Autonomy and protocol opening with Topkapi

In 2023, the SIELL decided to upgrade to the Topkapi SCADA solution. Sylvain Léonard, plant manager in the water and wastewater department, and Robin Ralite, geomatician in charge of GIS, look back at their experience.

The need for an open, vendor-independent solution 

The project was born of two observations: an ageing SCADA system in need of renewal and the desire to no longer be dependent on a single supplier for the technical equipment and the SCADA software. "The desire to no longer be restricted to a single supplier was a key factor in our choice of Topkapi. With Topkapi, we can work with several brands, such as Perax, Sofrel or Siemens, which gives us a great deal of flexibility when it comes to choosing the most cost-effective equipment," explains Sylvain Léonard. 
 

A gradual, supported and tailor-made roll-out 

Topkapi is being set up in two stages: firstly, the transfer of supervision for drinking water (completed), and then the wastewater services (in progress). The configuration was carried out by the integrator Digital Technologie, chosen for its proximity, availability and ability to understand the customer's specific needs. 
"The Digital Technologie integrator was able to develop very clear synoptic view of our installations based on drawings we produced. Today, even an elected representative can understand these views that are realistic with regard to our equipment installed", Robin Ralite said enthusiastically. 

"I started with an in-depth pre-project phase with the customer to define precisely what was expected in terms of function and visual impact. For this project, we wanted to use 3D views to achieve an ergonomic and aesthetic result. For these views, I relied on a comprehensive brief that included drawings, photos and detailed technical specifications for the installations. I've been working with the Topkapi SCADA software for over 20 years, and it's a reliable solution. The responsiveness of AREAL support is also a key element that I particularly appreciate in deployments," explains Laurent Aragon, CEO of Digital Technologie

Autonomy: a crucial issue for the SIELL 

"Topkapi is a very comprehensive supervision solution, but unfortunately I can't say today that we are using it to the full. We do our best to set the parameters of the application ourselves on a regular basis. This is necessary in order to maintain control and not depend on our integrator to develop the SCADA system, " explains Sylvain Léonard. 
Thanks to this approach, the SIELL is now autonomous in setting the parameters of its installations, while continuing to call on the integrator for occasional needs, particularly on the graphics side. 

Tangible benefits: ergonomics, visibility, flexibility 

On a day-to-day basis, Topkapi is a central and indispensable tool for operating equipment, with numerous benefits: 

• Clear synoptic views, adapted to the reality on the ground 
• Highly flexible settings and presentation of alarms 
• Topkapi's alarm reporting system with its remote alarm notification module 
• Customisable monitoring curves, widely used for drinking water 
• Customised thresholds that can be configured in the supervision application to generate alarms, without having to do this directly on the equipment on site 

Development prospects and continuous learning of Topkapi 

Topkapi allows us to envisage new uses, such as GEMAPI* supervision (watercourses, rivers) or connection with a Météo France API to cross-reference operational data with external data. "We have begun tests with OTT probes for the GEMAPI part, which are perfectly compatible with Topkapi. Now all we have to do is install them in the field, and create the appropriate synoptic views", explained Robin Ralite. 
The SIELL team took the time to get to grips with Topkapi during the development phases with the integrator. Nevertheless, they plan to further her knowledge with AREAL. The aim is to make better use of Topkapi's advanced functions, such as the generation of personalised reports. 
"We have some Excel reports that have been pre-configured by the integrator; we would like to customise them because our specifications have changed. I was sceptical about the choice of Topkapi at the outset. I thought this SCADA solution was too complex to configure. But knowing what I know now, I wouldn't change a thing," Sylvain Léonard highlighted. 
 

*GEMAPI: Management of Aquatic Environments and Flood Prevention   
**API: Application Programming Interface is a software interface that enables a software or a service to be "connected" to another software or service in order to exchange data and functions. Source : CNIL