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Troubleshooting

Why am I not seeing new data for my sensor?

If you are using direct integration with your device then the most likely culprit is the device not having an active data connection or it losing power. 

If you are using the File Import then there could be issues with your file format that you are sending for automatic collection, such as:

• wrong timestamp format
• wrong column count
• wrong delimiter
  
  Best way to check is to navigate to your File Import profile and see the history for it by left clicking your File Import profile. 

Why am I not seeing any results from a calculation I created?

The most likely causes are:

• no data present for your source/key sensor 
• you updated your source sensors but haven't re-run the calculation
• you have two sensors in your calculation and they have mismatching timestamps

If you have mismatching timestamps then you can use the "Data synchronization" feature for calculations to account for mismatching timestamps between your two sensors.

What should I check if a calculation is returning unexpected values?

You can check whether you have the correct metrics selected for your inputs, if you have the correct sensor, whether your calulation formula is correct and if your sensor is giving correct source data. You can use the Test feature to double check that you are getting the correct results.

Why is my Report and/or Alert not being sent to users?

There are several reasons why a emails may not being sent to other users on the project. By default, alerts and reports are set to "private", meaning that only the person who has created the alert or report will have access to it. Second, you will want to check that the "mail" icon next to a user's name is turned on for that user. 

If all of these settings have been confirmed, it may be necessary to confirm some IT and security settings with the user on their end. First, you will want to confirm that Bentley iTwin IoT URLs are whitelisted (information found here) and that the user's IT policy allows for external emails, specifically iiot_noreply@mailhost.bentley.com for Reports and notifications@sensemetrics.com for Alerts. If that is confirmed, you may ask the user to check their spam, junk, and quarantine folders to ensure that the email was not directed to one of those folders.If you have evaluated all of these common report email issues and still have not figured out the cause, please reach out to Bentley Support

General questions

Do you have training videos?

Yes we have an ever growing list of training videos. You can view them here.

How do I get help from a person for iTwin IoT?

The best way to get help from an iTwin IoT support agent is to read this article and follow the guide there

What's the best practice when setting up an asset/project?

When you set up your asset it is important to define your asset extent correctly so that it covers your asset completely in order for everything in the system to work properly.
If you intend to invite users outside of your organization then it is also important to enable the "enable external users" setting. 

You can re-define these paremeters after creating the asset but it is good to set this correctly from the start.

Another action we recommend after creating your asset and importing sensor data, is to go into the Explorer and categorize your sensors into groups, for example Location1/Inclinometers and Location1/Piezometers and so on

How do I search for specific assets in certain geographical areas when creating an asset?

The best way to do so is to click the spyglass icon in the Asset Extent selection in the Asset creation menu and searching for any landmark or location. You can also paste in Latitude and Longitude coordinates.

I don't know the latitude and longitude of my asset. Can I still create an asset in iTwin IoT?

You always need some sort of geographical location for your asset. If you don't know the latitude and longitude of your asset then you can search for your location and define the extent from there. 

How do I check my token usage in iTwin IoT?

If you are an admin in your Organization or owner of the asset then you can view your token usage by clicking the "Organization and Asset settings" and navigating to the "Billing and Tokens" section on that page.

How do I import my sensemetrics project into iTwin IoT?

Please read through this article for a detailed run through. 

How can I upload plan images to the platform?

There are a couple of ways to upload plan images to the platform.

 
One method is to upload and assign plan images to a sensor within the platform to present it in a Dashboard with the Associated Documents card. 

Another method is to upload a plan image in the iTwin Viewer - image view mode. 

The third method is using the upcoming Image Card for the Dashboard module. 

Where can I see documents associated with my asset?

You can view any documents for your asset via the "Documents" module.

One of the documents section is IoT documents which is for documents associated with sensors, File Import files and PDF's for reports. 

iTwin Documents is for managing your documents and files related to any 3D and reality model files and files related to the iTwin Viewer, such as image view. 

 

Can I add and track forms for field work, such as maintenance or manual monitoring campaigns? 

Yes you can do that via the Issue Resolution module. 

What is the difference between Assets and Projects?

