Linking Performance Data and Geospatial Information of Manufacturing Assets Through Standard Representations

Interoperability across emerging visualization modalities, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), remains a challenge with respect to industrial applications. One critical issue relates to the lack of standard approaches for coordinating geospatial representations that are required to facilitate AR/VR scenes with domain-specific information in the form of time-series data, solid models, among other data types. In this paper, we focus on the linking of manufacturing asset data via the MTConnect standard with geospatial data via the IndoorGML standard. To this end, we demonstrate the utility of this integration through two visualization-based prototype implementations, including one focused on (i) monitoring production facilities to improve situational awareness and (ii) evaluating and delivering suggested navigation paths in production facilities. We then comment on implications of such standards-driven approaches for related domains, including AR prototype development and automatic guided vehicles.