How can the Industrial Data Space reference architecture models and connectors be successfully implemented and deployed in practice? These questions were answered by a demonstrator which was presented by IDSA member Siemens at the international trade fair for electrical automation SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg at the end of November.
At the booth for Labs Network Industry 4.0 (LNI 4.0), Siemens and the Industrial Data Space Association, together with other participating companies Pepperl&Fuchs and evosoft, presented the results of a practical test of the Industrial Data Space concepts in an implementation of the reference architecture model for connectors and the information model for Industrial Data Space.
This demonstrator was an extension of the presentation at the Hannover Messe (HMI) 2017 which showcased a filling station with an administration shell based on openAAS. This was enhanced with IDS-compliant communication between the station and the supplier of a filling level sensor, Pepperl&Fuchs. Because a liquid in the filling process and the design of the bottles have been changed, the filling level sensor needed to undergo recalibration, the requirements of which were provided to the supplier by the station and the recalibration dates were then provided back to the station against payment. In this way it was possible to show the specialist audience a business-relevant use case performing a practical demonstration of Industrial Data Space.
The booth, which was highly frequented on all three days, invited visitors to find out more about IDS, to understand the tasks and value proposition but also to discuss further requirements for commercially feasible implementations. It was therefore possible to interest new people in the topic as well as to gain insights to help make proposals for the next steps at IDS. The demonstrator was particularly appreciated by the President of OPC Foundation, Thomas Burke, who visited the booth on the second day when he welcomed the demonstrator’s connection to OPC UA.
