminal 26 (step S50). If there is no need to process the control information, in step S49, the monitoring and control server 24 stores the received control information in the information storage unit 241. The second terminal 26 displays the received control information (step S51). Also, when the monitoring and control server 24 receives control information from the master station device 12, it stores the received control information in the information storage unit 241 (step S52). The procedure shown in Figure 6 is an example, and the order and content of processing are not limited to this example.

[0079] The process shown in Figure 6 may be performed for normal river monitoring, or it may be performed when a disaster occurs or is expected to occur. For example, when a disaster occurs or is expected to occur, a system is put in place to deploy monitors, operators, workers, etc., at designated locations according to a plan such as a flood control plan. Monitors, operators, and workers assigned to monitoring and control work are also examples of users. For example, when a user monitors the first device 14, they use the first terminal 15 or the second terminal 26, and when monitoring the second device 23, they use the second terminal 26. Also, when a user controls the first device 14, they use the first terminal 15, and when controlling the second device 23, they use the second terminal 26. In this case, the river monitoring and control system 50 of this embodiment performs the process illustrated in Figure 6, presenting monitoring and control information to the user, receiving control instructions corresponding to the first device 14 and the second device 23, and controlling the first device 14 and the second device 23 based on the control instructions. Furthermore, even during normal operation, the river monitoring and control system 50 of this embodiment can monitor the river and control the first device 14 and the second device 23 according to the river conditions by performing the processing illustrated in Figure 6.

[0080] Next, the switching process (switching of the device that performs processing related to the equipment) in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, monitoring and control are performed in a river monitoring and control system 50 that has both an on-premise configuration and a cloud configuration. However, as described above, the importance of the second equipment 23 may change depending on the actual situation, the environment of the site where the second equipment 23 is installed, etc. For this reason, in this embodiment, the switching determination unit 245 determines the importance based on at least one of the monitoring information and external information, and switches the device that performs processing related to the second equipment 23 whose importance has increased from the monitoring and control server 24 to the master station device 12. In other words, the processing unit that performs processing related to the second equipment 23 whose importance has increased is switched from the processing unit 243 to the processing unit 123. This makes it possible to perform processing of the second equipment 23 whose importance has increased within the first system 10 of the on-premise configuration, which is less prone to processing delays compared to the cloud configuration, and reduces the risk of processing delays for the important second equipment 23.

[0081] The importance level may be defined using, for example, two levels (binary values) indicating high and low, three levels indicating high, medium, and low, or four or more levels. When the river monitoring and control system 50 starts operation, the second equipment 23 is set to non-important equipment, so the importance level of all second equipment 23 is set to a low value. For example, if it is defined using two levels, high and low, it will be set to a value indicating low. If the importance level is divided into more detailed levels, a threshold can be set to determine that the importance level is high. If the importance level is defined such that the value increases as the importance level increases, the switching determination unit 245 will determine that the importance level is high when the importance level is equal to or greater than the threshold. The following describes an example in which the importance level is defined using two levels, high and low, but as mentioned above, it is not limited to this, and the importance level may be defined using three or more levels. The monitoring and control server 24 holds, for example, importance information indicating the importance level of each second equipment 23. The importance information may be held by the switching determination unit 245, stored in the information storage unit 241, or stored in another storage unit not shown in Figure 3.

[0082] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the switching process procedure in this embodiment. The monitoring and control server 24 acquires status information regarding the second device 23 (step S61). Specifically, the switching determination unit 245 receives at least one of the following via the transmitting and receiving unit 242: monitoring information for the second device 23 and external information corresponding to the location (site) where the second device 23 is installed.

[0083] The monitoring and control server 24 determines the importance of each second device 23 using the status information (step S62). Specifically, for example, a correspondence between the value of the status information and the importance is predetermined, and the switching decision unit 245 determines the importance using the status information and the above correspondence, and if there is a change in the determined importance, it reflects the change in the importance information. For example, suppose that importance is defined in two levels, high and low, and the measurement result of the water level gauge is used as the status information, and that the correspondence between the value of the status information and the importance is such that if the amount of rise in the water level per unit time is below a threshold, the importance is low, and if the amount of rise in the water level per unit time exceeds the threshold, the importance is high. In this case, if the amount of rise in the water level per unit time exceeds the threshold, the switching decision unit 245 changes the importance of the second device 23 corresponding to the water level gauge to a value indicating high importance. Furthermore, if the switching of the processing equipment is performed at the level of 22 substation units (site units), the importance level of all second devices 23 controlled by the substation unit 22 corresponding to the site where the water level gauge is installed is changed to a value indicating high importance. As described above, the unit in which the switching of the processing equipment is performed is not limited to 22 substation units.

[0084] Furthermore, the correspondence between the status information value and the importance level may differ depending on whether the importance level is being changed in a direction that increases or decreases. For example, if the rate of rise in the water level per unit time exceeds a first threshold, the importance level of the second device 23 corresponding to the water level gauge may be changed to a value indicating high importance. Subsequently, even if the rate of rise in the water level per unit time falls below the first threshold, the importance level may not be changed (it remains high) if it exceeds a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold.

[0085] The monitoring and control server 24 determines whether or not there is a second device 23 whose importance has been changed (step S63). More specifically, the switching determination unit 245 determines whether or not there is a second device 23 whose importance was changed in step S62.

[0086] If there is a second device 23 whose importance has been changed (step S63 Yes), the monitoring and control server 24 determines whether there is a second device 23 with a higher importance among the second devices 23 whose importance has been changed (step S64). Specifically, the switching determination unit 245 determines whether there is a second device 23 with a higher importance among the second devices 23 whose importance has been changed in step S62. Here, since importance is defined as a binary value of high or low, the switching determination unit 245 determines whether there is a second device 23 whose importance has been changed to a value indicating high importance. If importance is defined as having 3 or more levels, as described above, for example, a threshold for determining high importance is set, and the switching determination unit 245 determines that the importance is high if the importance is equal to or greater than the threshold. If there is no second device 23 whose importance has been changed (step S63 No), the monitoring and control server 24 repeats the process from step S61.

