Thingworx – Industrial IOT Platform
In this tutorial, we will learn about Thingworx – Industrial IOT Platform. Let’s start!!!
IoT platform
Iot stands for internet of things. These devices are capable of sensing information, connecting with other devices and sending this information to a central repository. IoT platforms help us connect to a range of devices such as development boards, microprocessors, sensors and so on. IoT platforms act as a mediator to connect these devices to each other and to pass and receive information from these various devices.
The IoT platform helps us in processing the incoming data, build logic rules and take vital decisions on the basis of incoming data. These decisions are sent back to the edge devices via the Iot platform. Finally, it also saves the data so the user can perform further analysis on the data and save it for future references. Iot platforms must also integrate with third party vendors that further up the game of IoT.
Thingworx
Thingworx is one of the leading IoT platforms available in the market today. It helps us connect to different edge devices. It helps in data analysis and in visualizing the data. Also, it can integrate with augmented reality to offer a thrilling experience to the end-user.
Thingworx can build reusable data models and other kinds of integration with third-party systems. Thingworx also offers systems to secure your entire application to offer a safe and secure experience to the user. Thingworx helps in remotely managing the devices and it opens up so many other opportunities.
What can you do with thingworx?
The Thingworx platform makes it easier and faster to realize efficiency and to reduce risk in your operation in all kinds of domains. The industries are constantly generating operation data and over time it becomes difficult to acquire and make sense of the data.
Thingworx makes it easy to source incorporated and aggregated data from anywhere and understand it across various production lines.
Thingworx allows you to structure and understand that data in such a way that it makes sense in the industrial IoT. We can gain insights about our personal assets and control behavior and outcomes accordingly.
IoT synthes helps us answer difficult questions about the organization, a product line, a process or an operational unit. Thingworx also provides easy-to-use tools to apply machine learning to the data. These possibilities allow you to answer tons of questions about your organization.
By automatically identifying statistical patterns and relationships that boost the performance we can create operational models on the basis of historical data. We can also predict what will happen with the input of a recommendation that optimizes the likelihood of desired outcomes based on noticing patterns.
Thingworx allows you to automate processes that build systems and enhance the organization. It solves challenges such as managing different sources of data, connecting assets, and factories, connecting products in the field that challenge growth exponentially.
It contains facilities whose designs are specifically for managing and orchestration across devices, processes and business systems. Thingworx makes data access easy. It allows people to make smarter decisions and execute informed actions, to engage with the connected systems, and to use all the insightful information to build a more successful organization.
These capabilities enable connected users to gain access to relevant and compelling information through an application on smartphones or on desktops. Thingworx is changing the way we are building, selling, and servicing the products we build.
Components
How does PTC thingworx work?
- PTC thingworx is an application for developing industrial IoT software projects. PTC makes use of the KepserverEx to establish connections. It uses Cloud services and APIS to connect devices. Thingworx Edge MicroServer is used to offer communication via both ways between the Thingworx server and edge devices. Users are free to choose their public cloud from Amazon Azure or Amazon Web Services. These clouds connect devices, send data from one point to another, and offer networks.
- The utilities available in thingworx manage the performance and the delivery of the devices. The utilities offer developers a platform to design and create business processes.
- Thingworx provides analytics for adapting, monitoring, optimizing, and predicting.
Components of thingworx
The PTC thingworx platform consists of the following 6 important components:
1. Thingworx foundation
The platform is capable of connecting the rest of the components including model-based applications and application development tools. It offers services such as privacy and DevOps. Thingworx foundation Edge comprises an edge microserver and a software development tool kit.
2. Thingworx Utilities
This allows the users to create, monitor and manage business processes, products and organisations. We can reuse the resulting outcomes in other business decisions, that is, they are reusable IoT projects.
3. Thingworx analytics
As the name suggests, it offers a predictive analysis that helps users to make better decisions and manage their plans accordingly. The software notes patterns on real-time information. The tools also help monitor devices to predict outcomes and similar patterns. In addition, the reason for certain outcomes is quantifiable.
Finally, the other components are Kepware KepServerEx Vuforia which is a form of technology for augmented or virtual reality support.
4. Thingworx core
The core allows users to operate and work with the internet of things and the edge devices. We can use the application to manipulate sensors and other sorts of electronic devices. Software objects represent the IoT devices and everything and it also represents the data and properties in great detail. Users can also use the platform to create projects and build applications such as trackers, home automation systems and so on.
Thingworx composer and mashup builder are two of its components that can be used to define the relationship and begabour of the IoT devices and projects.
5. Thingworx edge
This serves as a platform. It offers deployable technology for communication. It allows communication between sensors, actuators, and other edge devices. This component is independent of the network, it is safe and reliable.
6. Thingworx connection services
These services offer a mode of communication between various IoT based devices. It helps users to monitor their assets remotely and hassle-free. They are responsible for sending and receiving messages from the routers and offer translation when required.
Features of PTC thingworx
1. This largely improves customer service and interaction to offer a remembering user experience
2. It fully makes use of the various opportunities of IoT ecosystem
3. It increases the net profit gains of any establishment
4. This automates and increases optimization of any business to the core.
5. This fulfils the specific purpose of deploying and developing IoT devices to enhance the revenues of any organization.
6. It is easier to deploy sensors, develop software and does not require developers to write huge lines of code.
7. It offers flexibility by allowing developers to integrate to multiple cloud platforms. Thingworx can connect user data to anywhere and provides data to any user application of any nearby device.
Thingworx studio
The thingworx studio creates a simple to use and easy platform to work with IoT projects and devices. It simplifies the user experience. It provides its users a clear view of the statistics regarding their virtual and physical products. This does not require the user to write lines of code and provides 2D, 3D and AR services.
Thingworx IoT interface
In order to get started with thingworx, you must first understand the basic terms it uses regularly. On the screen you can locate a menu to create and build entities.
“Entity” could be labelled as anything you create in the interface particularly meaning an object. Users can also import files and add additional changes to those files on the thingworx IoT interface. You will notice the entity group label in the left menu. This can be used to visualise data, create statistics and generate models.
Within the menu, wou will also notice the modelling category. To start off, you must create an entity. The entity could be any piece of code or hardware details. For example, a sensor that senses the change in temperature.
Your activities or changes could trigger a set of moves that respond to the changes in the devices.
IoT thingworx programming concepts
Thingworx uses object-oriented programming concepts to construct specific tool skills and user interfaces. The Thing Shapes in thingworx could be seen as an “abstract class” where the user can register their desired parameters, methods and components.
Templates are used to implement the Thing Shapes. As we know that child classes can extend from an abstract class, we can create similar instances of the classes using the Thing Templates.
Summary
This was all about Thingworx platform of IOT. Hope you liked the description.