GE Predix

Predix is the cloud platform for the industrial Internet which is specially developed by GE company for satisfaction of needs for complex and fast analysis of Big Data in the industry on condition of observance of all requirements of cyber security. The sensors installed on the equipment connected to a system collect large volumes of information which are stored within the single protected cloud platform. The software of APM based on Predix uses the advanced system of predictive analytics for studying of data, detection and diagnostics of faults that increases reliability and availability of power assets at simultaneous cutting of costs for their operation and service. APM provides increase in operational efficiency due to consolidation of separate data sources in a common information space and uses of the advanced means of the analysis for adoption of the correct solutions in control of the equipment. The digital solution APM is intended for the analysis of all crucial assets of the power facility (fixed, rotating and the unrotative equipment) any producers (both to GE, and third-party) for separate power plant or the whole complex of installed capacities.

GE Predix, 2017

GE Predix the General approach - connection of units to a cloud and remote control

Examples of use:

• forecast job analysis of the equipment in real time
• preventive analytics
• operational production management
• storage and processing of technology data
• optimization of technology process
• maintenance and repair of industrial equipment

History

2017

Predix SDK for iOS is developed

On October 18, 2017 Apple and General Electric (GE) announced cooperation within which the American corporations will be engaged in development of the software for control of power plants and jet engines by means of mobile devices. Such software will be created by both the companies, and third-party developers.

Apple and GE create software for control of power plants and jet engines on iPhone

Joint efforts of Apple and GE created the tools for developers (Predix SDK for iOS) simplifying interaction of mobile operating system Apple iOS and an industrial cloud platform of GE Predix. The packet of Predix SDK for IOS will be available to downloading on October 26, 2017.

Thanks to Predix data on operation of wind power stations, jet engines, elevators and other industrial equipment arrive on the server on which are analyzed to predict possible failure in operation of the equipment or to make it more economic.

At the expense of the new software developed with assistance of Apple, information arriving with Predix will be available to the heads of the enterprises and power plants who are on places who directly work with the equipment of GE, the executive vice president for a global ecosystem and partners of division of GE Digital Kevin Ichhpurani in an interview to Reuters agency told.

For example, the chief of power plant will be able to define the best time of shutdown of the generator for routine maintenance. At the same time he will see all data on functioning of the equipment on the iPhone display or iPad and also will be able to use gadgets for fast sending messages, photos from an object and even to make video calls if necessary, Ichpurani reported. "These decisions can be made at power plant or the plant, but not at office" — he added.

Before GE placed the Asset Performance Management application which helps industrial enterprises to increase reliability and stability of operation of the equipment in the App Store online directory, cutting down at the same time expenses on maintenance and risk management of transactions. This solution was implemented, in particular, by the large energy company Exelon which at the expense of Asset Performance Management improved operability of the equipment and overall performance.

Within the agreement with Apple the GE company is going to make iPhone and iPad standard mobile devices for 330 thousand employees and to offer them desktop computers Mac as an alternative Windows- to systems.

The benefit of Apple from the transaction with GE consists in increase in number of corporate clients among whom the Californian giant will be able to advance the Predix platform. Specialists in sales of Apple will be trained, Predix connected with opportunities, and will begin to offer this software complete with IOS-DEVICES, the vice president for sales of products of Apple Susan Prescott noted.

"Our clients are even more often forced to supply the workers with mobile technologies. Working together, GE and Apple will provide to the industrial companies access to powerful applications which will help them to use possibilities of forecasting and data analysis of Predix directly on the iPhone or iPad" — the head of GE John Flannery said.[1]

As notes Reuters in the publication of October 18, 2017, for the last few years Apple signed agreements on cooperation in business market with such large companies as Accenture, IBM, Cisco, Deloitte and SAP. Thanks to these partner communications it was succeeded to create a set of business applications for IOS-ELECTRONICS and to simplify their use in the organizations and at the enterprises. According to the forecast of GE, software will help concern to receive $12 billion digital revenue by 2020.^[2]

Partnership of GE Aviation and Teradata

The companies GE Aviation also Teradata announced in October, 2017 the conclusion of strategic partnership. Its purpose is consolidation of efforts in achievement of business challenges on the basis of analytics of data.

Within partnership of GE and Teradata will provide jointly the products and services for the market of commercial air transportation based on technologies of processing and data analysis. Strategic cooperation will be implemented within the joint marketing campaigns, sales, service support and different services based on infrastructure of both companies. As a result of the company are going to provide to the market the fully completed solution easy for implementation and scaling corresponding to the current tasks of air transportation.

Combining business operations, assets and GE Aviation networks with competences Teradata in analytics of data on consumers, sales, marketing and support of a back office, it will be possible to create a simple ecosystem in deployment, scaling and use. For example, situations with unplanned changes in the schedule of runs and with delays of runs will be solved GE with a support on competences of management of client experience from Teradata.

Such combination will allow to make all process of management of transfers of time of departures more transparent thanks to inclusion in it of information on accounting of spare parts, logistic data, schedules and an available reserve of employees. Other significant business results within partnership will be shown in a broad spectrum of scenarios of interaction – from quality improvement of management of runs and forecast maintenance before the general increase in operational efficiency of carriers and growth of level of customer satisfaction.

The department of the digital solutions GE Aviation creates industry applications on the basis of the Predix platform which is corporate development of the company for industry Internet of Things. It is the platform for development of edge-to-cloud allowing to integrate data on operation of engines, the onboard systems and the current utilization properties in a single continuous flow for the analysis and receiving a reliable picture in real time.

Use of these analytical tools in combination with the software from Teradata allows to receive the most flexible, scalable and productive solution in the market. These functions are extremely demanded in the world industry of air transportation where amount of data can reach several exabytes a year. Technologies of both companies perfectly answer work tasks in clouds and have the built-in support of solutions of large vendors of both local, and public cloud environments.

2016: Predix prepared for Azure

On July 19, 2016 GE and Microsoft announced the beginning of cooperation which will make the Predix platform available of Microsoft Azure cloud. The version for developers should be expected at the end of 2016, and to commercial implementation of Predix on Azure it will become available to the second quarter 2017.

According to Gartner, in 2016 in the world 6.4 billion connected devices will be used ~ and it is expected that this digit will grow to 20 billion by 2020. In the aspiration of the companies to disconnect the production units from boundary servers, to connect them to a cloud and availability of Predix on Azure partners see more wide choice and flexibility for clients, safe use of significant these production units and the systems of analytics.

Satya Nadella and Jeff Immelt, (2016)

Connection of plants to the Internet through a cloud is a huge step to simplification of business processes and high-quality reconsideration of job management. GE helps the clients to take additional value from a huge number of the data obtained from these plants and creates an ecosystem which such leaders of the industry as Microsoft enter to lead the industrial Internet to prosperity on a global scale. Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE

Azure will promote growth of an industrial ecosystem of Internet of Things, providing to users of Predix access to the wide range of cloud services, along with data security, hybrid opportunities, tools for developers and services of data processing. GE and Microsoft are going to integrate Predix with Azure IoT Suite and Cortana Intelligence Suite and to connect industrial data with business processes, analytics - to Microsoft applications for business:

• Office 365
• Dynamics 365
• Power BI.

Each sphere of the industry and each company in the world is transformed under the influence of digital technologies. In cooperation with such companies as GE, we can begin to work with new customer groups, to help them to accelerate transformation of any kinds of business – from factory workshop to the computerized business center. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

2014

On October 9, 2014 the GE company reported - it will open access to all users to the development for the industrial Internet - Predi OS.

The software platform of Predix provides communication of any industrial facilities with each other and "cloud". It creates conditions for performance management of assets (Asset Performance Management, APM) and optimization of transactions.

Predix OS can be developed in "cloud" for broader access.

GE announced existence of the version working on such units as jet engines, gas turbines and locomotives and all with one purpose – to give the chance to applications to collect and analyze data bulks, far off to carry out condition monitoring of these machines and to help them "talk" with each other.

According to the management of GE, the software platform of subjects is more powerful, than more people use it. GE will continue to work on OS, but opening it for third-party developers, the company allows clients and partners to write own software. Follows from the statement of the company: GE wants, "... that Predix became Android or iOS in the world of machines, language of the industrial Internet".

Representation of the industrial Internet and Predix OS

According to the announcement of the company, the Predix operating system will become available to any organization in 2015.

Development of the industrial Internet

Cisco and Intel declared determination - to act as partners of GE when implementing initiatives of the industrial Internet. For November 25, 2014 Cisco and GE work on software integration of Predix in the network products Cisco. The first result of this partnership - the new Cisco router with the strengthened construction and support of Predix which should work in difficult operational conditions at the enterprises extracting oil and gas.

Intel helps GE to create architecture of terminal units where Intel processors will be integrated with Predix. The intellectual technology will help to adapt to features actually of any asset. The new architecture is going to be offered producers of gateways thanks to what the connected devices and networks of sensors will be able to support Predix.

GE announced the conclusion of the union with the companies Softbank, Verizon and Vodafone in the organization of network interaction and optimization of wireless solutions taking into account features of the industrial Internet. In cooperation with AT&T the company GE will connect machines and vehicles — locomotives, the ships and airplanes — to a global network AT&T and a cloud.

2012

GE was going to gain economic effect to $150 billion of implementation of the industrial Internet in those industries in which works.

Some projects work. The First Wind company (is engaged in wind power plants) actively experiments with increase in number of sensors on wind-driven generators and qualities of processing of information obtained from them. Sensors on new turbines collect in three — five times more useful information, than a few years ago. Upgrade of 123 wind-driven generators at two power plants allowed to increase production of electricity by 3%.

The medical center Mount Sinai implemented the project on optimization of work of hospital on 1100 places in New York. Patients receive plastic bracelets with sensors of location and other sensors. Similar devices supply beds and the medical equipment. All data are collected in the hospital computer network and loadings of the diagnostic and medical equipment are used for optimization of acceptance and accommodation of patients. The leaders of the medical center were going to increase number of the serviced patients by 10 thousand a year, by means of use information ^[3].

Notes