[0087] If there is a second device 23 with a high priority (step S64 Yes), the monitoring and control server 24 decides to switch the device that processes the second device 23 with a high priority to the master station device 12, and notifies the master station device 12 of the decision (step S65). Specifically, the switching determination unit 245 decides to switch the device that processes the second device 23 with a high priority to the master station device 12. The switching determination unit 245 then notifies the master station device 12 via the transmitting and receiving unit 242 that it will switch the device that processes the second device 23, along with the identification information of the second device 23 that is the target of the device switching (hereinafter also referred to as the second device 23 to be switched), thereby causing the master station device 12 to perform processing related to the second device 23. If there is no second device 23 whose priority has been changed (step S64 No), the monitoring and control server 24 proceeds to step S67, which will be described later.

[0088] After step S65, the monitoring and control server 24 begins transferring information about the second device 23 to be switched to the master station 12 (step S66). Thereafter, the monitoring and control server 24 continues to transfer information about the second device 23 to be switched to the master station 12 until the device to be processed is switched again. The information transferred is necessary for the master station 12 to process the second device 23 to be switched, and includes, for example, monitoring information for the second device 23 to be switched. The monitoring and control server 24 may also transfer control information for the second device 23 to the master station 12. This causes the processing unit 123 of the master station 12 to begin processing the second device 23 to be switched.

[0089] Furthermore, the monitoring and control server 24 determines whether there are any second devices 23 with a lower importance among the switched-out second devices 23 whose importance has been changed (step S67). Specifically, the switching determination unit 245 determines whether there are any second devices 23 with a lower importance among the second devices 23 whose importance was changed in step S62. Here, since importance is defined as a binary value of high or low, the switching determination unit 245 determines whether there are any second devices 23 whose importance has been changed to a value indicating low importance. If importance is defined as having three or more levels, as described above, for example, a threshold for determining low importance may be set, and the switching determination unit 245 determines Yes in step S67 if, among the second devices 23 that were previously judged to have high importance, their importance was changed in step S62 and the changed importance is below the threshold. Note that, as described above, the threshold may be different when changing importance in the direction of increasing importance and when changing importance in the direction of decreasing importance.

[0090] If there are any second devices 23 with lower importance among the switched-out second devices 23 whose importance has been changed (step S67 Yes), the monitoring and control server 24 decides to switch (return) the device that processes the second devices 23 with lower importance to its own device (step S68), and repeats the process from step S61. Specifically, in step S68, the switching determination unit 245 decides to switch the device that processes the second devices 23 with lower importance among the second devices 23 whose importance has been changed to its own device (monitoring and control server 24), and stops the transfer of information about the second devices 23 to the master station device 12. The switching determination unit 245 also instructs the processing unit 243 to resume processing of the re-switched target device, which is the second device 23 that is the target of the switch, thereby causing the processing unit 243 to perform the second processing related to the re-switched target device. The switching determination unit 245 may also notify the master station device 12 of the switching of the device that processes the second devices 23 via the transmitting and receiving unit 242.

[0091] If there are no second devices 23 with a lower importance among the switched-out second devices 23 whose importance has been changed (step S67 No), the monitoring and control server 24 repeats the process from step S61.

[0092] In the example described above, the switching determination unit 245 determined the importance based on the situation information and selected the second equipment 23 that it determined to be of high (or low) importance as the target for switching. In other words, it indirectly determined the equipment to be switched based on the situation information. However, it is not limited to this, and the switching determination unit 245 may directly determine the second equipment 23 to be switched based on the situation information. That is, for example, instead of steps S63 and S64, the switching determination unit 245 may determine whether or not there is a second equipment 23 to be switched based on the situation information. For example, if the measurement result of a water level gauge is used as the situation information, and the amount of rise in water level per unit time exceeds a threshold as the correspondence between the value of the situation information and the importance, the switching determination unit 245 may determine the corresponding second equipment 23 as the equipment to be switched (equipment of high importance) and perform the processing in steps S65 and S66 with respect to that second equipment 23. Similarly, instead of step S67, a process may be performed in which the target equipment is determined based on the situation information. Figure 7 is just one example; any method that can perform equivalent processing is acceptable, and the specific order and content of the processing are not limited to the example shown in Figure 7.

[0093] Furthermore, Figure 7 shows an example where, in addition to switching the processing device of the second device 23 to the master station device 12, the processing device of the second device 23, which has been temporarily switched to the master station device 12, is also switched back to the monitoring and control server 24. However, the system is not limited to this example, and the switching back the processing device to the monitoring and control server 24 is not required. In other words, only the switching in the direction of switching the processing device of the second device 23 to the master station device 12 may be performed.

[0094] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the switching of the device that performs processing related to the equipment in this embodiment. In Figure 8, solid arrows indicate the flow of monitoring information used for processing monitoring information acquired from the second device 23, and dashed arrows indicate the flow of status information used for decision-making. The left side of Figure 8 shows the initial state, that is, the state in which the device that performs processing related to the equipment has not been switched since the operation of the river monitoring and control system 50 began. The right side of Figure 8 shows the state in which, in the process shown in Figure 7, a "Yes" decision is made in step S64, and the device that performs processing related to the target equipment 70, which is a part of the equipment targeted for switching in the second device 23, has been switched to the master station device 12. As shown on the left side of Figure 8, in the initial state, processing using monitoring information for the target equipment 70 is performed in the processing unit 243 of the monitoring and control server 24, but as shown on the right side of Figure 8, after the switch, the monitoring information for the target equipment 70 is transferred from the monitoring and control server 24 to the master station device 12, and the processing unit 123 of the master station device 12 performs processing using the monitoring information for the target equipment 70. This makes it possible to suppress delays in processing for the target equipment 70 due to processing being performed on the cloud. Furthermore, by having the master station 12 process the target devices 70, the processing load on the cloud is reduced, which may also help to suppress delays in processing for other second devices 23.

[0095] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the river monitoring and control system 50 of this embodiment after the switching of the device that performs processing related to the equipment. In Figure 9, operations other than those related to the equipment being switched, namely the operations of the master station device 12 regarding the first equipment 14 and the operations of the monitoring and control server 24 regarding the second equipment 23 other than the equipment being switched, are omitted from the illustration. Steps S37 and S38 shown in Figure 9 are the same as in the example shown in Figure 6. Also, the second equipment 23 shown in Figure 9 is assumed to be the equipment being switched.

[0096] The monitoring and control server 24 transfers (transmits) the monitoring information of the second device 23 to the master station device 12 (step S53). The master station device 12 performs processing (monitoring processing) using the received monitoring information (step S54). Specifically, when the processing unit 123 receives the monitoring information via the transmitting and receiving unit 122, it performs processing using the received monitoring information and transmits the processed monitoring information to the monitoring and control server 24 (step S55).

