Trustworthy Sensor Data-As-A-Service

Sensor data should be saving you and your business at least hundreds of thousand dollars by improving your operational safety, productivity and product quality — but is it really?

The challenge: Companies must understand that while costly to maintain, accurate sensor data gives back value for money

From manufacturing firms and multinational companies to tech start-ups and small and mid-size enterprises, many industries have adapted the use of sensors and their data to improve daily operations. These sensors are crucial to industrial processes to run smoothly and safely.

However, despite their usefulness and convenience, sensor data still presents a myriad of challenges to its users. Sensors that show misconfigured or inconsistent data could lead to unplanned downtime and revenue loss. This could be fixed with the addition of built-in redundancies - for instance a secondary sensor to monitor a primary sensor for the same critical process parameter - to mitigate the risk of a single sensor failure. Such a move, in turn, does not scale to the complexity and dynamic nature of today’s sensor networks and tends to be costly to maintain and implement in the long run. 

Large institutions like multinational companies or global refinery complexes require more intricate sensor networks to cover the different areas of their operation and run on varied protocols. To ensure reliable sensor data, they often allocate a significant yearly budget for sensor maintenance and also adhere to a rigorous schedule which involves regular lab sampling and in-situ measurement by calibrated handheld probe. To reduce their operational costs (which could be as high as 30%), they need a solution which is scalable, applicable to different types of sensors and interoperable across all installations through industrial standard protocols. 

So what can you do for your organisation? You need to trust your sensor data and be confident that the decisions you’re making based on sensor data are the right ones. TÜV  SÜD’s new run-time sensor network verification system can assist your organisation with that.

Trustworthy Sensor Data-as-a-Service

TÜV SÜD’s Trustworthy Sensor Data-as-a-Service is committed to help your organisation to be cost-efficient in running sensor networks while also ensuring that your sensors are properly working within your system. Whether it’s robotics, AGVs, Internet of Things (IoT), Building Management System (BMS), or other smart systems, we’ll keep your sensors properly calibrated and ensure high-fidelity sensor data for your operational safety and process reliability. Moreover, you can review the comprehensive reports and real-time notifications about the system’s health that will be sent consistently.

At TÜV SÜD, we offer efficiency, transparency, and consistency with our Trustworthy Sensor Data-as-a-Service. 

TÜV SÜD's efficient, transparent, and real-time sensor data service

Runtime Verification - Evaluating sensor data efficiently

We perform verifications of sensor readings and system working states at run time, while also generating trustworthiness scores for each sensor data stream for easier visualisation and prediction of possible system-level impact.

Transparent - Complying with existing systems and industry standards

We ensure transparency that will not disrupt operations but instead work in parallel to your organisation’s system or IoT platform. This service also guarantees that sensor readings are streamed through credible industrial protocols like OPC-UA and Modbus.

Real-time Notification - Providing real-time updates consistently

We provide real-time notifications to keep you abreast of new sensor network updates. You can access these notifications through various configurable channels including email, SMS, and mobile app service.

TÜV SÜD and Our Trustworthy Sensor Data-as-a-Service in Action

1. In a project with a global pharma manufacturer to establish a digital greenfield facility, the company needed sensor data to meet their target quality and productivity levels, to submit regulation-required reports, and to smoothly run their advanced manufacturing process monitoring and control tools.
   
   However, such requirements called for the sensors’ frequent calibration and maintenance, resulting in high costs. But if they cut back on expenses, their systems would be at risk of inaccurate and unreliable sensor data.
   
   TÜV SÜD provided a solution with a trustworthy sensor network framework that conducted a thorough risk assessment of their existing system, recommended redundant and soft sensors, and installed a new software system that calculated a quantitative confidence score for each sensor reading at run-time.
   
   
2. In another project with the government to green Singapore’s buildings, there was a need to focus on energy efficiency but also maintain indoor air quality. To control ventilation and energy consumed, buildings installed demand-controlled ventilation systems. This relies heavily on the accuracy and reliability of the CO2 sensors deployed within the building.
   
   To ensure the accuracy of CO2 sensors, TÜV SÜD developed a software system that calculated the sensor data’s reliability remotely and autonomously, isolated faulty sensors, provided timely updates on calibration needs and provision of ‘corrected’ data till the next sensor calibration is scheduled. 

In both cases, TÜV SÜD provided a solution that was both flexible and scalable according to regulatory requirements and the clients’ needs now and in the future.