Why is the PolarVisor web-based monitoring platform replacing Sentinelle?

Matelex is migrating equipment from its Sentinelle platform to its new PolarVisor web application. This platform offers a high-performance remote monitoring solution for refrigeration installations. Ergonomic, easy to use, fast and secure, this new web application makes life easier for refrigeration professional In particular, it enables them to monitor installations centrally and improve their performance, while reducing their environmental impact.

The PolarVisor web application goes further than its big sister Sentinelle

After 10 years in existence, Sentinelle was hosting data from almost 2,500 pieces of equipment. However, technologies are evolving and Sentinelle no longer meets facility monitoring requirements.

What are the consequences? The platform is reaching saturation point, resulting in slowdowns that can have an impact on users. Over time, the addition of new features has overloaded Sentinelle, making navigation more difficult and some options less visible (masked by the most recent). This compromises new developments.

Today, the growth in the number of connected devices calls for even more efficient technology that is better adapted to the needs of refrigeration professionals. That’s why Matelex has designed the PolarVisor web application. This completely redesigned solution for monitoring refrigeration installations offers new functionalities:

• A summary dashboard to detect malfunctions and identify facilities requiring rapid intervention;
• Detailed fluid level curves to help understand the event and anticipate the response; pour mieux comprendre l’événement et anticiper la réponse ;
• Display of plant performance coefficients for better assessment of refrigeration production efficiency;

• information delivered in real time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to simplify remote control.

A closer look at the benefits of the PolarVisor web application

From user research to data hosting, the Matelex teams have worked with a number of experts to develop a reliable, secure and intuitive tool.

1 – An ergonomic solution

When developing PolarVisor, the challenge was to provide users with an application that delivered clear information, easily accessible from a computer, smartphone or tablet.

To achieve this, Matelex began by conducting user research, an essential stage in the product design cycle.

So we put our users at the heart of our thinking. We observed and analysed their uses, behaviour and needs to create the solution that best met their expectations.

To do this, we conducted interviews by telephone and in person at trade fairs. We also set up real-life user tests to assess, among other things, the complexity of the system.

We then called on specialists in user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) to design a functional, easy-to-use interface.

Once the design had been completed, the development phase was launched, followed by tests that led to adjustments and improvements.

For example, the new PolarVisor dashboard – which provides an overview of all plant operations – has been tested by refrigeration engineers and end users. The aim? Ensure its immediate effectiveness.

This tool centralises a range of data:

• a map and geographical indicators to locate the alert instantly;
• alarms adapted to the level of urgency (leaks, energy drift, faulty sensors, etc.);
• a reminder system for the annual checks to be carried out;
• suggestions for improving settings to enhance plant performance.

« The PolarVisor web application has been designed to guarantee a better user experience. New features will be added regularly thanks to our investment in software development and data processing.

Stéphane Richardeau, solutions architect, in charge of hosting at Matelex.

2 – Continuous monitoring of data accessibility for each user and installation

The same user, whether a refrigeration engineer or an end user, needs to keep an eye on several installations at the same time. The PolarVisor web application is a solid IoT infrastructure. It is built around on-board analysis tools that display refrigerant and energy level curves in real time. Everything has been designed with adaptive design in mind, to ensure that the interface is adapted to each type of device (computer, tablet and smartphone).

What’s more, the app guarantees secure authentication. Each user has their own dedicated space where they can access all the data relating to the equipment for which they are responsible.

User management is simplified, with the ability to create users and client sites completely independently.

3 – Secure, highly available data hosting

For PolarVisor, Matelex is changing its hosting to bring it closer to the “trusted cloud” label issued by the French National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI).

We have therefore chosen to host our data in France in data centres managed by French operators and certified ISO27001 and HDS (health data host). This guarantees highly secure hosting, with an availability rate of over 99.9%. In short, if a server breakdown or major incident occurs, PolarVisor services continue to operate normally and without interruption.

It should also be pointed out that data centres around the world are major consumers of energy. They are responsible for almost 3% of the world’s electricity consumption. And that figure is set to rise to 4% by 2030, largely due to the continuing growth of data and the rise of artificial intelligence.

This exponential consumption of resources naturally has major consequences for the environment:

• As electricity production increases, so do greenhouse gas emissions. By way of example, an average data centre uses 20 to 50 MW per year, which corresponds to the consumption of around 37,000 homes.
• Water consumption is a problem, particularly in drought-prone regions. By way of example, an average data centre using evaporative cooling can consume up to 18,000 cubic metres of water per day, equivalent to the amount consumed by a town of 50,000 inhabitants.

Faced with this situation, European and global regulations on energy optimisation are going to be increasingly demanding. Local, optimised hosting, such as that used by the PolarVisor web application, meets future requirements in terms of data security and the environment.

PolarVisor, a new web application for optimum service

Hosting and securing data, maintaining a web-based monitoring platform and adding new functionalities represent a significant cost for Matelex.

On the one hand, we employ full-time developers and technicians to ensure that our services run smoothly.

We have also turned our attention to technologies that offer refrigeration professionals and refrigeration plant owners a safe, high-performance environment. Good to know:

• high-performance redundancy, which means that the elements essential to the normal operation of the system are duplicated in order to compensate for the possible failure of one of them. This prevents any loss of data and reduces the risk of breakdowns;
• an interface adapted to new uses (double authentication, ergonomics and accessibility of information);
• data history available online and regular back-ups to ensure no loss of information;

• servers managed in France to anticipate new regulatory requirements for controlling the environmental impact of data centres;
• the guarantee for our users that their personal data will remain in France. In doing so, we go even further than the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which stipulates that transfers must only take place within the European Union.

The PolarVisor web application helps users to optimise the operation of refrigeration systems. It simplifies their management while reducing their operating costs. On the environmental side, the user is alerted before the leakage of fluids becomes too serious or before excessive energy consumption is observed. It is now possible to take preventive action.

To make it easier to migrate your equipment from the Sentinelle platform to the PolarVisor web application, enter your details on the dedicated migration page: https://www.polarvisor.com/en/migration All you have to do is fill in the email field on the page

you will then receive an email with your details, to be completed and/or corrected. Once this stage has been completed, you will receive your PolarVisor credentials. Please note that you will be able to test PolarVisor as soon as you migrate, but you will need to take out a subscription eventually to continue using PolarVisor.

Do you have any questions or would you like to find out more about how to subscribe? Write to us at the following address: contact@matelex.dehon.com