[0097] The monitoring and control server 24 stores the received monitoring information (step S56). Specifically, the transmitting and receiving unit 242 stores the received monitoring information in the information storage unit 241. Steps S41 and S42 are the same as in the example shown in Figure 6.

[0098] Furthermore, after the switchover, control of the second device 23 to be switched over may be performed using the second terminal 26 or the first terminal 15. The processing related to the control of the second device 23 to be switched over is performed by the monitoring and control server 24, as before the switchover, but is not limited to this, and may also be performed by the master station device 12. For example, when the monitoring and control server 24 receives a control instruction regarding the second device 23 to be switched over from the second terminal 26, it may send the control instruction to the master station device 12, the master station device 12 may convert it into a format that can be interpreted by the slave station device 22 and then send the control instruction to the monitoring and control server 24, and the monitoring and control server 24 may send the control instruction to the corresponding slave station device 22.

[0099] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 9, information regarding the second device 23 to be switched is displayed on the second terminal 26. However, the system is not limited to this; information regarding the second device 23 to be switched may be transmitted from the master station 12 to the first terminal 15, and the first terminal 15 may display this information. In this case, control instructions regarding the second device 23 to be switched may be input using the first terminal 15, and the master station 12 may transmit these control instructions to the monitoring and control server 24. Alternatively, information regarding the second device 23 to be switched may be displayed on both the first terminal 15 and the second terminal 26.

[0100] Furthermore, in the example described above, a switchover was performed to have the master station 12 perform the processing of the second device 23, which is of high importance. However, the switchover may also be performed to have the monitoring and control server 24 perform the processing of the first device 14, which is of lower importance. That is, the switchover determination unit 245 may, based on the status information, determine whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing for at least some of the first devices 14, and if it determines that a switchover should be performed, it may determine which of the first devices 14 are to be switched. The switchover determination unit 245 may then transfer the information acquired from the target devices to the second processing unit, and have the second processing unit perform the first processing using the information acquired by the target devices. In this case, the monitoring and control server 24 uses the status information, which is at least one of the monitoring information of the first device 14 and the external information corresponding to the first device 14, to determine which first devices 14 are to be switched, and notifies the master station 12 of the determination result. Upon receiving this notification, the master station 12 stops processing using the monitoring information of the first device 14 to be switched over, and the monitoring and control server 24 starts processing using the monitoring information of the first device 14. Once the monitoring and control server 24 has processed using the monitoring information of the first device 14, it transmits the processing results to the master station 12. In this case, the display and control of the first device 14 to be switched over are performed by the first terminal 15. This reduces the operational risks related to the first device 14. On the other hand, if certain conditions are met, such as a shortage of personnel to operate the first terminal 15, display and control of the first device 14 to be switched over may be permitted by a specific second terminal 26.

[0101] Next, the hardware configuration of the monitoring and control server 24 will be described. In this embodiment, the monitoring and control server 24 functions as a computer system when a program (computer program) describing the processing in the monitoring and control server 24 is executed on the computer system. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes the monitoring and control server 24 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, this computer system includes a control unit 101, an input unit 102, a storage unit 103, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, and an output unit 106, which are connected via a system bus 107.

[0102] In Figure 10, the control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes a program that describes the processing in the monitoring and control server 24. The input unit 102 consists of, for example, a keyboard and mouse and is used by the user of the computer system to input various information. The storage unit 103 includes various types of memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and storage devices such as a hard disk, and stores the program that the control unit 101 should execute, necessary data obtained during the processing, etc. The storage unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for the program. The display unit 104 consists of a display, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc., and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. The communication unit 105 is a receiver and transmitter that perform communication processing. The output unit 106 is a printer, etc. Note that Figure 10 is just one example, and the configuration of the computer system is not limited to the example in Figure 10. For example, the computer system does not have to have a display unit 104 and an output unit 106.

[0103] Here, an example of the operation of the computer system until the program of this embodiment becomes executable will be described. In a computer system with the above configuration, for example, the program is installed from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM set in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown) into an auxiliary storage device which is part of the storage unit 103. Then, when the program is executed, the program read from the auxiliary storage device of the storage unit 103 is stored in the main memory area of ​​the storage unit 103. In this state, the control unit 101 performs processing as the monitoring and control server 24 of this embodiment according to the program stored in the storage unit 103.

[0104] In the above explanation, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM is used as the recording medium to provide a program describing the processing in each of the monitoring and control servers 24. However, the system is not limited to this, and depending on the configuration of the computer system, the capacity of the program to be provided, a program provided via a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105 may also be used.

[0105] The processing unit 243 and switching determination unit 245 shown in Figure 3 are realized by the execution of a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 10 by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 10. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the processing unit 243 and switching determination unit 245. The information storage unit 241 shown in Figure 3 is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 242 and the slave station transmitting / receiving unit 244 shown in Figure 3 are realized by the communication unit 105 shown in Figure 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 242 and the slave station transmitting / receiving unit 244 may be integrated. The monitoring and control server 24 is realized by, for example, a cloud system, as described above. The monitoring and control server 24 may be realized by multiple computer systems.

[0106] The management program of this embodiment, for example, causes the computer system in the river monitoring and control system 50 described above to perform a second processing for at least some of the second devices 23, based on at least one of the following: information acquired by the second device 23, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device 23, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing for the second device 23; and, if it is determined in the first step to perform a switch, to determine which of the second devices 23 will be switched, transfer the information acquired from the target device to the processing unit 123, and cause the processing unit 123 to perform the second processing using the information acquired by the target device.

[0107] As described above, the master station device 12 in this embodiment is, for example, a PLC, and the PLC has a configuration similar to the computer system illustrated in Figure 10. Note that a computer system other than a PLC may be used as the master station device 12, and in this case, the computer system also has a configuration similar to the one illustrated in Figure 10. The processing unit 123 and Web processing unit 125 shown in Figure 2 are realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 10 by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 10. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the processing unit 123 and Web processing unit 125. The information storage unit 121 shown in Figure 2 is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 122 and the slave station transmitting / receiving unit 124 shown in Figure 2 are realized by the communication unit 105 shown in Figure 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 122 and the slave station transmitting / receiving unit 124 may be integrated. The master station device 12 may be realized by multiple PLCs or multiple computer systems.

