The Industrial Internet Consortium rebranded as the Industry IoT Consortium in August 2021. The Industry IoT Consortium is a program of the

Object Management Group The Object Management Group (OMG) is a computer industry standards consortium. OMG Task Forces develop enterprise integration standards for a range of technologies. Business activities The goal of the OMG was a common portable and interoperab ...

(OMG). The Industry IoT Consortium (IIC) is an open membership organization, with 159 members as of 27 September 2021. The IIC was formed to accelerate the development, adoption and widespread use of interconnected machines and devices and intelligent analytics. Founded by

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile ...

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...

, IBM, and

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 ser ...

in March 2014, the IIC catalyzes and coordinates the priorities and enabling technologies of the Industrial Internet. In August 2021, the organization changed its mission to deliver transformative business value to industry, organizations, and society by accelerating adoption of a trustworthy internet of things. No products or services are sold. Its current executive director is Richard Soley. Stephen J. Mellor serves as Chief Technical Officer for the Industry IoT Consortium.

History

The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) was founded on 27 March 2014 by

, IBM, and

. Though its parent company is the

, the IIC is not a standards organization. Rather, the consortium was formed to bring together industry players — from multinational corporations, small and large technology innovators to academia and governments — to accelerate the development, adoption and widespread use of Industrial Internet technologies. The mission has changed over the years from a focus on growing an industrial internet market to one more focussed on connectivity and trustworthiness to one focused on digital transformation and deployments. The mission, from August 2020, was "To deliver transformative business value to organizations, industry and society by accelerating adoption of a trustworthy internet of things". Specifically, the IIC members are concerned with creating an

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

for insight and thought leadership, interoperability and security via reference architectures, security frameworks and open standards, and real world implementations to vet technologies and drive innovations (called

testbed A testbed (also spelled test bed) is a platform for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of scientific theories, computational tools, and new technologies. The term is used across many disciplines to describe experimental res ...

s). The IIC Technology Working Group ratified an Industrial Internet reference architecture on 17 June 2015, which defines functional areas and the technologies and standards for them, from sensors to data analytics and business applications.

Testbeds

The development of

s to demonstrate the real-world implementation of Industrial Internet solutions is one of the goals of the IIC. As of September 2021, the Consortium has publicly announced 27 testbeds:

Track and Trace

The Track and Trace testbed brings the Industrial Internet onto the factory floor. The goal is to manage handheld

power tools A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed ...

in manufacturing and maintenance environments. This "management" involves efficiently tracking and tracing the usage of these tools to ensure their proper use, prevent their misuse and collect data on their usage and status. Today's factories are highly sophisticated and require exacting work - down to the precise amount of force used to tighten a screw. The tools in Track and Trace will be able to determine its precise location and use and, therefore, will be able to determine the force and work needed to complete a task. In addition, if a tool recognizes that it is being misused, it will promptly power down to avoid accident or injury. Finally, over the two-year project, the testbed participants will look to fine-tune the localization of tools to 30 centimeters, and ideally down to five centimeters. Currently, the accuracy is approximately one meter. These features of Track and Trace will contribute to the safety and quality of the goods produced, as well as increase productivity in manufacturing. Over the two-year project, four Industrial Internet Consortium members will be lending their expertise to the testbed. Bosch is supplying the necessary software;

is taking care of the precision location identification feature;

National Instruments National Instruments Corporation, doing business as NI, is an American multinational company with international operation. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. C ...

will interconnect the power tools; and

Tech Mahindra Tech Mahindra is an Indian multinational information technology services and consulting company. Part of the Mahindra Group, the company is headquartered in Pune and has its registered office in Mumbai. Tech Mahindra is a 6.0 billion comp ...

is responsible for the application programming.

Communication & Control Testbed For Microgrid Applications

The Communication & Control Testbed for

Microgrid A microgrid is a local electrical grid with defined electrical boundaries, acting as a single and controllable entity. It is able to operate in grid-connected and in island mode.