Within iTwin IoT an Asset is a "project" that you create within iTwin IoT. It is created and maintained within iTwin IoT.

A Project is a project that is created in iTwin Experience or other Bentley applications which contain an iModel. 

How can I integrate iTwin IoT time series data into external systems?

You can use our API for advanced access or you can manually download data via our Tables feature. 

How do I onboard a new IoT device onto iTwin IoT?

in iTwin IoT there are multitude of ways to get data from your IoT device into the system.

For a list of specific devices that can be directly integrated into the system please read our Device Registry webpage and read our Sensors And Data Sources section in our iTwin IoT wiki.

If you have a non-supported device or sensor then we can in most cases ingest the data from that device via our File Import feature. For automatic collection the device needs to suppport the SFTP or FTPS File protocol. 

Sensors and Data integration

What sampling frequencies does iTwin IoT support?

iTwin IoT can support almost any sampling frequency. But we do not recommend measurement/sampling frequency higher than 1Hz, which is already very fast. 

The sensors I am using are not listed in iTwin IoT's catalog. Does that mean I cannot use them?

As of right now yes it means you cannot use them directly. But if you are able to send those sensors to an FTP server then you can import them via the File Import module. Then from there you can define a Custom Sensor to import your sensors. 

How can I organize the different nodes/devices/sensors in my asset?

The best way to manage your sensors in your asset is to navigate to the Explorer module, click "View Settings", selecting "Groups" and then you can create folders/groups for your sensors. From there you can create groups for Inclinometers, groups for Piezometers and etc. You could also split the groups by location and then have a subgroup for that location by sensor type. 

Can I move multiple sensors to a group within Explorer?

Yes you can! The best way to do so is to select your group and click the "associate" button in the upper right corner.

From there you will get the same sensor picker menu as the Explorer with the option to view Devices or view Groups. From there you can pick and choose multiple sensors to add to your group. 

Can I move a sensor from one group to another within Explorer?

Yes that can be done via the Explorer by dragging your sensor from your original group to your new group. Alternatively you can use the "associate" button above as shown above, from the sensor picker you can set the view to be "Groups", navigate to your original group and select those sensors. Then your sensors will be moved to the new group.

If I delete a Group will the Sensors it contains also be deleted?

No the sensors and calculations will not be deleted, just the group folder will be deleted and the sensors will be moved to the parent location for that folder. 

What different statuses can a sensor have?

All sensors and devices other than Calculations and Thread devices have no status. 

Calculations and Thread devices can have these statuses:

• Online (Green dot)
  
• Offline (Red dot)
  
• Alert (Icon is has a background colour according to alert level)
  
• Low Power (Blue dot)
  

How can I archive a device? Does it matter which connection type?

We have the ability to archive most but not all sensors in iTwin. Anything connected to a Thread, Strand, or Geonet can be archived, as well as some other API connections. For example Move nodes can be archived on the connection side only, and Loadsensing nodes can be archived by connection or sensor but not device. Archived nodes show up grey on the platform and will not receive any data from the sensor, therefore they are removed from the billing profile while keeping the historical data. 

To archive the sensor you would click on the desired sensor, go to edit configuration and click on the kebab icon in the top right corner of the page. If there isn't an option there to archive then the sensor cannot be archived.

How to add new sensor(s) data to my project?

You have multiple options to add sensor data to your project. 

• You can ingest data via a direct integration through our wide selection of manufacturer specific integrations.
• You can import .csv, .dat and .txt either manually or via SFTP/FTPS through our File Import module
• You can write your own integration by interfacing with our API service. 

 

What is the best way to search for a sensor and see all its settings?

The best way is to navigate to the Explorer module and searching for your sensor in the Explorer. 

How do I apply barometric correction to a piezometer?

If you have a barometric pressure sensor available that is in the same location as your Piezometers then you can add it as a barometric correction sensor for your Piezometer. 

You first find your sensor in the Explorer, click your sensor, navigate to the "Configuration" tab and click the "Edit Configuration" button below the "Barometer Reference Sensor" section. From there you can choose your sensor.