[0108] The first terminal 15 and the second terminal 26 are similarly implemented by the computer system illustrated in Figure 10. The processing units 153 and 263 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are implemented by executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 10 by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 10. The storage unit 103 is also used to implement the processing units 153 and 263. The receiving units 152 and 262 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are implemented by the input unit 102 shown in Figure 10. The transmitting and receiving units 151 and 261 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are implemented by the communication unit 105 shown in Figure 10. The display units 154 and 264 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are implemented by the display unit 104 shown in Figure 10.

[0109] <Variation> In the examples shown in Figures 1 to 3, the switching decision unit 245 is located within the monitoring and control server 24. However, the system is not limited to this configuration. A switching decision unit similar to the switching decision unit 245 may be located outside the monitoring and control server 24 on the cloud within the second system 20, or it may be located within the first system 10. Furthermore, the switching decision unit may be located outside both the first system 10 and the second system 20.

[0110] Figure 11 shows a modified example of the configuration of the river monitoring and control system 50 of this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 11, the river monitoring and control system 50 is the same as the river monitoring and control system 50 shown in Figures 1 to 3, except that it includes a master station 12a and a monitoring and control server 24a instead of the master station 12 and monitoring and control server 24. Components having the same function as in the example shown in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0111] In the example shown in Figure 11, the master station 12a is equipped with a switching determination unit 126, and the monitoring and control server 24a is not equipped with a switching determination unit 245. However, the configuration of the master station 12 and the monitoring and control server 24a other than these is the same as in the examples shown in Figures 1 to 3.

[0112] The transmitting / receiving unit 242 of the monitoring and control server 24a transmits monitoring information of the second device 23 to the master station device 12. The transmitting / receiving unit 122 of the master station device 12a receives external information from the external information providing device 60 and monitoring information of the second device 23 from the monitoring and control server 24a, and outputs the received external information and monitoring information to the switching determination unit 126. The switching determination unit 126 uses status information, which is at least one of the monitoring information and external information of the second device 23, to determine whether there is a second device 23 to be switched, similar to the switching determination unit 245, and if there is a second device 23 to be switched, it notifies the processing unit 123 to perform processing related to the second device 23. As a result, the processing unit 123 performs processing using the monitoring information of the second device 23 and transmits the processed monitoring information to the monitoring and control server 24a via the transmitting / receiving unit 122. The monitoring and control server 24a, similar to the monitoring and control server 24, saves the received monitoring information and transmits it to the second terminal 26.

[0113] As with the examples shown in Figures 1 to 3, status information only needs to consist of at least one of monitoring information and external information. If monitoring information is not used for the status information, the monitoring information for the second device 23 does not need to be transmitted from the monitoring control server 24a before the switchover. In this case, after the switchover, the processing unit 123 sends a transfer instruction to the monitoring control server 24a via the transmitting / receiving unit 122 to instruct the server to transfer the monitoring information. Upon receiving this instruction, the transmitting / receiving unit 242 of the monitoring control server 24a starts transferring the monitoring information for the second device 23 that is being switched over. Also, if external information is not used for the status information, the master station device 12a does not need to receive external information. Regarding control information, if the device that performs the processing is also subject to the switchover, the monitoring control server 24a also transmits the control information for the second device 23 that is being switched over to the master station device 12a.

[0114] As described above, the river monitoring and control system 50 shown in Figure 11 can perform the same processing as the river monitoring and control system 50 shown in Figures 1 to 3, although the information route is partially changed, because the master station device 12a is equipped with a switching determination unit 126. In the river monitoring and control system 50 shown in Figure 11, the monitoring information of the second device 23 to be switched may be displayed on the second terminal 26 or on the first terminal 15 after the switch. Alternatively, information regarding the second device 23 to be switched may be displayed on both the first terminal 15 and the second terminal 26. Furthermore, control of the second device 23 to be switched may be performed using the second terminal 26 or using the first terminal 15 after the switch.

[0115] Furthermore, the river monitoring and control system 50 may be equipped with switching decision units in both the master station device and the monitoring and control server. That is, the river monitoring and control system 50 illustrated in Figure 1 may be equipped with the master station device 12a illustrated in Figure 11 instead of the master station device 12. Then, both the switching decision unit 245 and the switching decision unit 126 perform similar processing, and when either determines that a switch is necessary for the device that processes the second device 23, the switch is performed. This allows the switch to be performed even if, for example, the processing of either the switching decision unit 245 or the switching decision unit 126 is delayed or stopped due to a load concentration or malfunction in either the first system 10 or the second system 20. Alternatively, the switching decision unit 245 and the switching decision unit 126 may share the decision processing, with the switching decision unit 245 performing the decision processing for the switch regarding the second device 23 and the switching decision unit 126 performing the decision processing for the switch regarding the first device 14.

[0116] The monitoring and control server 24a and the master station device 12a are also implemented, for example, by the computer system illustrated in Figure 10, similar to the monitoring and control server 24 and the master station device 12. The switching decision unit 126 is implemented by executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 10 by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 10. The storage unit 103 is also used to implement the switching decision unit 126.

[0117] As described above, the river monitoring and control system 50 of this embodiment comprises a first system 10, which is configured on-premise, and a second system 20, which is configured in the cloud, and the first device 14, which is an important piece of equipment, is assigned to the first system 10. This reduces operational risks while keeping dedicated hardware costs down. Furthermore, if the importance of the second device 23 is determined to be high based on the situation information, the processing unit 123 of the first system 10 is instructed to perform processing related to the second device 23. This makes it possible to switch the device (processing unit) that performs processing corresponding to each piece of equipment according to the actual situation, the environment at the site where the equipment is installed, etc.

[0118] Embodiment 2. Figure 12 shows an example of the configuration of the monitoring and control server 24 according to Embodiment 2. The river monitoring and control system of this embodiment is the same as the river monitoring and control system 50 shown in Figure 1 of Embodiment 1, except that it includes a monitoring and control server 24b instead of the monitoring and control server 24.

[0119] The monitoring and control server 24b of this embodiment is the same as the monitoring and control server 24 of Embodiment 1, except that it includes a switching determination unit 245b instead of a switching determination unit 245. The switching determination unit 245b measures the processing time required for monitoring the second device 23 in the processing unit 243, records the measurement results as actual information for each type of information, and uses the recorded past actual information to determine whether there is a type with a long processing time. The actual information may be stored in the information storage unit 241, in another storage unit (not shown), or internally in the switching determination unit 245b. The switching determination unit 245b determines the second device 23 corresponding to the type with a long processing time as the second device 23 with a long processing time. The type of information is identified, as described in Embodiment 1, for example, according to the identification information of the device (second device 23) and the type of data acquired by the device. Furthermore, the content of the processing is defined for each type of information. The switching determination unit 245b determines that the second device 23 that is the source of information of a type that has been determined to have a long processing time is the second device 23 with a high processing load (long processing time). If processing is also performed on control information, the processing time for processing using the control information is similarly measured and recorded as actual information.

