Remote - Spring 2015 - (Page 6)

Feature Article The Impact of OPC UA and Information Modeling on Monitoring Solutions Ron DeSerranno, Founder & CEO B-Scada, Inc. One of the biggest challenges faced by businesses is finding a way to take advantage of the enormous amounts of data being generated by their production processes. In fact, a survey by database vendor, RainStor, indicated that 37.5 percent of large organizations cite analyzing 'Big Data' as their biggest challenge. This is particularly true in process control industries that rely heavily on automation. In industries such as manufacturing, water treatment, oil and gas, power and transportation, and similar enterprises with large numbers of monitored assets, there can be thousands of bits of data produced every second. Finding a way to analyze this data and use it to optimize processes for greater efficiency, quality and safety is becoming a necessity in today's competitive environment. A solution is presented by introducing the concept of information modeling to SCADA and HMI software systems. An information model adds structure and organization to diverse sets of data, reducing complexity and creating the kind of context that transforms that data into actionable information. What is an Information Model? Information Models are representations of individual assets like buildings, machinery, devices and processes. Information models not only define various properties on these assets but the relationships between them within a business enterprise. Information models provide the bridge between the business users of a system and the engineers who design and maintain it, and lead to a more flexible and manageable system. An information model can help reduce deployment time, reduce system maintenance, produce more relevant information and enable integration with other systems. The EPRI Common Information Model is an example of a functional information model based on industry standards. To illustrate the idea of an information model, imagine the 'Contacts' listed in your cell phone. A Contact can be thought of as an asset with properties such as name, phone number and email address. A Contact can also be associated with a photo and a customized ringtone. All of these properties and components combine to create a virtualized representation of an actual person. This is similar to the way a tangible asset can be represented in an information model. The communication technology exists for information modeling and interoperability in HMI/SCADA software systems, and standards have been defined. In the industrial automation space, the interoperability standard for the secure and reliable exchange of data between plant floor or field devices and control systems is OPC (Object Linking and Embedding [OLE] for Process Control). These standards are created and maintained by the OPC Foundation, and the recent standard (OPC Unified Architecture) is the enabling technology behind information modeling in these systems. OPC UA OPC UA is a platform-independent service-oriented architecture that details the specifications for defining the relational structure of complex sets of data. OPC UA allows for data from multiple sources to be integrated into a comprehensive model that can be modified, extended or repeated. OPC UA was created to be "future-proof", and it is becoming an essential part of modern data acquisition and management systems. Information modeling and OPC UA communication enable the creation 6 www.RemoteMagazine.com of an entirely new type of HMI/SCADA system. This technology moves SCADA beyond its traditional roles of process control and device monitoring to create a more intelligent system that supports greater asset management, data analysis and process optimization. How Does Information Modeling Benefit HMI/SCADA Systems? There are a number of ways that HMI/SCADA systems are enhanced when combined with information modeling. An information model allows you to integrate data from multiple sources, create more intelligent visualizations with more relevant information, enable greater collaboration, decrease system development and maintenance time, and increase the flexibility and scalability of your system. Multiple Data Sources Assets in your information model can have properties that are drawn from multiple different sources. In addition to traditional data from PLCs (temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc.), an asset can have an Asset Tag as a property, a Commission Data, a Life Expectancy or any relevant information pulled from databases or other enterprise applications. Asset properties can include HART data, calculated values or data entered manually by users. Assets can be associated with particular personnel, and can also be associated with related media like documents, images or videos. An asset defined in your model can include any or all information related to that particular asset. Additionally, any data included in your information model is now exposed to all of the features of your SCADA system, including alarming, logging, calculations and workflow. More Intelligent Visualizations Because assets in your model can be associated with information from any number of different sources, it is also possible to visualize any of this data alongside any Information modeling allows for data visualization other data on your Mimics (HMI screens or dashboards). The graph- that embraces your entire enterprise. ics on your mimics can be bound to any properties in your model regardless of where the data originated. You are able to visualize live process data alongside maintenance data or custom calculations, view documents like troubleshooting guides or service records. Watch procedural or training videos. Mimics can be created as forms to accept user input that is added to the information model in real time and can be made available to any other user of the system. Generate real-time or historical reports that incorporate data from multiple sources. A SCADA system with information modeling is an invaluable tool for enterprise-wide situational awareness and inter-departmental collaboration. Decrease Development and Maintenance Time There are a number of ways that an information model can decrease the time it takes to develop your system. Because the graphics on your mimics are bound to your information model instead of the external data sources, graphics can be designed without intimate knowledge of PLC memory addresses. In fact, the graphics can be designed before the PLCs are even in place. This allows designers and engineers to work in parallel instead of in series. Designers can work on graphics without concern for where the data is coming from while engineers are working on the technical development without concern for the visuals. Information modeling also allows for the creation of reusable mimic templates; graphics can be created for a specific type of asset and reused for all instances of that type. For example, you can use a single 'motor' mimic template to view data from a hundred different motors. An information model also makes it easy to maintain your system if your processes change or you add new assets. http://www.RemoteMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Remote - Spring 2015

Editor's Choice
The Impact of OPC UA and Information Modeling on Monitoring Solutions
Protecting Critical Infrastructure: Understanding the Threat to SCADA Networks
Small Power, Big Benefits – Fuel Cells for Remote and Off-Grid Applications
What to Expect in the Equipment Industry in 2015
Wireless Well Pad Retrofit
IT-OT Convergence: The Importance of Aligning Historically Disparate Technologies
Internet of Things North Americs Preview
SCADA
Networking
Security
Onsite Power
Industry News

Remote - Spring 2015