How an API is driving the evolution of Industrial DataOps
John Harrington
is the Chief Product Officer of HighByte, focused on defining the company’s business and product strategy. His areas of responsibility include product management, customer success, partner success, and go-to-market strategy. John is passionate about delivering technology that improves productivity and safety in manufacturing and industrial environments. John received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Business Administration from Babson College.
Ever since the first release of HighByte Intelligence Hub in 2020, HighByte has developed the solution to meet the industrial data integration needs of today’s industrial customers and tomorrow’s market requirements. The first version of the Intelligence Hub was a client-based application that collected and published contextualized data to any consuming system. As Industry 4.0 leaders began to integrate more systems and assets into their ecosystems, data consumers needed better data visibility and access. The consumers wanted to be able to see all available information, so they could access exactly what they needed. To deliver this visibility and access, we embedded an MQTT broker into the Intelligence Hub, giving administrators the necessary tools to build a Unified Namespace (UNS) that would allow consumers to easily subscribe to the information they desired.
With changing needs in mind, in May 2023, we took the next step in the evolution of the Intelligence Hub, adding the ability to request data on-demand through the Intelligence Hub with a built-in REST Data Server. This addition allows users to request time series, transactional, or master data from systems through a single, simple API.
With changing needs in mind, in May 2023, we took the next step in the evolution of the Intelligence Hub, adding the ability to request data on-demand through the Intelligence Hub with a built-in REST Data Server. This addition allows users to request time series, transactional, or master data from systems through a single, simple API.
Intelligence Hub Version 3.1 Gets RESTful
The Intelligence Hub has long been able to easily interface with external application and service APIs, bridging gaps between disparate systems. The new REST Data Server allows external applications and services to access the Intelligence Hub as an API to request data, extending the Intelligence Hub’s existing functionality. Essentially, the Intelligence Hub can now normalize industrial data access for any application or service through a single REST client.
Beyond the broad idea of reaching more of the industrial data infrastructure, embedding a REST API unlocks meaningful functionality for many Intelligence Hub users. Some integrations are simpler and function better when driven by the data consumer rather than the producer. For example, an application may need specific data on demand or if it detects that some event has happened. In such cases, the application integration is significantly simpler when it can request the data it needs instead of waiting for an integration on the producer side to trigger and send the necessary data. For custom applications, IT middleware, real-time business intelligence, and advanced MES applications, the ability to request data is a critical need the Intelligence Hub now fulfills.
But the REST Data Server doesn’t just expose raw data values. It also exposes Intelligence Hub data sets merged together and transformed through model instances, providing contextualized data sets that further the scope of the Intelligence Hub across the enterprise. Acting as an API gateway that both reads from and writes to Operational Technology (OT) systems, the Intelligence Hub grants applications, services, and users easy access to fully modeled OT data without ever needing to reach underlying systems. In granting this access, the REST Data Server allows the Intelligence Hub to act as an interface for industrial data from disparate devices and applications, no matter what or where they are.
By introducing the REST Data Server, the Intelligence Hub is creating new levels of access to the industrial data infrastructure. The server provides broad access to connected systems across IT and OT domains and gives users new means to explore, browse, and retrieve data from the various applications and assets that comprise their infrastructure.
Beyond the broad idea of reaching more of the industrial data infrastructure, embedding a REST API unlocks meaningful functionality for many Intelligence Hub users. Some integrations are simpler and function better when driven by the data consumer rather than the producer. For example, an application may need specific data on demand or if it detects that some event has happened. In such cases, the application integration is significantly simpler when it can request the data it needs instead of waiting for an integration on the producer side to trigger and send the necessary data. For custom applications, IT middleware, real-time business intelligence, and advanced MES applications, the ability to request data is a critical need the Intelligence Hub now fulfills.
But the REST Data Server doesn’t just expose raw data values. It also exposes Intelligence Hub data sets merged together and transformed through model instances, providing contextualized data sets that further the scope of the Intelligence Hub across the enterprise. Acting as an API gateway that both reads from and writes to Operational Technology (OT) systems, the Intelligence Hub grants applications, services, and users easy access to fully modeled OT data without ever needing to reach underlying systems. In granting this access, the REST Data Server allows the Intelligence Hub to act as an interface for industrial data from disparate devices and applications, no matter what or where they are.
By introducing the REST Data Server, the Intelligence Hub is creating new levels of access to the industrial data infrastructure. The server provides broad access to connected systems across IT and OT domains and gives users new means to explore, browse, and retrieve data from the various applications and assets that comprise their infrastructure.
Wrap Up and Additional Resources
From the outset, the Intelligence Hub has proven to be a step change for the Industrial DataOps market at large, and the addition of the REST Data Server pushes this even further. In just 3 short years, the Intelligence Hub has gone from data publishing alone to publish, subscribe, and request. Those three capabilities working in conjunction provide the most extensive accessibility to industrial data, breaking down the barriers between systems and users.
Industry 4.0 use cases are growing more sophisticated by the day, yielding more impressive outcomes and requiring more from the solutions used to build them. The addition of the Intelligence Hub REST Data Server reflects this need, allowing for the delivery of ad-hoc standardized data when, where, and how it’s most needed. If any application or business user needs a specific dataset, the REST Data Server can provide secure, instant access.
To learn more and see the REST Data Server in action, I recommend you:
As the needs of industrial customers continue to expand and evolve, you can be sure that we will continue to expand and evolve with them. Please contact us to share your feedback on the Intelligence Hub or request time with our team.
Industry 4.0 use cases are growing more sophisticated by the day, yielding more impressive outcomes and requiring more from the solutions used to build them. The addition of the Intelligence Hub REST Data Server reflects this need, allowing for the delivery of ad-hoc standardized data when, where, and how it’s most needed. If any application or business user needs a specific dataset, the REST Data Server can provide secure, instant access.
To learn more and see the REST Data Server in action, I recommend you:
- Read the product announcement.
- Learn more about the release of HighByte Intelligence Hub version 3.1, including the REST Data Server.
- See a 15-minute demonstration of the REST Data Server in this video created by HighByte CTO Aron Semle.
- Watch the on-demand broadcast with the HighByte team, featuring product details on the REST Data Server and other new capabilities.
As the needs of industrial customers continue to expand and evolve, you can be sure that we will continue to expand and evolve with them. Please contact us to share your feedback on the Intelligence Hub or request time with our team.
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