[0120] The switching determination unit 245b then decides to switch the device that processes the second device 23, which it has determined has a long processing time, to the master station device 12. Thus, in this embodiment, processing time is used to determine whether to switch, and processing time is an example of the status information used to determine which device to switch. Specifically, for example, the status information includes information regarding the processing time of the second process to be performed on the second device 23. As described in Embodiment 1, the switching of the device that processes the second device 23 may be performed on a slave station device 22 basis. Also, similar to Embodiment 1, for second devices 23 that have had their processing device switched to the master station device 12, if the processing time has become shorter, it may be decided to switch (return) the processing device to the monitoring and control server 24b, which is the same device.

[0121] Whether the processing time for each type of information is long or not may be determined by whether the actual processing time (processing time at the time of judgment) is longer than the standard processing time (reference processing time) by a predetermined amount of time. This allows the switching judgment unit 245b to determine whether processing delays are occurring due to an increase in cloud load, anomalies related to the cloud, etc. In this example, the information regarding the processing time of the second process includes the standard processing time and the actual processing time. For example, the switching judgment unit 245b uses actual data to obtain statistical values ​​such as the average, median, or mode of processing time required for one processing cycle for each type of information, and sets the obtained statistical values ​​as the standard processing time. The switching judgment unit 245b may then determine that the processing time is long for information of a type where the processing time in the most recent processing cycle is longer than the standard processing time by a predetermined amount of time. Note that the method for calculating the standard processing time is not limited to statistical methods, and machine learning methods such as supervised machine learning using neural networks, SVM (Support Vector Machine), and k-NN (k-Nearest Neighbor) may also be used. Furthermore, standard processing times may be calculated based on factors such as the day of the week, the distinction between weekdays and holidays, and the time of day.

[0122] Whether the processing time for each type of information is short or not may be determined by whether the actual processing time is less than a predetermined time compared to the normal processing time, i.e., the standard processing time. This predetermined time may be shorter than the predetermined time used to determine whether the processing time is long or not.

[0123] Furthermore, if a single second device 23 acquires multiple types of information, the decision may be made based on whether the total processing time of the multiple types of information is long or not. For example, the switching decision unit 245b may use the actual data to determine the standard processing time for the total processing time of multiple types of information, and determine that the processing time is long for any type of information where the total processing time of multiple types of information in the most recent processing is longer than a predetermined amount of time than the standard processing time. Also, if switching is performed on a per-substation device 22 basis, the switching decision unit 245b may consider all second devices 23 controlled by the per-substation device 22 as targets for switching if even one of the second devices 23 controlled by the per-substation device 22 has a long processing time. Alternatively, the switching determination unit 245b may use performance information to calculate a standard processing time for the total processing time of information of the second devices 23 controlled by the slave station device 22, and if the total processing time of the second devices 23 corresponding to the slave station device 22 in the most recent processing is longer than the standard processing time by a predetermined amount, all second devices 23 controlled by the said slave station device 22 may be subject to switching.

[0124] Furthermore, the second device 23 to be switched over is not limited to the example where the second device 23 to be switched over is determined based on the difference from the standard processing time as described above, but the second device 23 to be switched over may also be determined based on the inferred processing time itself (the processing time itself at the time of inference). In this example, information regarding the processing time of the second process includes the inferred value of the processing time of the second process. In a cloud configuration, delays may occur due to increased processing load in the cloud, but by having the master station device 12 perform the processing when a high processing load is suspected, the processing load on the monitoring and control server 24b can be reduced and processing delays can be suppressed. For example, the switching decision unit 245b may generate a trained model by machine learning for each type of data using a training dataset that includes feature quantities which are external information or information other than external information and processing time (actual value) which is ground truth data. Information other than external information may include at least one of the following: days of the week, distinction between weekdays and holidays, and time of day. External information may include at least one of the following: whether or not a weather warning has been issued, and the weather. The switching determination unit 245b may then input the most recent feature to the trained model to infer the processing time, and if the inferred processing time is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, it may determine that the processing time is long. Similarly, whether the processing time is short or not may also be determined based on whether the inferred processing time is less than a predetermined time. In this case as well, the predetermined time may be shorter than the predetermined time used to determine whether the processing time is long or not.

[0125] Figure 13 shows an example configuration of the switching decision unit 245b in this embodiment when machine learning is used. In the example shown in Figure 13, the switching decision unit 245b comprises a model generation unit 451, an inference unit 452, and a decision unit 453. The model generation unit 451 generates a trained model for inferring processing time from features using supervised learning, for example, by using multiple training datasets that include features and ground truth data. The model generation unit 451 stores the generated trained model in the information storage unit 241 or another storage unit not shown. The inference unit 452 obtains an inferred value of processing time by inputting features corresponding to the inference target time point into the trained model generated by the model generation unit 451. The decision unit 453 uses the processing time (inferred value of processing time) inferred by the inference unit 452 to determine whether the processing time of each second device 23 is long or not, and switches the device that processes the second device 23 with the longest processing time to the master station device 12.

[0126] If the trained model is intended to infer a standard processing time, the features may include, for example, information indicating the type of data, but may also include information indicating the day of the week, the distinction between weekdays and holidays, and the time of day. In this case, the decision unit 453 uses the processing time inferred by the inference unit 452 as the standard processing time, and as described above, if there is information of a type that takes longer than a predetermined time than the standard processing time, it will switch the second device 23 corresponding to that information.

[0127] If the trained model is intended to infer processing time itself, the features may include, for example, external information or information other than external information. In this case, the trained model may be generated for each type of information, or a common trained model may be generated regardless of the type by including information indicating the type in the features. As described above, the decision unit 453 switches the second device 23 corresponding to the information if the processing time inferred by the inference unit 452 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

[0128] In the example shown in Figure 13, the switching determination unit 245b includes a model generation unit 451, but the system is not limited to this. The model generation unit 451 may be provided in a separate learning device (not shown) from the monitoring and control server 24b, and this learning device may generate the trained model. In this case, the trained model generated by the learning device is stored in the information storage unit 241 or another storage unit (not shown). The inference unit 452 performs inference by inputting feature quantities into the trained model generated by the learning device.

