IIC Testbeds – A Blueprint for Delivering Innovation and Ecosystems
The Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) revolution will transform how organizations and companies
will do business in ways that are still not appreciated. This transformation will be driven by new
complex product ecosystems that are likely to be made up of combinations of sensors, gateways,
connectivity, cloud infrastructure, analytics and Enterprise applications. No one company or
organization will have all the technologies, solutions and skills to own the complete value chain.
Innovation and achievement in Industrial IoT will not be solitary endeavors; they will require the
interoperability, coordination and matching of visions and capabilities by different organizations.
To be successful, what will be necessary are strategic partnerships and novel engagement
frameworks that will foster and embrace the ecosystem approach, creating de facto standards
allowing for incremental expansion of the Industrial IoT.
A testbed as defined by the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) is a controlled experimentation
platform, conforming to an Industrial Internet Consortium reference architecture, where
solutions can be deployed and tested in an environment that resembles real-world conditions.
Testbeds will drive innovation across all Industrial domains by assembling and developing
business partnerships and ecosystems.
The IIC testbeds will serve as blueprints and have notable deliverables such as platform
infrastructures, tools, systems, skillsets, innovation frameworks and communities that will
deliver sustainable solutions and services across a wide and diverse range of industries and
sectors.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The Industrial Internet is a term used to describe the integration of complex physical machinery
and devices with networked sensors and software, used to predict, control and plan for better
business and societal outcomes. Market analysts have all forecasted large economic potential:
e.g., General Electric estimates that the Industrial Internet could add $10 - $15 trillion to the
global GDP over the next 20 years. In addition to the projected economic growth, the Industrial
Internet, through automation and analytics, will lead to improvements in healthcare,
manufacturing, public infrastructure, Smart Cities & services and the environment.
The Industrial Internet is global and will require global thinking. To meet this challenge, the IIC
was formed with the aim to accelerate the growth of the Industrial Internet on a global scale. It
has members and organizations drawn from all corners of the world. Critical to advancing the
Industrial Internet are testbeds as they will catalyze the evolution of the Industrial Internet into
a business consumable set of solutions, based on industry architectures and frameworks. IIC
testbeds are where the innovation and opportunities of the Industrial Internet – new
technologies, new applications, new products, new services, new processes – can be initiated,
developed and rigorously tested to ascertain their usefulness and viability before coming to
market
IIC Journal of Innovation
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