We make your SmartMeter™ smarter!

Tavormina & Associates is the go-to RF technical resource for electric, gas, and water utility projects:

• AMI – Advanced Metering Infrastructure
• DA – Distribution Automation
• Sensor Networks
• SCADA

Utilities have unique requirements. They are under rapidly increasing pressure for more cost-effective, more responsive, and more secure delivery of power, water and gas to end-point consumers. New communication and control infrastructure are needed — often requiring the seamless integration with legacy infrastructure.

Tavormina & Associates has years of experience bringing new network technologies and mission critical services to capital investment projects at market leading companies. From strategic consulting through Smart Grid network design and implementation, Tavormina & Associates has the unique skill sets necessary to address the significant challenges that utilities face.

Tavormina & Associates can address a wide array of challenges for utilities, including:

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
RF communications using fixed wireless infrastructure dominate most AMI deployments. However, the utility cannot control the location of AMI endpoints, and for several reasons a fraction of AMI endpoints are difficult to reach with wireless coverage. Tavormina & Associates has developed efficient network design processes and tools for strategic placement of radio relays and access points. We have also developed alternate communication solutions for the most hard to reach endpoints that keep life cycle costs in check.

Distribution Automation (DA)
New distribution sensors that detect faults and permit real-time monitoring also rely on RF communications infrastructure. Latency, network availability, and traffic capacity requirements for DA are quite different from AMI requirements. Tavormina & Associates thoroughly understands performance requirements and the impact on communications system architecture. We assist our clients by helping them navigate through requirements analysis, system architecture, and vendor selection.

Tavormina & Associates has experience serving the utility industry in:

Utilities Project History

As government spending in support of US forces engaged in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan increased through the past decade, Tavormina and Associates professionals played a vital role in delivering Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) technologies and services to this effort. From research and development, through product testing and transition, Tavormina and Associates has the knowledge, network and expertise to deliver critical solutions to the Government market.

With significant experience in advanced sensor systems and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms, Tavormina and Associates is well-versed in technical requirements and the solution space for of these applications, including wireless and broadband communications, advanced image capture sensors and devices, data processing, and critically important operator assistance analysis solutions.

The technologies and sensor systems engineered by Tavormina and Associates include:

• Cooperative Networked Sensor Systems – By combining sensor data from multiple geographically diverse platforms (e.g. radar sensors) and processing data cooperatively, significant enhancements in signal detection and sensor range can be achieved.
• Light-Weight Direction Finding (DF) Sensors – Small UAVs provide a new means to collect video surveillance, however the sensors used must be pointed in the proper direction. The DF sensor identifies areas of interest and supports queuing for the video camera.
• Video Data Links in Challenging RF Environments – Transmission of full-motion video requires substantial bandwidth, and thus places greater demands on RF communication links than narrow band applications. In challenging RF environments with high interference and limited spectrum, we’ve developed adaptive radio and antenna technology to meet radio range requirements.
• Multi-Spectral Optical Sensors – Optical sensors that incorporate infra-red detectors and narrow-band filters for visible light detectors enhance the ability to detect disturbed earth, camouflage, and other features of interest. We’ve developed a technical approach for an inexpensive multi-spectral sensor.
• Automated Image Processing for Multi-Spectral Imagery – The proliferation of multi-spectral still imagery and full motion video imagery is driving requirements for automated and semi-automated image processing. We’ve explored options for automated image registration, automated image calibration, and automated change detection that can multiply the effectiveness of human image analysts.

View Project History