[0129] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the switching process procedure in this embodiment. Note that Figure 14 shows an example in which the processing time is inferred by machine learning, and it is assumed that a trained model has been generated before the start of the process shown in Figure 14. As shown in Figure 14, the monitoring and control server 24b infers the processing time (step S71). In detail, the inference unit 452 of the switching decision unit 245b infers the processing time by inputting features into the trained model. Note that if statistical values ​​as described above are used instead of machine learning, in step S71, the switching decision unit 245b calculates statistical values ​​such as the average value over a certain period. In this case, step S71 may be performed at a lower frequency than the processes from step S72 onward, and may be performed separately from the processes from step S72 onward.

[0130] Next, the monitoring and control server 24b determines whether or not there is a second device 23 whose processing time has changed by a certain amount of time or more (step S72). Specifically, the determination unit 453 uses the performance information to determine, for each type of information, whether or not there is a type in which the processing time has changed by a certain amount of time or more from the processing time in the previous processing. If there is a type in which the processing time has changed by a certain amount of time or more from the processing time in the previous processing, the determination unit identifies the second device 23 corresponding to that type as the second device 23 whose processing time has changed by a certain amount of time or more.

[0131] If there is a second device 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or more (step S72 Yes), the monitoring and control server 24b determines whether there is a second device 23 with a long processing time among the second devices 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or more (step S73). Specifically, the determination unit 453 uses the inference result of the inference unit 452 to determine whether there is a second device 23 with a long processing time among the second devices 23 that were determined in step S72 to have a processing time changed for a certain period of time or more. For example, if the inference unit 452 infers the standard processing time, the determination unit 453 determines the second device 23 corresponding to the information (the said type) to be a second device 23 with a high processing load if, for example, the most recent processing time is longer than a predetermined time than the standard processing time. Also, if the inference unit 452 infers the processing time itself, the determination unit 453 determines the second device 23 corresponding to the information to be a second device 23 with a high processing load if the processing time inferred by the inference unit 452 is longer than a predetermined time. If there is no second device 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or longer (step S72 No), the monitoring and control server 24b repeats the process from step S71.

[0132] If there is a second device 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or more that has a longer processing time (step S73 Yes), the monitoring and control server 24b decides to switch the device that processes the second device 23 with the longer processing time to the master station device 12 and notifies the master station device 12 of the decision (step S74). Specifically, the decision unit 453 of the switching decision unit 245b decides to switch the device that processes the second device 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or more that has a longer processing time to the master station device 12. The decision unit 453 then notifies the master station device 12, via the transmitting and receiving unit 242, that it will switch the device that processes the second device 23, along with the identification information of the second device 23 that is the target of the device switching. If there is no second device 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or more that has a longer processing time (step S73 No), the monitoring and control server 24b proceeds to step S76, which will be described later.

[0133] After step S74, the monitoring and control server 24b starts transferring information about the second device 23 to be switched to the master station device 12, similar to step S66 (step S75). The monitoring and control server 24b determines whether there are any second devices 23 with shorter processing times among the switched-out second devices 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or more (step S76). Specifically, the determination unit 453 of the switching determination unit 245b determines whether there are any second devices 23 with shorter processing times among the second devices 23 whose processing time has changed for a certain period of time or more.

[0134] If there is a second device 23 with a shorter processing time among the switched-out second devices 23 whose processing time has changed by a certain amount of time or more (step S76 Yes), the monitoring and control server 24b decides to switch (return) the device that processes the second device 23 with the shorter processing time back to the monitoring and control server 24b (step S77), and repeats the process from step S71. In step S77, more specifically, the determination unit 453 of the switching determination unit 245b decides to switch (return) the device that processes the second device 23 with the shorter processing time among the switched-out second devices 23 whose processing time has changed by a certain amount of time or more back to the monitoring and control server 24b, and stops the transfer of information about the second device 23 to the master station device 12. The switching determination unit 245b also instructs the processing unit 243 to resume processing of the re-switched target device, which is the second device 23 that is the target of the switch, thereby causing the processing unit 243 to perform the second processing related to the re-switched target device. The determination unit 453 of the switching determination unit 245b may also notify the master station device 12 via the transmitting / receiving unit 242 of the switching of the device that processes the second device 23. If there are no second devices 23 with a short processing time among the switched second devices 23 whose processing time has changed by a certain amount of time or more (step S76 No), the monitoring and control server 24b repeats the process from step S71.

[0135] In the example shown in Figure 14, both switching in the direction of switching the device that processes the second device 23 from the monitoring and control server 24b to the master station device 12 and switching in the direction of switching the device that processes the second device 23 back from the master station device 12 to the monitoring and control server 24b are shown. However, it is also possible to perform only the switching in the direction of switching the device that processes the second device 23 from the monitoring and control server 24b to the master station device 12. In addition, in the example shown in Figure 14, the second device 23 with a long processing time was selected as the device to be switched when there is a second device 23 with a long processing time, but the method of selecting the device to be switched is not limited to this. For example, when there is a second device 23 with a long processing time, a sequence may be assigned to the slave station devices 22 in advance, and the second device 23 controlled by the slave station device 22 selected according to the sequence may be selected as the device to be switched. Even if the device to be switched is arbitrarily selected when there is a second device 23 with a long processing time, the processing load on the cloud can be reduced, thereby suppressing processing delays. Furthermore, in combination with Embodiment 1, the monitoring and control server 24b may, when there is a second device 23 with a long processing time, designate a second device 23 of high importance as the device to be switched over. For example, when there is a second device 23 with a long processing time, the device that processes the second device 23 of high importance may be switched to the master station device 12.

[0136] Furthermore, while Figure 14 illustrates the switching of the device that processes the second device 23, a similar switching of the device that processes the first device 14 may also occur. For example, the monitoring and control server 24b obtains the processing time for the first device 14 from the master station device 12, stores it as performance information, and determines whether the processing time for the first device 14 is long or not based on the performance information. The method for determining whether the processing time for the first device 14 is long or not is the same as the method for determining whether the processing time for the second device 23 is long or not, as described above. If the processing time for the first device 14 is long, the monitoring and control server 24b switches the device that processes the first device 14 to the monitoring and control server 24b. Alternatively, if the processing time of the switched-out first device 14 is short, the monitoring and control server 24b may switch the device that processes the first device 14 back to the master station device 12.

