7SCADA Systems

Translation for this term is Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition. That’s mean, this is a software which enables supervision, control, archiving events of technological (or other of course) process. SCADA systems are often today used as middle level in control automation in huge companies linked for example to SAP systems or any systems of this category.

SCADA is the software system operating with coded signals through communications channels to control a remote device. The control system is usually supplemented with a system obtaining information about the status of a remote device for its displaying, processing, and data recording.

HMI (Human Machine Interface) is an imaging software that performs visualization of technological process. HMI provides the operator of a technological device detailed schemes up to specific sensors, provides information about technology management, provide information about trends and diagnostic data.

SCADA systems typically contains:

All SCADA systems have two main functional parts 1. Development part/module and 2. Runtime modules.

On the market exits number of different versions of SCADA systems and we can name e.g.:

  • Wonderware In Touch from company Schneider Electric
  • WinCC from company Siemens
  • RELIANCE from company Geovap
  • CITECT from company Schneider Electric
  • ControlWeb from company Moravské Přístroje – www.mii.cz
  • RSView Studio from company Rockwell Automation

OPC (www.opcfoundation.org)

One of most important functionality is standardised interface (from PLC/PAC) for SCADA systems. It’s wide spread and is base for standardisation because it makes independency PLC and SCADA systems because in previous times was normal than PLC supplier have to supply SCADA system too for compatibility reasons.