LUXOFT LABS, A ZIGBEE ALLIANCE MEMBER, SHOWS ITS CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO OPEN STANDARTS BY JOINING OPC FOUNDATION

Already a ZigBee Alliance member, Luxoft Labs’ new affiliation with OPC Foundation demonstrates its long-term strategy, based on open standards. Luxoft Labs recently implemented both ZigBee and OPC technologies in its MeshNeticsTM SensiLink integration platform.

MeshNeticsTM SensiLink is essentially a middleware that integrates wireless sensor networks with various existing or user-defined applications, such as SCADA, HMI, GIS, etc. The sensor data and commands are channeled via one of the gateways (GPRS, RS232 or USB).  This data can be then processed and stored. External applications are connected via one of the three interfaces: OPC Server, Web Services and JAVA API. An operator can easily configure network and data acquisition parameters and manage events via a user-friendly GUI. MeshNeticsTM SensiLink also features distributed intelligence, thanks to the Smart Engine module that performs computations on sensor nodes.

“Our vision is to provide cutting edge wireless sensing technology wrapped into standards-based interface. Our SensiLink integration platform is designed to bridge new wireless technology with the older legacy systems presenting a welcome improvement, instead of a disruptive change” said Vasiliy Suvorov, Managing Director and CTO of Luxoft Labs. “Thanks to the successful implementation of OPC Server, it overcomes the interconnectivity limitation. The data from the wireless sensors can now be integrated into SCADA and HMI systems. Joining OPC Foundation is an important step for us, as we believe that our long-term success depends on our adherence to open standards.”

OPC (Open Connectivity) technology is the non-proprietary automation interconnectivity standard. Frequently compared to Microsoft Windows’ printer drivers, the OPC Specification defines a set of standard interfaces. OPC was designed to enable applications to retrieve information from a broad array of sources, including devices and databases. OPC Server is the hardware driver created to meet the OPC standard.

“The vision of OPC Foundation is to be the foundation for interoperability for moving information vertically from the factory floor through the enterprise of multi-vendor systems,” said Mr. Randy Kondor of MatrikonOPC, the world’s leading developer, trainer and distributor of OPC products. “As an active member of the OPC Foundation, we are pleased to welcome Luxoft Labs as a member. Luxoft is helping to expand the footprint of OPC by now providing access to ZigBee wireless sensor networks and legacy systems, such as SCADA. This is another example of how OPC is providing interoperability between devices on different industrial networks from different vendors.