Applications brings the Industrial Internet to the energy industry. The testbed proposes redesigning the traditional power grid system into a series of microgrids. Microgrids rely on distributed energy generation making them more resilient to power outages. Additionally, microgrids aid in the integration of green energy sources, such as solar and wind. The goal of the testbed is to prove the viability of a real-time, secure databus to facilitate

machine-to-machine Machine to machine (M2M) is direct communication between devices using any communications channel, including wired and wireless. Machine to machine communication can include industrial instrumentation, enabling a sensor or meter to communicate th ...

, machine-to-control center, and machine-to-cloud data communications. It will combine distributed, edge-located processing and control applications with intelligent analytics. It will run in real-world power applications and interface with practical equipment. This testbed is a collaborative effort from IIC members Real-Time Innovations,

, and

. There will also be collaboration with

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Overview Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak generation in ...

and the Standard Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) to ensure a coordinated, accepted architecture.

Asset Efficiency Testbed

Many industries have assets that are critical to their business processes. Availability and efficiency of these assets directly impact service and business. Using

predictive analytics Predictive analytics encompasses a variety of statistical techniques from data mining, predictive modeling, and machine learning that analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future or otherwise unknown events. In busine ...

, the Asset Efficiency Testbed aims to collect real-time asset information efficiently and accurately and run analytics to make the right decisions in terms of operations, maintenance, overhaul and asset replacement.

Infosys Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational information technology company that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. The company was founded in Pune and is headquartered in Bangalore. Infosys is ...

, a member of the Industrial Internet Consortium, is leading this project, with contribution from Consortium members Bosch,

, IBM,

, and PTC. Asset Efficiency is a vertical testbed, making it possible for the testbed to be applied to multiple solutions. The testbed will launch in two phases. In the first phase, the testbed will be created for a moving solution, in this case, aircraft landing gear. The focus of this phase will be on the creation of

stack Stack may refer to: Places * Stack Island, an island game reserve in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia, in Tasmania’s Hunter Island Group * Blue Stack Mountains, in Co. Donegal, Ireland People * Stack (surname) (including a list of people ...

and the integration of technologies. In the second phase, the testbed will address

fixed assets A fixed asset, also known as long-lived assets or property, plant and equipment (PP&E), is a term used in accounting for assets and property that may not easily be converted into cash. Fixed assets are different from current assets, such as cas ...

, like chillers, with the goals of finalizing the architecture and opening up the interfaces. The Asset Efficiency Testbed monitors, controls and optimizes the assets holistically taking into consideration operational, energy, maintenance, service, and information efficiency and enhance their performance utilization.

Edge Intelligence Testbed

Many emerging industrial

IoT The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other comm ...

applications require coordinated, real-time analytics at the "edge", using algorithms that require a scale of computation and data volume/velocity previously seen only in the

data center A data center (American English) or data centre (British English)See spelling differences. is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommun ...

. Frequently, the networks connecting these machines do not provide sufficient capability, bandwidth, reliability, or cost structure to enable analytics-based control or coordination algorithms to run in a separate location from the machines. Industrial Internet Consortium members

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...

and Real-Time Innovation have joined on the Edge Intelligence Testbed. The primary objective of the Edge Intelligence Testbed is to significantly accelerate the development of edge architectures and algorithms by removing the barriers that many developers face: access to a wide variety of advanced compute hardware and software configurable to directly resemble state-of-the-art edge systems at very low cost to the tester/developer.

Factory Operations Visibility & Intelligence Testbed

The Factory Operations Visibility & Intelligence (FOVI) Testbed makes it possible to simulate a factory environment in order to visualize results that can then be used to determine how the process can be optimized. The work on FOVI stems from two separate Operations Visibility and Intelligence applications in two factories in Japan: one for notebook computers and another for network appliances. Both use cases have a lot in common with respect to processing data, analytics, and visualization technologies. Ideally they should use a common software foundation while their future evolution requires a more

open architecture Open architecture is a type of computer architecture or software architecture intended to make adding, upgrading, and swapping components with other computers easy. For example, the IBM PC, Amiga 500 and Apple IIe have an open architecture supp ...