[0137] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a switching procedure for the first device 14 in this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 15, the monitoring and control server 24b obtains the processing time from the master station 12 (step S81). Here, we describe an example where the difference from the standard processing time is used to determine whether the processing time is long or not. However, if the processing time is to be determined using the processing time inferred by machine learning, in step S81, the monitoring and control server 24b obtains the processing time by acquiring features related to the first device 14 and inputting the features into the trained model. The subsequent steps S82 to S87 are the same as steps S72 to S77 shown in Figure 14, except that the second device 23 is changed to the first device 14, and the switching of the processing device is reversed between the master station 12 and the monitoring and control server 24b.

[0138] The monitoring and control server 24b may perform both the processing shown in Figure 14 and the processing shown in Figure 15. Also, as described in the modified embodiment of the first embodiment, the switching determination unit may be provided in the master station device 12, or it may be provided in both the monitoring and control server 24b and the master station device 12, similar to the switching determination unit 245b in this embodiment. Furthermore, the switching determination unit may be provided outside the first system 10 and outside the second system 20.

[0139] As described in this embodiment, the status information used to determine whether to switch the processing device may be information about processing time. In the example shown in Figure 15, the information about processing time is information about the processing time of the first processing for the first device 14. As can be seen from the example described in Embodiment 1 and the example described in this embodiment, the status information may include at least one of the following: monitoring information, external information, and information about processing time.

[0140] The monitoring and control server 24b is also implemented, similar to the monitoring and control server 24, by, for example, the computer system illustrated in Figure 10. The switching decision unit 245b is implemented by executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 10 by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 10. The storage unit 103 is also used to implement the switching decision unit 245b.

[0141] As described above, in this embodiment, if a second device 23 is determined to have a long processing time based on the processing time, which is an example of status information, the processing unit 123 of the first system 10 is instructed to perform the processing related to the second device 23. This makes it possible to switch the device (processing unit) that performs the processing corresponding to each device according to the processing load and other conditions.

[0142] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and it is possible to combine them with other known technologies, combine different embodiments, and omit or modify parts of the configuration without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0143] The various aspects of this disclosure are summarized below as an appendix.

[0144] (Note 1) A first device that performs at least one of the following: monitoring of the managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; A first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device, A second device that performs at least one of the following: monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object, A second processing unit is connected to the second device via a communication line including a public network, and performs a second processing using information acquired by the second device. A switching determination unit determines whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the second devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the second device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing with respect to the second device, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the second devices will be subject to the switching, transfers the information acquired from the target device to the first processing unit, and causes the first processing unit to perform the second processing using the information acquired by the target device, A management system characterized by having the following features. (Note 2) A first device that performs at least one of the following: monitoring of the managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; A first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device, A second device that performs at least one of the following: monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object, A second processing unit is connected to the second device via a communication line including a public network, and performs a second processing using information acquired by the second device. A switching determination unit determines whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing for at least some of the first devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the first device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the first device, and information regarding the processing time of the first processing for the first device, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the first devices will be subject to the switching, transfers the information acquired from the target device to the second processing unit, and causes the second processing unit to perform the first processing using the information acquired by the target device, A management system characterized by having the following features. (Note 3) The management system according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that the first device is a device designated as an important device by the user. (Note 4) A first control device comprising the first processing unit, A second control device comprising the second processing unit and the switching determination unit, The management system according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized by comprising the above. (Note 5) A first control device comprising the first processing unit and the switching determination unit, A second control device comprising the second processing unit, The management system according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized by comprising the above. (Note 6) Two of the aforementioned switching determination units are provided. A first control device comprising the first processing unit and the switching determination unit, A second control device comprising the second processing unit and the switching determination unit, The management system according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized by comprising the above. (Note 7) The second device includes a water level gauge, The aforementioned situation information includes the measurement results from the water level gauge, The management system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 6, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines the target equipment based on the water level measured by the water level gauge. (Note 8) The aforementioned second device includes a rain gauge, The aforementioned situational information includes the measurement results from the rain gauge, The management system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 7, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines the target equipment based on the amount of rain measured by the rain gauge. (Note 9) The aforementioned situational information includes the aforementioned external information, The management system according to any one of appendices 1 to 8, characterized in that the aforementioned external information includes at least one of weather information, weather warnings, news information provided on a website, and information on social networking services. (Note 10) The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the second process, The management system according to Appendix 1, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines a standard processing time using past performance information showing the measurement results of the processing time of the second process, and determines to perform the switching if the processing time of the second process is longer than or equal to a predetermined time than the standard processing time. (Note 11) The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the first process, The management system according to Appendix 2, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines a standard processing time using past performance information showing the measurement results of the processing time of the first process, and determines to perform the switching if the processing time of the first process is longer than or equal to a predetermined time than the standard processing time. (Note 12) The management system according to Appendix 10 or 11, characterized in that the switching determination unit calculates the standard processing time using a trained model generated by machine learning. (Note 13) The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the second process, The management system according to Appendix 1, characterized in that the switching determination unit infers the processing time of the second process using a trained model generated by machine learning, and determines to perform the switching if the inferred processing time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. (Note 14) The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the first process, The management system according to Appendix 2, characterized in that the switching determination unit infers the processing time of the first process using a trained model generated by machine learning, and determines to perform the switching if the inferred processing time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. (Note 15) The management system according to Appendix 1, characterized in that, after the switching has been performed, the switching determination unit determines, based on the status information, whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the target devices, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the target devices are subject to the re-switching target device, and causes the second processing unit to perform the second processing using the information acquired by the re-switching target device. (Note 16) The management system according to Appendix 2, characterized in that, after the switching has been performed, the switching determination unit determines, based on the status information, whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing with respect to at least some of the target devices, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the target devices are subject to the re-switching target device, and causes the first processing unit to perform the first processing using the information acquired by the re-switching target device. (Note 17) A management method in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or water supply, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device, wherein A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the second devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the second device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing with respect to the second device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the second devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the first processing unit, and causing the first processing unit to perform the second processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management method characterized by including the following. (Note 18) A management method in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or water supply, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device, wherein A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing with respect to at least some of the first devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the first device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the first device, and information regarding the processing time of the first processing with respect to the first device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the first devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the second processing unit, and causing the second processing unit to perform the first processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management method characterized by including the following. (Note 19) A computer system in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device; A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the second devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the second device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing with respect to the second device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the second devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the first processing unit, and causing the first processing unit to perform the second processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management program characterized by causing the execution of a command. (Note 20) A computer system in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device; A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing with respect to at least some of the first devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the first device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the first device, and information regarding the processing time of the first processing with respect to the first device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the first devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the second processing unit, and causing the second processing unit to perform the first processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management program characterized by causing the execution of a command. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0145] 10 First System, 11 VPN Router, 12,12a Master Station Device, 13,22 Slave Station Device, 14 First Equipment, 15 First Terminal, 20 Second System, 21 GW Device, 23 Second Equipment, 24,24a,24b Monitoring and Control Server, 25 Web Server, 26 Second Terminal, 30 Dedicated Line, 40 Internet, 50 River Monitoring and Control System, 60 External Information Provision Device, 101 Control Unit, 102 Input Unit, 103 Storage Unit, 104,154,264 Display Unit, 105 Communication Unit, 106 Output Unit, 107 System Bus, 121,241 Information Storage Unit, 122,151,242,261 Transceiver Unit, 123,153,243,263 Processing Unit, 124,244 Slave Station Transceiver Unit, 125 Web processing unit, 126, 245, 245b Switching decision unit, 152, 262 Reception unit, 451 Model generation unit, 452 Inference unit, 453 Decision unit.