The barometric correction sensor has to have the exact same timestamps as your Piezometer, otherwise the correction will not work

How can I connect a Syscom device to iTwin ioT?

Please read this article on adding a Syscom device to your asset. 
How can I connect an Instantel device to iTwin IoT?

Please read this article on adding an Instantel device to your asset. 

How can I export data in a tabular format?

The best way to do so is to use our new Tables module.

Once you have created and saved your Tables profile which contains the sensors and metrics you need, you can click the "Export" button in the upper right corner. This allows you to export .csv files which contain the sensor observations you have in your profile. Once you click export you should receive an email with a link to your files with each .csv file containing one sensor and the metrics you have chosen. 

What is a predefined sensor type in File Import?

A predefined sensor type is a sensor definition that is pre-baked into iTwin IoT. For example a Geokon Piezometer. What this allows the system to do is to apply pre-configured calculations for that sensor. For the Geokon Piezometer example it will allow you to navigate to the configuration for that sensor and to input the calibration factors for it, sensor depth in the borehole and elevation of the top of the borehole. Then the system calculates metrics that are relevant for that sensor automatically. Such as elevation of water, depth to water and more. 

I have the latitude and longitude of sensor but not elevation. Is there a tool to compute the elevation of sensors?

When you are in the iTwin Viewer you can use the feature called "Elevate 2D sensors to 3D terrain", once you have placed your sensors on your map you can use that feature to elevate your sensors to the 3D terrain that don't have elevation values and it stores those elevation values for those sensors. 

If you do not intend to place those sensors on a map right away then you can use a simple online tool such as this to find elevation for a certain GPS coordinate.

What data file formats are supported for File Import tool?

File Import currently supports .dat, .csv and .txt file formats. 

How to create an import device to import data from a csv file?

The best way to do so is to use the File Import component. For more details please read through our help articles found here

How long after I create a File Import profile will the data be available in the system?

It depends on the amount of data you are trying to import. But the import should not take very long. You can view the status of the File Import by clicking the File Import profile. 

What is difference between automated and manual file import?

The main difference is that the automated import is fetching or receiving data automatically via SFTP/FTPS and the manual File Import is a manual process where the user uploads the data manually via a .csv, .txt or .dat file. You can use both workflows for one File Import profile but often it is recommended to have one automatic profile and one manual profile.

That way you can have both profiles, so that one is importing the automatic data but the other one can be used to fill in any data gaps or correct data manually. 

How do I manually upload a one-time individual observation to a sensor?

For a single observation it is best to navigate to your sensor via the Explorer and click "Add observation". From there you can add a single observation for your sensor. 

How can I upload missing observations to a sensor/device?

You can either do it manually for one or a couple of observations via the "add observation" method shown above or you can use the File Import tool to bridge data gaps for as many observations as you want.  

You need to have your file with your missing observations, once you have that you can create a File Import, upload your file for parsing, select an "Existing" Sensor in the Sensor selection and select your sensor. Then you can assign columns to your metrics. Once you have confirmed that everything looks good then you save the File Import and import the data. 

For any future data gaps that might happen you can use that File Import profile to bridge those gaps for that sensor.

How can I confirm that a sensor is reporting at the sampling interval I expect?

The best way to do so is to create a Table profile and observe the timestamps once you add your sensor to that Table profile. 

How can I identify all groups in my system which contain a tag reference to "XYZ"?

You navigate to the Explorer module and from there you can search for your sensor name or tag.

How do I integrate my model into the ITwin platform?

Please read through our help articles on associating reality and 3D/2D data to your asset.

Integrating reality model data

Integrating 3D and 2D data

How do I automatically send files via FTP for automated imports?

If you are sending data to iTwin IoT's hosted FTP server then the best and most reliable way is to use an automatic FTP sync program such as Syncovery. It offers the possibility of a Windows Service that runs the synchronization between folders on your system and iTwin IoT's FTP folder for your relevant File Imports.

User and Role management

What are the steps to adding external users?

The first critical step is to enable "Allow external users" in the Asset settings. Next step is to go into User management and add the external user by typing in their email address and clicking "Invite user". Then that external user should get an invite via email. 