. Work on the testbed will be led by Industrial Internet Consortium member Fujitsu Limited with Industrial Internet Consortium founding member,

, collaborating on the in-factory testbed edge infrastructure.

High Speed Network Infrastructure Testbed

The High-Speed Network Infrastructure testbed will introduce high-speed fiber optic lines to support Industrial Internet initiatives. The network will transfer data at 100 gigabits per second to support seamless machine-2-machines communications and data transfer across connected control systems, big infrastructure products, and manufacturing plants. The 100 gigabit capability extends to the wireless edge, allowing the testbed leaders to provide more data and analytical results to mobile users through advanced communication techniques. Industrial Internet Consortium founder,

, is leading efforts by installing the networking lines at its Global Research Center.

- also a founder of the Consortium - contributed its expertise to the project by providing the infrastructure needed to give the network its national reach. Industrial Internet Consortium members

Accenture Accenture plc is an Irish-American professional services company based in Dublin, specializing in information technology (IT) services and consulting. A ''Fortune'' Global 500 company, it reported revenues of $61.6 billion in 2022. Accentu ...

and Bayshore Networks are currently demonstrating the application of the High-Speed Network Infrastructure for power generation.

Industrial Digital Thread Testbed

The Industrial Digital Thread (IDT) testbed drives efficiency, speed, and flexibility through

digitization DigitizationTech Target. (2011, April). Definition: digitization. ''WhatIs.com''. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-r ...

and

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

of manufacturing processes and procedures. Beginning at design, the seamless digital integration of design systems into manufacturing, leveraging the

model-based enterprise Model-based enterprise (MBE) is a term used in manufacturing, to describe a strategy where an annotated digital three-dimensional (3D) model of a product serves as the authoritative information source for all activities in that product's lifecycle. ...

, helps to enable virtual manufacturing before even one physical part is created. Sensor enabled automation, manufacturing processes, procedures, and machine data will enable optimization in operations and supply chain. Once the manufacturing process is complete, the digital ‘birth certificate’ (as built-signature) can then be compared to the as-designed engineering intention. This provides the opportunity for powerful big data analytics to enable service teams and field engineers to have better awareness, insights, and practical actions to improve the servicing and maintenance of critical assets. The Industrial Digital Thread is a complex and comprehensive concept and it will be implemented in multiple phases. Phase 1 focuses on assembling the software stack, establishing the architecture and connectivity, and addressing one use case around premature wear. Throughout Phase 1, the testbed will be run by IIC members

and

. In subsequent phases, this testbed will be able to support multiple use cases in design, manufacturing, services and supply-chain optimization. At this time, additional members will be invited to join.

INFINITE Testbed

The goal of the International Future Industrial Internet Testbed (INFINITE) is to develop software-defined

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

s to drive the growth of Industrial Internet products and services. INFINITE uses

Big Data Though used sometimes loosely partly because of a lack of formal definition, the interpretation that seems to best describe Big data is the one associated with large body of information that we could not comprehend when used only in smaller am ...

to not only create completely virtual domains with Software-Defined Networking, but it also makes it possible for multiple virtual domains to securely run via one physical network - thus making it ideal for use in mission critical systems. Even more interesting, INFINITE makes it possible to connect to these virtual domains through mobile networks. Industrial Internet Consortium member,

EMC Corporation Dell EMC (EMC Corporation until 2016) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and Round Rock, Texas, United States. Dell EMC sells data storage, information security, virtualization, analytics, clo ...

, is leading the INFINITE testbed. Also contributing their expertise to this project is Industrial Internet Consortium member

Cork Institute of Technology Cork Institute of Technology (CIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Chorcaí) was an institute of technology, located in Cork, Ireland. Upon its dissolution, the institute had 17,000 students studying in art, business, engineering, music, dra ...

, as well as

Vodafone Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vod ...

