Development of industrial IoT based monitoring and control system for radio broadcasting network in Tanzania: a case of Tanzania broadcasting corporation

Abstract

The radio towers must be constructed in sharp elevations or mountains to ensure the maximum radio wave propagation and long-distance coverage of the radio station programs. Due to the sharp elevation positioning of radio towers, the tower operators or technicians are required to climb up every day to be able to take readings of the equipment. Strenuous and daily effort is needed to access these sharp locations either on foot or by car. A need to develop and implement a system that will monitor and send earlier notifications information on the status of the transmitter to the responsible tower operators. Therefore, this project aims to develop an IIoT based monitoring and control system for terrestrial broadcasting networks with outdated technology of Fm transmitter equipment which isstill used in Tanzania. As a result, the solution will effectively and timely assist tower operators to monitor, collecting information understanding and the existing problems that are happening at the radio towers without physically climbing to the radio towers. In addition, the system is cost-effective and collect information in real-time based as it is integrated with a mobile application in a smart device that is linked to the embedded system which is installed in a specific tower to monitor parameters such as forward power, reflected power, electrical units, fuel level, temperature, humidity, and smoke. This study has used a mixed-design approach of quantitative and qualitative methods using focus group discussions with 20 stakeholders to evaluate the developed system. The result of the evaluation shows that 90% of the respondents agreed that the developed system is robust and appropriate to manage the existing challenges at the radio towers.The radio towers must be constructed in sharp elevations or mountains to ensure the maximum radio wave propagation and long-distance coverage of the radio station programs. Due to the sharp elevation positioning of radio towers, the tower operators or technicians are required to climb up every day to be able to take readings of the equipment. Strenuous and daily effort is needed to access these sharp locations either on foot or by car. A need to develop and implement a system that will monitor and send earlier notifications information on the status of the transmitter to the responsible tower operators. Therefore, this project aims to develop an IIoT based monitoring and control system for terrestrial broadcasting networks with outdated technology of Fm transmitter equipment which isstill used in Tanzania. As a result, the solution will effectively and timely assist tower operators to monitor, collecting information understanding and the existing problems that are happening at the radio towers without physically climbing to the radio towers. In addition, the system is cost-effective and collect information in real-time based as it is integrated with a mobile application in a smart device that is linked to the embedded system which is installed in a specific tower to monitor parameters such as forward power, reflected power, electrical units, fuel level, temperature, humidity, and smoke. This study has used a mixed-design approach of quantitative and qualitative methods using focus group discussions with 20 stakeholders to evaluate the developed system. The result of the evaluation shows that 90% of the respondents agreed that the developed system is robust and appropriate to manage the existing challenges at the radio towers.