How do roles/permissions affect what a user can do within iTwin IoT?

By assigning different roles to the user you can manage what they do within the system.

Please read through this article to see a detailed breakdown of what the 3 available roles are able to do within iTwin IoT.

How do I set up a dashboard that a client can view but not make edits?

You would assign them the iTwin Viewer role for their user. 

How to share graphs, reports or dashboards with teammates and clients?

When you create a dashboard, report, graph or alert their sharing settings is set to Private by default.
If you want to share those your profiles and alerts with other users then you can either share the profile or alert with certain users or project wide. For instructions on how to do so please read through this article. 

How can correlation help me understand my sensors? When should I use correlation analysis?

Correlation analysis is very useful in finding and analysing if one or more sensors have some sort of correlation. For example:

You have a bridge with Strain Gauge sensors and temperature sensors. When the bridge warms up during a sunny day it might expand and when it gets cold it might shrink a bit. This can be directly seen in a graph by comparing the two sensors. 
But when creating an alarm with a threshold it might be difficult to pinpoint if any bridge movement is happening because of varying temperature or actual movement. 

This is how correlation analysis and correlation alarms can be useful, if any strain is detected on the bridge but the temperature is not correlated with it then there is abnormal movement which can produce an alert for you. 

Viewing and analyzing sensor data

How can I build a monthly cumulative calculation for my sensor, resetting at the end of each month?

You can do this with the Calculation module. You set the aggregation to Sum with 1 month. Then for the scheduling you set it to run on the 1st of every month.

How do I view data in different metrics and units in table format?

You can do so via the newly updated Tables feature! 

How do I create a graph of multiple sensors within Digital twin viewer?

Not currently no, but you can have a graph with multiple metrics for a sensor in the iTwin Viewer.

How can I add a comment to a graph?

While viewing a graph you can click any observation point and a small menu appears, if you click the flag icon you can create an event that is tied to that specific observation point. 

How do I upload and view images on the dashboard?
Currently the only available method is to upload and assign plan images to a sensor within the platform to present it in a Dashboard. 

How do I change the color on a time series plot?

While configuring a time-series graph you click the sensors tab and from there you can click the colour block next to your sensor to change the colour for it.

How do I enable the heatmap view within the iTwin Viewer?

When in the iTwin Viewer you navigate to the sensor tab, click the cogwheel and near the bottom of the menu there is a heatmap option.

Can I create heatmap based on sensor metrics instead of alerts? 

Yes you can, in the Criteria setting you can choose to have the heatmap display sensor metrics or alerts for those sensors. 

How to set up the best dashboard for a project overview?

One of the things that we feel is essential for any project overview dashboard is the default dashboard that is created once you create an asset/project. That dashboard contains an alert summary, sensor count, alert count, how many sensors are offline, average communication quality and monthly data usage. 

We would also recommend adding the Sensor Events card and choosing all of your sensors, that will give you a birds eye view of all the events that were tagged for your sensors. 

What does the interval key represent in a correlation plot and XY plot card?

The interval key is a colorized key that shows what observations are the oldest and which observations are the newest. 

How do I share my Dashboard with someone in my organization?

When you are either choosing a profile from the profile selection menu or when you are directly in a Dashboard, you can edit the "Sharing" settings for that Dashboard as shown here. From that selection you can choose to share your Dashboard with selected people or with the whole project (all current and future users). 

How can I flag an anomalous high speed event for a vibration sensor for investigation?

Is it possible to place sensors on a map layer? 

Yes you can do that with our iTwin Viewer module! 

In Digital Twin viewer, What does focus mode button do in IoT Widget?

This mode grays out all elements in the model and makes them transparent, it will colorize only the elements whose alerts have been triggered. See more here

What is the difference between Marker and Element mode?

Marker mode is a mode where each sensor that you have placed in the iTwin View is visualized as a marker with readings shown.
Element mode is used to colorize iModel elements in your iTwin View, for example a beam on a bridge. 

How do I go back in time to view past triggered alerts in Digital twin viewer?

You have two methods.

