IIoT tries new roles

Showing up in the right place at the right time is more important than how we get there. The same is as true for moving data as it is for keeping human appointments.

Consequently, as if the Internet wasn’t already broad and inclusive enough, many reliable sources report it now includes all types of networking. They claim the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is no longer limited to its usual communications based transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) or other traditional methods.

Apparently, other Ethernet protocols, fieldbuses, wireless and probably even serial communications are all fair game.

• Drinking water data bursts boundaries: Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority relays flowmeter and other data to edge devices and software that recommend energy-saving combinations.
• Standardized practices line up networks for consistency: Tom Burke of CPLA shows how Unified Name Space (UNS), MQTT, OPC UA and other frameworks can streamline communications.
• Costa Farms grows with Ethernet-based I/O and Node-RED: Grower implements standardized PLC and SCADA without specialized expertise, and transfers data without user intervention.
• Overcoming pushback with a common language: Paul Sereiko of the FieldComm Group shows how the PA-DIM provides a protocol-agnostic way to present device information.
• Shortening gas-to-grid rounds in the jungle: Automation Solutions Ecuador developed a hybrid SCADA architecture for boxed generators.
• Weaving an effective network fabric: Dwaine Plauche of Emerson’s AspenTech business shows how aggregating data sources gets users the answers they need.
• Multiple focuses and strategies for IIoT: Endress+Hauser, Softing and VEGA share varying perspectives on IIoT and how to gain the most benefits from it.