Outdoor Visual Warning System

From the industry innovators who first developed modern lightning detection technology, a premium-quality visual and audible warning system designed to provide unattended, automated monitoring and conspicuous outdoor alerting of approaching lightning activity.

As one of the world’s leading providers of lightning detection technology and information, TOA Systems, Inc. has teamed up with Campbell Scientific, Inc.®, the market leader for rugged and reliable hardware solutions.

The result is an enterprise-level integrated lightning data, software and hardware warning solution that is second-to-none for a wide range of outdoor locations.

Overview

TOA Systems’ Visual Warning System (VWS) connects data from any TOA lightning detection network to Campbell Scientific’s RA110 visual and audible alarm hardware to enable remote location of one or several alarm systems for high-profile safety alerting.

Utilizing TOA’s VWS software, customizable alert regions, thresholds and warning types are established for each VWS alarm system based on the customer’s assessment criteria for potential risk to its people and infrastructure.

When the TOA network detects lightning within one of the customer’s defined regions, the VWS system triggers visual and/or audible alarms that warn anyone in the vicinity of the possible dangers approaching.

The VWS lightning warning criteria are highly configurable and can be set to escalate as lightning risk increases, determined by user-defined severity and proximity.

Each TOA Visual Weather System consists of:

• TOA’s VWS Processor software to integrate the RA110 hardware with TOA’s lightning network data feed; and
• one or more RA100 Remote Strobe and Siren Alarms, each including a CR800 datalogger, a power supply, a communication device and an enclosure.

Additional optional elements include:

• TOA’s VWS Display user interface software for visualization of VWS lightning activity, and for remote status monitoring and testing of the VWS hardware;
• communication options for connection over ethernet, fiber or spread-spectrum radio; and
• various alternatives for mounting the enclosure and the RA100 alarm hardware to suit different settings.

VWS Software

TOA’s VWS Processor and VWS Display software can be provided on a supplied and pre configured Windows PC for the option of plug-and-play or for installation on a customer-supplied PC meeting TOA’s minimum specifications. The VWS PC can be installed at a remote location away from the VWS alarm hardware, with the distance dependent on the communication platform selected.

VWS Processor

• Manages and co-ordinates the VWS system components, including intercommunication between lightning data, user interface display and the remote alarm subsystem
• Runs in the background without user input or intervention
• Configured to each customer’s unique requirements

VWS Display

• Provides visualization of recent lightning strokes for the VWS region on a scalable map
• Displays the configured VWS alert range rings
• Dynamic status boxes represent the current state of both the system and the connected VWS alarm lights and siren
• Test functions allow the user to manually activate individual lights and the siren

 

VWS Hardware

Each TOA VWS comes with Campbell Scientific’s RA110 remote alarm system consisting of:

• one or more outdoor strobe light and audible alarms;
• a measurement and control datalogger;
• a power supply and communications device;
• a waterproof and mountable enclosure; and
• brackets for mounting to a flat surface or optional pole-mounting kits.

The outdoor alarm unit includes ultra-bright red, yellow and blue 100,000-hour lifetime rating SAE Class II LED beacons and an attention-grabbing 120 dB siren.

Customization options include –

• Communications: Ethernet cable; Ethernet Wi-Fi; Spread-spectrum radio
• Power supplies: 12Ah battery with AC; 12Ah battery with AC and UL certification; 84Ah battery with 50W solar panel
• Mounting: variety of tripods, poles, extension poles, and alarm mounts