, the Irish Government Networks, Asavie and Cork Internet Exchange. The testbed will unfold in two phases in Ireland. In Phase One, three geographically dispersed

s will be interconnected into a reconfigured EMC network. In Phase Two, INFINITE will be applied to a use case called "Bluelight". Bluelight will allow ambulances to securely connect to a hospital's system and relay information while en route, so hospital staff are prepared to take over the care of the patient once the ambulance arrives. The INFINITE testbed is open to any Industrial Internet Consortium member as well as interested nonmembers companies who have a concept for an IoT-enabled solution that requires mobile communication and a dynamic configuration environment.

Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance Testbed

The Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance Testbed (CM/PM) will demonstrate the value and benefits of continuously monitoring industrial equipment to detect early signs of performance degradation or failure. CM/PM will also use modern analytical technologies to allow organizations to not only detect problems but proactively recommend actions for operations and maintenance personnel to correct the problem.

Condition Monitoring Condition monitoring (colloquially, CM) is the process of monitoring a parameter of condition in machinery (vibration, temperature etc.), in order to identify a significant change which is indicative of a developing fault. It is a major component o ...

(CM) is the use of sensors in equipment to gather data and enable users to centrally monitor the data in real-time.

Predictive Maintenance Predictive maintenance techniques are designed to help determine the condition of in-service equipment in order to estimate when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintena ...

(PM) applies analytical models and rules against the data to proactively predict an impending issue; then deliver recommendations to operations, maintenance and IT departments to address the issue. These capabilities enable new ways to monitor the operation of the equipment - such as turbines and generators - and processes and to adopt proactive maintenance and repair procedures rather than fixed schedule-based procedures, potentially saving money on maintenance and repair, and saving cost and lost productivity of downtime caused by equipment failures. Furthermore, combining sensor data from multiple pieces of equipment and/or multiple processes can provide deeper insight into the overall impact of faulty or sub-optimal equipment, allowing organizations to identify and resolve problems before they impact operations and improve the quality and efficiency of industrial processes. Through this testbed, the testbed leaders IBM and

will explore the application of a variety of analytics technologies for

condition monitoring Condition monitoring (colloquially, CM) is the process of monitoring a parameter of condition in machinery (vibration, temperature etc.), in order to identify a significant change which is indicative of a developing fault. It is a major component o ...

and

predictive maintenance Predictive maintenance techniques are designed to help determine the condition of in-service equipment in order to estimate when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintena ...

. The testbed application will initially be deployed to a

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

facility where performance and progress will be reported on, additional energy equipment will be added, and new models will be developed. It will then be expanded to adjacent, as yet to be determined, industries. Smart Airline Baggage Management Testbed
The Smart Airline Baggage Management testbed
part of a broader aviation ecosystem vision, is aimed at reducing the instances of delayed, damaged and lost bags leading to lower economic risk exposure to the airlines; increasing the ability to track and report on baggage including location and weight changes to prevent theft and loss; and improve customer satisfaction through better communication including offering new value-added services to frequent flyers. The testbed is also aimed at helping airlines address the new baggage handling requirements set out by ''IATA in Resolution 753'' requiring airlines to implement more comprehensive acquisition and delivery solutions for baggage tracking and handling by June 2018. This target is also outlined in the broader IATA 2015 White Paper titled “Simplifying the Business.”

Working Groups

As of September 2021, the IIC has six working groups. They are: Technology, Security, Liaison, Marketing, Industry and Digital Transformation. The last two reflect the drive to enable technology end users to deploy technology in their businesses and transform them digitally. (The Industry Working Group used to be called the Testbed Working Group, but now includes test drives and challenges, and groups focused on specific verticals. The Digital Transformation Working Group used to be named Business Strategy and Solution Lifecycle, but has now broadened its remit.) Each working has a number of subgroups to further specific challenges. Each IIC member company can assign company representatives to these groups.

References

External links

*{{Official website, iiconsortium.org 2014 establishments in Massachusetts Consortia in the United States Industrial computing Internet-related organizations Needham, Massachusetts Organizations established in 2014 Technology consortia