Data is the prime asset in the IIoT value chain. Industrial devices such as sensors, actuators, and controllers generate state and operational data. The information inherent in this industrial big data enables a variety of descriptive, prescriptive, and predictive applications and business insights. This end-to-end flow of data, from the point of ingestion, through information processing using various extract, transform and load (ETL) functions, applying AI and machine learning intelligence, up to the point of data visualization and business application, is collectively referred to as the industrial big data pipeline (shown in Figure 2.7):
Figure 2.7: Schematic illustration of the stages in Industrial Data flows
The preceding diagram is explained as follows:
