This COMPORT project is a technological innovation initiative of Gaiastech, the innovation space of the Xunta de Galicia. It is also part of the Conecta Hubs 2021 program, funded by the Axencia Galega de Innovación (GAIN) and has the financial support of the European Union (co-financed by FEDER funds under the Feder Galicia 2014-2020 operational program). It also receives support from the Second Vice-Presidency and of the Department of Presidency, Justice and Sports of the Xunta de Galicia.
Situm, together with Quobis, Sixtema, Torusware and Edigal, has been developing the COMPORT project for two years. This project aims to develop an industrial software platform based on the Internet of Things paradigm for industry, enabling the optimization of industrial processes with real-time communications as a vehicle for informed and effective decision-making.
First year: implementation of indoor location
During the first year, Situm assessed and specified its use cases through common and individualized meetings with the other participant companies. We collaborated with EDIGAL, visiting their facilities, analyzing the daily fieldwork of factory operators, and deploying Situm’s indoor location technology in their facilities.
In addition, in collaboration with Dimensiona, we developed an initial geospatial analysis that allows us to calculate the use of each area of the factory for its subsequent correlation with the expected uptake. In collaboration with Prefapp, we have used state-of-the-art tools for ingesting, processing, and analyzing massive data in real time. Finally, in collaboration with CITIC, we made progress on a tool that allows us to carry out different analyses to maintain the performance of a future localization system that is expected to not require calibration. Specifically, it measures the positioning convergence time and error, which is critical for the new system to operate properly in these environments.
Year 2: the use of geospatial analytics
During the 2022 annuity, in collaboration with Dimensiona, we generate a second geo-analytic: total hours a user is stationary versus in motion. A user is stationary when their geolocation does not change significantly over a period of time. This metric is important to determine and optimize the uptime of the environment: e.g., certain operators are expected to spend most of their shift in one area and not move too much (which could mean logistical inefficiency).
This new KPI is highly granular, allowing it to filter by time (date/hour), by work shift and even perform disaggregated calculations by area and operator. In collaboration with Prefapp, we have used state-of-the-art tools for ingesting, processing, and analyzing massive data in real-time that allow us to generate this type of analytics in real-time too.
During this year, we also deployed a new location system that does not require calibration in Edigal’s facilities. This system allows us to obtain the geolocation inside the building without calibration by simply indicating where the BLE beacons have been installed on a map (via a user-friendly web interface). In addition, we are expanding the database on which the tests are carried out. In collaboration with CITIC, we are analyzing the quality of this system, demonstrating the feasibility of its use in this type of environment.
In addition, we have collaborated with CITIC to generate new metrics (and validate those already developed using real data captured in 2022) to analyze the sensitivity of the signal models and the new positioning system. Based on the results obtained, we optimized the system’s operation and concluded that this new system is suitable for this type of environment.
For the remainder of the project, Situm will continue to work on improving the location system adapted to industrial environments, with an emphasis on the generation of data and analytics to analyze and improve the efficiency of industrial processes.