INTRODUCTION
Smart aqua operations are developing to be a common solution in modern aqua-culture installations. Real time monitoring of fish condition combined with surveying the integrity of fish farm itself are considered a competitive advantage. The aquaculture industry is in the middle of a major transition as vessels and fish farms are transformed into sensor hubs, generating data, and linking in an expanding interconnected web.
MAIN APPROACH
Essential elements to consider for a strategy supporting the smart transformation may be split into four main categories: 1) Management, recourses and capabilities focusing on utilizing/developing potential in organization. 2) Integrated systems, tools and connectivity addressing primarily IT infrastructure and data management. 3) Technology and efficient solutions dealing with automation, autonomy, and remote operations. And lastly 4) Energy efficient- and enhanced performance embracing energy efficiency together with sustainability enhancing concepts. Digital asset management is a term often used in this context where inspection as well as operational decisions are based on continuous data streams supplied by sensors on board.
Digitally driven condition-based maintenance result in improved reliability by continuously assessing the condition of fish farming installation together with the state of the fish in it. The objective is to identify potential issues before they become major problems and take proactive measures to prevent failures and unplanned downtime. Digital asset management will help improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. For example, by identifying equipment that needs maintenance or replacement, fish farmers can avoid costly breakdowns and reduce downtime.
The digitally driven operational monitoring is based on the process of capturing information, analyse data collected, learn plus synthesis, and finally act accordingly.
The integrity of these solutions is mainly based on the reliability of sensors and their location at the fish farm. Operational onboard servers together with data transfers solutions and intermediate storage are also essential aspects in the utilization of digital asset management infrastructure. Stability and performance of software applied to process/analyse collected data represents a significant risk and needs to be verified. Finally safe data transfer and cyber security are vital items in the overall digital performance.
While digital asset management can offer several benefits, there are also several potential risks and challenges associated with relying on this technology. Together with data security risks and technical issues, challenges related to data quality is a major concern. The monitoring system relies on high-quality, accurate data to provide meaningful insights into asset condition and performance.
Photo Salmar Ocean
CONCLUSION
Smart aqua is an efficient operational concept that all operators are chasing, but can you trust the status and green lights on your operational dashboard? The industry is expected to put significant effort into assuring the integrity of the data-streams continuously feeding information to our operational decision-making tools.
There are several efficient methods to mitigate the dramatic risks introduced as advanced digital technology is applied in operations of fish farms. One of the most rational approaches includes focus on sensor reliability, integrity of operational onboard servers together with robustness of data transfers solutions.