Features
MAPNA Mind, A Door to New Industrial Revolution
A power plant owner can compare their two plants with just a few clicks under similar conditions, and if there is an imbalance or inefficiency, they can further investigate and modify the processes easily to in order to boost power output.
If a turbine is damaged, the facility staff will be informed and dispatched immediately to take care of the issue promptly.
Electric vehicle (EV) drivers can immediately be notified when the car battery is running low, so that they can refer to the nearest EV charging stations.
All the above, besides many other similar features, are just a few benefits of designing an IoT-based platform called “MAPNA Mind”.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution Wave
The fourth industrial wave is characterized by “connecting equipment and experts, collecting and processing large amounts of data, and finally decentralizing the decision-making process and developing effective sources for users.” The new wave is upon us, as more and more industries around the world are turning toward such technologies, to the point that such development is being referred to as an “industrial revolution”.
But what is the fourth industrial wave and how is it being used by MAPNA Group?
The first or main Industrial Revolution resulted in significant developments in industry, manufacturing, transportation and agriculture, all of which were facilitated by the use of machine power rather than human labor.
The Second Industrial Revolution, which was a phase of rapid standardization and industrialization from the late 19th century into the early 20th century, witnessed a change in the oil and steel industries thanks to electricity and the start of mass production. This era introduced groundbreaking inventions such as telephone, electric light bulb, sound recording and reproduction, and internal combustion engine, which powers cars today.
The Third Industrial Revolution, also known as the Digital Revolution, began with the invention of the transistor. This era marked the shift from mechanical and analogue electronic technology to digital electronics as well as the partial automation of industries.
The phrase Fourth Industrial Revolution is marked by breakthroughs in emerging technologies in a variety of fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the internet of things (IoT), fifth-generation wireless technologies, 3D printing, and fully autonomous vehicles. The design and development of such technologies have created a fundamental change in the management and production systems, especially in the field of industry, and have provided powerful tools for industry players helping them reach the optimal management of industries and move toward decentralized consensus.
Among the most important foundations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are the platforms that facilitate connection of technologies, systems and professionals and provide a highly secure mechanism for storing information.
In this regard, many top companies such as Germany’s Siemens and its US rival General Electric have enhanced their monitoring systems by rolling out ‘Internet of Things’ cloud platforms, instead of on-premises software, for the manufacturing industry. On-premise software is installed locally, on your business’ computers and servers, whereas cloud software is hosted on the vendor’s server and accessed via a web browser. While on-premises storage is considered a capital expense, cloud storage helps companies pay for services according to their needs instead of having to purchase and install all the complex and expensive hardware and software.
In addition to monitoring the situation, the cloud storage, connects different systems to form a data network among systems, experts, employees and users. The development of effective platforms has paved the way for the Fourth Industrial Revolution to emerge in all industries; cloud storage can be deemed the first phase on this path.
MAPNA Group, IoT and MAPNA Mind
MAPNA Group has been developing an IoT-based platform called “MAPNA Mind” since the mid-2010s, which is responsible for system and tools control as well as data storage and can be used in a variety of industrial fields.
The most significant features of MAPNA Mind are its ability to collect industrial and IoT data, store it all as big data in the cloud, present data for the creation of intelligent applications and ultimately provide powerful tools for modern industrial management; capabilities that provide cloud or technology as the core technology of MAPNA Mind to industries. For example, power plant owners can use this possibility to compare their two power plants under similar conditions and in case of imbalance or inefficiency, they can increase power output by further investigating and modifying the processes. This would be a difficult task without the Industry 4.0 platforms, while the Industry 4.0 technologies make it possible to access to annual or even online data of each industry with just a few clicks.
MAPNA Mind consists of four main components:
MAPNA Studio: This is the outermost layer of MAPNA Mind which works on the web and on Android devices. Users connect with the MAPNA Mind platform through this interface, just as they do with Google’s email platform through the Gmail tab.
MIND App: a set of applications with the ability to write codes through which programmers can design and develop various applications.
MIND Edge: It is integrated in power plant systems and allows for the monitoring of power plant management and data storage. This product preserves data for over 10 days, and in case of a data center link failure, no information is lost and all data will be preserved. The MIND Edge system can send data to the center in milliseconds to keep them up to date.
MIND Cloud: A space that allows programmers to support a variety of programming languages. To put it in another way, if the user is comfortable with one of these programming languages, they can import it into the MIND Cloud. In addition, the MIND Cloud provides professionals and staff with a library of programming functions that allow them read industrial data in both online and offline modes.
MAPNA Mind has a large storage capacity for big data, especially data from power plants, and it stores industry data and makes it accessible to experts and managers at per-second resolution and with high accuracy. Furthermore, MAPNA Mind enables programmers to collaborate with experts in other field in coding within this platform. They could, for example, create an application that alerts workers in the event of a turbine failure so that they can quickly handle the issue without wasting time, or they could create an application that provides citizens with the geographical location of urban amenities. This app also allows EV drivers to keep track of their car’s battery usage and refer to nearby EV charging stations.
MAPNA Mind’s first and most significant use is in power plants. The program is not only capable of storing large amounts of data for long periods, but it is also scalable, meaning that its capacity can be expanded to any extent. Thus, information is kept in a highly secure environment and it can be checked and validated. Another feature of this platform is the remote access, which allows managers and engineers to remotely reach and analyze power plant data.
As an umbrella platform, MAPNA Mind covers various companies and subsidiaries. As a result, it eliminates the need for separate platforms and increases system security. The use of advanced firewalls and the separation of power plants’ MAPNA Mind from the MAPNA Mind applications allocated to other industries helps to keep power plant data safe.
MAPNA Mind has been operating online at Fars Combined-Cycle Power Plant for almost two years, helping to boost the facility’s efficiency via various applications. “RAM” is one of the active applications in the same power plant that evaluates reliability, availability and maintainability of the facility and reports the current status of turbines. Performance application is also active in Fars Power Plant, responsible for measuring the efficiency and performance of the system (temperature, fuel, turbine vibrations and power output) in the same power plant. There are also tools for tracking data, patterns, charts and automation at the Fars facility. MAPNA Group has installed the requisite equipment for applying MAPNA Mind in ten other power plants.
MAPNA can be credited with being the first to implement robust IoT platforms in Iran. Today, collecting and preserving knowledge equates to having power. Increased information security is associated with lower permeability and, as a result, a greater security for industries. As a stable platform, MAPNA Mind prevents any penetration into the country’s industrial data by linking systems and creating an inclusive social network for industries. The MAPNA Mind platform aims to reduce expenses and also promote homegrown technologies. This platform is a new initiative that will aid the country’s transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution; an opportunity that will change industry management and provide a strong vision centered on indigenous expertise.