Underground Wind Data Storage for Storm Resilience
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind speed measurement and recording devices are vulnerable to damage and data loss during severe weather events, leading to delays in obtaining wind speed data necessary for resolving insurance claims related to storm damage.
Innovation Solution
A wind speed data management system that includes a wind station with a waterproof, damage-resistant storage device located below ground, connected to an anemometer and a computing device for data collection and transmission via wireless communication to a remote data server, enabling secure storage and timely data transfer, as well as a system for estimating property damage using wind speed data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If wind speed data is stored at the wind station location, then data availability for insurance claims is improved, but data loss risk due to physical damage, lightning, water intrusion, or power loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements redundant data storage by creating copies of wind speed data at multiple locations: local storage at the wind station and remote storage at a server location. This ensures that if one storage location is damaged, the data can be retrieved from the other location, thereby reducing data loss risk while maintaining data availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the data storage system into separate components: local storage devices at the wind station and remote storage servers. This segmentation allows the system to isolate damage to one location while preserving data integrity through the other location, resolving the contradiction between local data availability and protection from environmental hazards.
2Loss of time
If wind speed data is stored locally at the wind station, then data access speed is improved, but vulnerability to damage from severe weather increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a communication network as an intermediary between the local wind station and remote servers. This allows data to be quickly transferred to protected remote locations while maintaining the ability to access data locally when needed, thus reducing retrieval time while protecting against weather-related damage through geographic separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to data storage by implementing both local and remote storage locations. This multi-dimensional storage approach allows the system to maintain fast local access while simultaneously protecting data from local environmental hazards through remote replication, effectively resolving the contradiction between speed and safety.
3Reliability
If wind speed data is transmitted to remote servers, then data protection from local damage is improved, but data transmission time and network dependency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary data transmission to remote servers before severe weather events occur. By proactively copying data to protected remote locations in advance, the system ensures data reliability without requiring time-critical transmission during storms, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and transmission time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes continuous data synchronization between local and remote storage locations. This ongoing data replication ensures that data is continuously protected and up-to-date at remote servers without requiring lengthy transmission operations when data is needed, maintaining both reliability and quick access.
4Measurement precision
If anemometers are positioned above ground level for accurate measurement, then measurement accuracy is improved, but vulnerability to damage from excessive wind speeds increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the measurement function (anemometer above ground for accuracy) from the data storage function (protected housing below ground). This segmentation allows the anemometer to maintain optimal positioning for measurement precision while the vulnerable electronic components and storage devices are protected in a separate, fortified location below ground level, resolving the contradiction between measurement accuracy and device protection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures the integrity and timely transfer of wind speed data, facilitating faster insurance claim resolution by providing redundant data storage and damage assessment capabilities, even in the face of severe weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a photovoltaic solar panel disposed at the geographic location and operatively connected to the storage battery for charging the storage battery with electrical power
Data Source
AI summary
A system for collecting and managing wind speed data via an external communications network comprises one or more wind stations, each including an anemometer producing wind speed signals, a station computing device converting the signals to wind speed data, a station memory securely storing the wind speed data on site and a station communication interface transmitting the wind speed data onto an external network. The system further comprises one or more data servers, each including a server computing device, a server communication interface receiving the wind speed data from the wind stations and a server memory storing the received wind speed data. The data server can determine if the received wind speed data satisfies predetermined conditions for certification and/or triggering a payout in accordance with a contract, and can thereafter transmit the appropriate data signals to another location on the external communications network.