Claims

1. A first device that performs at least one of the following: monitoring of the managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; A first processing unit is connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performs first processing using information acquired by the first device, A second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object, A second processing unit is connected to the second device via a communication line including a public network, and performs a second processing using information acquired by the second device. A switching determination unit determines whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the second devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the second device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing with respect to the second device, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the second devices will be subject to the switching, transfers the information acquired from the target device to the first processing unit, and causes the first processing unit to perform the second processing using the information acquired by the target device, A management system characterized by having the following features.

2. A first device that performs at least one of the following: monitoring of the managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; A first processing unit is connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performs first processing using information acquired by the first device, A second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object, A second processing unit is connected to the second device via a communication line including a public network, and performs a second processing using information acquired by the second device. A switching determination unit determines whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing for at least some of the first devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the first device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the first device, and information regarding the processing time of the first processing for the first device, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the first devices will be subject to the switching, transfers the information acquired from the target device to the second processing unit, and causes the second processing unit to perform the first processing using the information acquired by the target device, A management system characterized by having the following features.

3. The management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first device is a device designated as an important device by the user.

4. A first control device comprising the first processing unit, A second control device comprising the second processing unit and the switching determination unit, The management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising:

5. A first control device comprising the first processing unit and the switching determination unit, A second control device comprising the second processing unit, The management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising:

6. Two of the aforementioned switching determination units are provided. A first control device comprising the first processing unit and the switching determination unit, A second control device comprising the second processing unit and the switching determination unit, The management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising:

7. The second device includes a water level gauge, The aforementioned situation information includes the measurement results from the water level gauge, The management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines the target equipment based on the water level measured by the water level gauge.

8. The second device includes a rain gauge, The aforementioned situational information includes the measurement results from the rain gauge, The management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines the target equipment based on the amount of rain measured by the rain gauge.

9. The aforementioned situational information includes the aforementioned external information, The management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the external information includes at least one of weather information, weather warnings, news information provided on a website, and information on social networking services.

10. The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the second process, The management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines a standard processing time using past performance information showing the measurement results of the processing time of the second process, and determines to perform the switching if the processing time of the second process is longer than or equal to a predetermined time than the standard processing time.

11. The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the first process, The management system according to claim 2, characterized in that the switching determination unit determines a standard processing time using past performance information showing the measurement results of the processing time of the first process, and determines to perform the switching if the processing time of the first process is longer than or equal to a predetermined time than the standard processing time.

12. The management system according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the switching determination unit calculates the reference processing time using a trained model generated by machine learning.

13. The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the second process, The management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the switching determination unit infers the processing time of the second process using a trained model generated by machine learning, and determines to perform the switching if the inferred processing time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

14. The status information includes information regarding the processing time of the first process, The management system according to claim 2, characterized in that the switching determination unit infers the processing time of the first process using a trained model generated by machine learning, and determines to perform the switching if the inferred processing time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

15. The management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the switching has been performed, the switching determination unit determines, based on the status information, whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the target devices, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the target devices are subject to the re-switching target device, and causes the second processing unit to perform the second processing using the information acquired by the re-switching target device.

16. The management system according to claim 2, characterized in that, after the switching has been performed, the switching determination unit determines, based on the status information, whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing with respect to at least some of the target devices, and if it is determined that the switching should be performed, it determines which of the target devices are subject to the re-switching target device, and causes the first processing unit to perform the first processing using the information acquired by the re-switching target device.

17. A management method in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or water supply, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device, wherein A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the second devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the second device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing with respect to the second device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the second devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the first processing unit, and causing the first processing unit to perform the second processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management method characterized by including the following.

18. A management method in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or water supply, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device, wherein A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing with respect to at least some of the first devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the first device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the first device, and information regarding the processing time of the first processing with respect to the first device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the first devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the second processing unit, and causing the second processing unit to perform the first processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management method characterized by including the following.

19. A computer system in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device; A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the second processing with respect to at least some of the second devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the second device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the second device, and information regarding the processing time of the second processing with respect to the second device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the second devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the first processing unit, and causing the first processing unit to perform the second processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management program characterized by causing the execution of a command.

20. A computer system in a management system comprising: a first device that performs at least one of monitoring a managed object, which is a river or waterway, and controlling the state of the managed object; a first processing unit connected to the first device by a dedicated line and performing first processing using information acquired by the first device; a second device that performs at least one of monitoring the managed object and controlling the state of the managed object; and a second processing unit connected to the second device via a communication line including a public line and performing second processing using information acquired by the second device; A first step of determining whether or not to switch the device that performs the first processing with respect to at least some of the first devices, based on status information which includes at least one of the information acquired by the first device, external information indicating the status of the area corresponding to the first device, and information regarding the processing time of the first processing with respect to the first device, In the first step, if it is determined that a switchover should be performed, the second step involves determining which of the first devices is the target device to be switched over, transferring the information obtained from the target device to the second processing unit, and causing the second processing unit to perform the first processing using the information obtained by the target device. A management program characterized by causing the execution of a command.

Images