Industrial DataOps and Unified Namespace

What are Unified Namespace and Industrial DataOps?

Unified Namespace is an emergent architectural strategy that centralizes diverse data sources into a unified, contextual framework. It establishes a single source of truth for real-time data, enabling precise and accessible information across different business sectors. In UNS, each component—whether Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems (SCADA), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)—is treated as a node within a vast ecosystem. These nodes publish data to UNS, where it can be accessed by other nodes via subscription, simplifying data flow and reducing the need for complex system-to-system connections.

Industrial DataOps is a cutting-edge approach designed to enhance data integration, security, and management, which is crucial for improving data quality and streamlining preparation times across enterprises. This approach has emerged as a vital category of software solutions tailored to the data architectural needs of industrial companies transitioning into Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and smart manufacturing.

Case study: Driving efficiencies, optimizing delivery for a transportation client

Issue
A global transportation client experienced a substantial increase in shipment volume, compelling it to begin nearly 24/7 operations that limited maintenance windows for its facility distribution assets. At the same time, the company faced hiring difficulties and rising wages in the challenging US labor market. The organization needed a predictive maintenance strategy for its facilities to reduce capacity loss, drive efficiencies, and optimize delivery service levels.

Solution
We recognized the importance of adopting a modern architecture strategy to enable the client to scale outcomes, connect disparate systems at different facilities, and merge that industrial data at the edge before sending it to the cloud for analytics. We recommended that the client adopt a Unified Namespace to facilitate its operational industrial data management needs.

This initiative aimed to establish a standardized and centralized data hub across the client’s network. The strategy involved utilizing PLCs and a variety of sensors as data sources, with the intention of processing and merging this data at the edge before its transmission to the cloud.

The architectural framework enabled real-time data processing for multiple facilities at the edge, which was subsequently consolidated at a central location. Thus, individual facilities were linked to a centralized hub encompassing all locations, creating a Unified Namespace.

Impact
This solution allows any system within the network to instantly subscribe to data from different data sources for approximately 25,000 assets spread across more than 40 facilities, facilitating clean and centralized industrial data management. It meets the operational, business, and IT needs for predictive maintenance and has simplified the integration of future use cases.