Saint Louis, Senegal: Beyond Wireless is supplying the cold chain monitoring technology for an innovative immunisation program in Senegal as part of project Optimize, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and Path, a non-profit organisation health organisation.
South African-based Beyond Wireless’s remote machine-to-machine monitoring and control platform forms part of the project Optimize pilot intervention. Beyond Wireless uses local cellular networks to provide a web-based system to allow the Senegal’s Ministry of Health to manage and monitor the cold chain from any location.
The Beyond Wireless remote Terminal Units will be connected to 14 solar-powered refrigeration units where the vaccines will be stored in a ‘moving warehouse’. The Beyond Wireless machine-to-machine platform will be used to monitor the temperature of these units and the temperature of 15 vaccine refrigerators at various vaccination centres in the region.
Included in the Beyond Wireless service is the monitoring of incoming solar radiation on the photovoltaic solar panels that power the fridges, the energy consumption of the refrigerators, battery voltage, the refrigerator and ambient temperatures and the reliability of the mains power.
Ian Lester, chief exective, Beyond Wireless, says technicians can log into the system and view real-time data from each refrigerator, as well as historical reports. Should the power fail or the temperature fluctuate outside of allowed parameters an alarm activates notifying designated people via SMS and e-mail and escalating the alarm if it remains unresolved for a set time.
“We are excited to be part of something like this where our technology will be helping to develop health solutions for Africa and having a positive impact on people’s lives,” he says.