First is to click the Timeline icon in the iTwin Viewer and using the timeline scrubber to scrub through the timeline for your iTwin View. 

The second is to click a sensor marker and click the "Sensor Details" button to see an overview of your sensor. This will give you an overview of everything related to your sensor. Including alerts and past alerts.  

I have a wind sensor. what type of dashboard cards do you suggest for displaying its data?

If you have an anemometer type sensor in the system then you can use the Polar Plot widget in Dashboards. 

 

Displacement and IPI data

How do a I add different layers to an inclinometer plot?

Once in an XY Graph you can go to the Display tab and add layers there. You define the extent of the layer for the Y axis, the name of the layer, colour of it and the pattern. 

How do I create an x,y plot to graph my data?

The first step is to have an array or IPI type device in your project in iTwin IoT. Once you have that type of sensor imported you can add an XY plot to your dashboard. For details on configuring that XY plot please read through this article. 

How do I add an Array plot to my report?

The first step is to add an XY array plot to a dashboard. Once you have added the plot to that dashboard then you can include that Dashboard in your Report.

How do I upload manual inclinometer data to iTwin IoT?

Right now we only offer direct integration for DGSI Manual Inclinometer data. Hopefully further integrations will come in the near future. 

How do I import DGSI Manual Inclinometer data?

The File Import module is used for this purpose. For details on how to import a DGSI inclinometer into iTwin IoT please read through this help article.

How can I apply a rotation factor to IPI data?

If you want to apply an azimuth correction factor for your XY IPI graph, then you choose any of the metrics that apply azimuth or structural angle correction and from there you can adjust the angle. For more details on how azimuth angles work please read through this article

 

 

Calculations 

Can I duplicate an existing calculation to reuse its configuration?

Yes you can! When viewing a pre-existing calculation you can duplicate it with the duplicate button in the upper right corner.

Will a calculation cost me tokens? 

No they do not cost any additional tokens.

How do I add and configure calculations to my data?

For a detailed breakdown on how to configure a calculation please read through our Calculation Overview article

What is the difference between selecting a “Custom” sensor type and an “Existing” sensor type when creating a calculation?

An existing sensor type is a pre-defined sensor that serves as a template for your data, for certain sensors (f.e. Piezometers) it will offer you calibration factors, barometric correction and etc to produce a variety of calculated values from the raw Hz and Temperature measurements. 

A custom sensor is for when you have a sensor that doesn't exist in our existing sensor type, this allows you to define your own custom sensor with its custom metrics. 

How does the key resource influence when a calculation is triggered?

The key resource is the root sensor metric. It has multiple use cases.

If you want the calculation to update whenever new data arrives then that Key Resource sensor is the sensor that triggers that update.

If you have two sensors with different timestamps, for example one at 6 minute interval and another at 10 minute interval then you can choose to have the 10 minute interval sensor as the key resource and set a buffer backwards from that key resource's timestamp to include the other sensor. This ensures that you get valid data points.

 

How can I use multiple sensors within one calculation in the calculator?

You simply drag and drop both of your sensors into the resource window for your calculation. From there you can choose which metric you want to input into your calculation. 

 

Alerts

How do I set up automated alarms and thresholds?

The best info on how to set up alerts and their thresholds can be found in this article

What are the different types of supported alerts on iTwin platform and when should I use each?

In iTwin IoT there are 6 different alert types. They are as follows:

Data Alerts notify the user when reported sensor metric surpasses a user-defined minimum or maximum data value threshold.

Status Alerts notify the user when Connections, Devices, or Sensors have not responded for a set amount of time. Click the links above to learn more about what each does and how to set each one up.

Correlation Alerts notify the user when the relationship between two different sensors deviates beyond a configured equation threshold.

Vibration Alerts are built specifically for Vibration sensors and notify the user when peak particle velocity or frequency deviate beyond a configured equation threshold.

Pattern Alerts notify users of possible issues via a dynamic alert based on machine learning regression models applied to a sensor metric.

Array Alerts is essentially the same as a data alerts but for array based devices, such as an IPI inclinometer.

How do you create, test, and manage alerts (including acknowledge/snooze/disable), and where can you review trigger history?

This can be done by clicking the Alerts module on the left pane. On that page you can get a birds eye view of all the alerts for your project and manage those alerts. 

How can I set up an alarm to let me know if my sensor isn’t working?

You can use the Status Alerts for this

Can I see my alerts on a dashboard?

Yes, you can see all of your alerts via the Alert Summary card in Dashboard. 

How do I reduce the number of alert emails I'm receiving?

You can either review the thresholds that you have set for your alerts to see if they are too low or too high or you can opt out of receiving these alert emails by adjusting the sharing settings for the alerts you have access to.

How do I set up an alert on all sensors in a device? I don't want to manually create one for each sensor.

When creating an alert you can add multiple sensors to that alert so that they can all share the same Trigger/Threshold rules. 

How can I reduce false alarms in the system?

The best method is to carefully revise and check your thresholds and to make sure that those thresholds are correctly set according to the data you have. 

Can I trigger an email with a report if an alert is triggered?

Yes you can! Once you've set up a Report you can trigger that report via the Action feature for alerts. 

 

Reporting

How do I create and set up an automated report?

For a comprehensive and detailed description on how to create and set up an automated report please read through this help article

How to configure a scheduled report that repeats? 

For information on how to do that please read through this article and navigate to the "Report Scheduler" section

Can I unsubscribe from a scheduled report if I no longer want to receive an email?

Yes you can do that by editing the sharing settings for that report and de-selecting the email option for you.

Where can I audit the history of automated reports?

You can do that by navigating to the Report profile selection and clicking the "view history" on the right side of each respective report.

Can I print a live 3D digital twin of the site in the report?

Not right now no. It is definitely a feature that we would like to have in the future. 

 

Pattern Analysis

What is the typical use case for using the pattern feature?

The pattern feature is very useful for analyzing data and predicting how your data will be in the near future. This can be useful for doing advanced analysis and prediction for your data and using it for alerts, for when standard threshold alerts won't suffice.

We offer multiple pattern options as shown here with a more detailed walkthrough shown here

What features does the Patterns tool offer?

The pattern tool offers a variety of methods to analyse data in short term or long term periods. 
In the pattern tool there are two sections:

Regression, a tool to analyse data via best fit methods using either Machine Learning algorithms or other algebraic methods. Info on those methods can be found here.

Trend, a tool to analyse data for the long term by filtering out short-term random fluctuations in the dataset. This tool offers a machine learning trend pattern or linear trend pattern. 

 Other notable features connected to those two sections are:

• Confidence bands for machine learning regression
• Adjustable sampling intervals
• Pattern visibility controls and shared sensor-based configurations
• Automatic model updates for machine learning regression
• Forecasting into the future

What types of issues can pattern alerts detect?

Pattern-based monitoring can help detect abnormal sensor behaviour, unexpected deviations from expected trends, sudden changes in operating conditions, and deterioration or performance changes that differ from historical patterns. 

How to select the suitable method for machine learning regression patterns on my data?

 Choose based on dataset size and data behaviour:

• Optimized Gradient Boosting (default): Best for medium to large datasets and complex or noisy patterns
• Prophet: Best for medium datasets with clear seasonal cycles and missing data
• Auto ARIMA: Best for small to medium stable datasets needing simple and explainable short-term forecasting

How to select a good sampling interval for patterns? What is the effect if sampling interval on the created pattern?

Start with Auto sampling, which estimates the interval from your sensor logging frequency and data density. Use manual sampling when you want more control over smoothing or need to focus on either short-term detail or long-term behaviour.

What is decline curve analysis and when is it useful?

Decline curve analysis is a curve-fitting approach used to model declining time-series behaviour. It is useful when sensor values gradually decrease over time and you want to understand or forecast that decline. A practical application might be the battery voltage for a data logger.

What methods are supported for decline curve analysis?

The supported curve-fitting methods are:

• Linear – upward or downward behaviour
• Exponential – upward or downward behaviourHarmonic – declining behaviour only
• Hyperbolic – declining behaviour only