Many IoT projects collect, both time series data and other types of data. Typically, this means they will run two databases: A time-series database and a traditional database or key/value store. This creates fracture and overhead, which is why ObjectBox TS brings together the best of both worlds in one database (DB). ObjectBox TS is a hybrid database: an extremely fast object-oriented DB plus a time-series extension, specially optimized for time series data. In combination with its tiny footprint, ObjectBox is a perfect match for IoT applications running on the edge. The out-of-the-box synchronization takes care of synchronizing selected data sets super efficiently and it works offline and online, on-premise, in the cloud.
What is time series data?
There are a lot of different types of data that are used in IoT applications. Time-series is one of the most common data types in analytics, high-frequency inspections, and maintenance applications for IIoT / Industry 4.0 and smart mobility. Time series tracks data points over time, most often taken at equally spaced intervals. Typical data sources are sensor data, events, clicks, temperature – anything that changes over time.
Why use time series data on the edge?
Time-series data sets are usually collected from a lot of sensors, which sample at a high rate – which means that a lot of data is being collected.
For example, if a Raspberry Pi gateway collects 20 data points/second, typically that would mean 1200 entries a minute measuring e.g. 32 degrees. As temperatures rarely change significantly in short time frames, does all of this data need to go to the cloud? Unless you need to know the exact temperature in a central location every millisecond, the answer is no. Sending all data to the cloud is a waste of resources, causing high cloud costs without providing immediate, real-time insights.
The Best of Both Worlds: time series + object oriented data persistence
With ObjectBox you aren’t limited to only using time series data. ObjectBox TS is optimized for time series data, but ObjectBox is a robust object oriented database solution that can store any data type. With ObjectBox, model your world in objects and combine this with the power of time-series data to identify patterns in your data, on the device, in real time. By combining time series data with more complex data types, ObjectBox empowers new use cases on the edge based on a fast and easy all-in-one data persistence solution.
Bring together different data streams for a fusion of data; mix and match sensor data with the ObjectBox time series dashboard and find patterns in your data. On top, ObjectBox takes care of synchronizing selected data between devices (cloud / on-premise) efficiently for you.
Get a complete picture of your data in one place
Use Case: Automotive (Process Optimization)
Most manufacturers, whether they’re producing cars, the food industry, or utilities, have already been optimizing production for a long period of time. However, there are still many cases and reasons why costly manual processes prevail. One such example is automotive varnish. In some cases, while the inspection is automatic and intelligent, a lot of cars need to be touched up by hand, because the factors leading to the errors in the paint are not yet discovered. While there is a lot of internal expert know-how available from the factory workers, their gut feel is typically not enough to adapt production processes.
How can this be improved using time series and object data?
The cars (objects) are typically already persisted including all the mass customization and model information. If now, all data, including sensor data, of the manufacturing site like temperature, humidity, spray speed (all time-series data) is persisted and added to each car object, any kind of correlations between production site variables, individual car properties and varnish quality can be detected. Over time, patterns will emerge. The gut feel of the factory workers would provide a great starting point for analyzing the data to discover Quick Wins before longterm patterns can be detected. Over time, AI and automatic learning kicks in to optimize the factory setup best possible to reduce the need for paint touch ups as much as possible.
Use Case: Smart Grids
Utility grid loads shift continually throughout the day, effecting grid efficiency, pricing, and energy delivery. Using Smart Grids, utilities companies can increase efficiency and reliability in real time. In order to get insights from Smart Grids, companies need to collect a large volume of data from existing systems. A huge portion of this data is time series, e.g. usage and load statistics. On top, they incorporate other forms of data, e.g. asset relationship data, weather conditions, and customer profiles. Using visualization and analytical tools, these data types can be brought together to generate business insights and actionable operative goals.
ObjectBox TS: time series with objects
Storing and processing both time series data and objects on the edge, developers can gather complex data sets and get real time insight, even when offline. Combining these data types gives a fuller understanding and context for data – not only what happens over time, but what other factors could be influencing results. Using a fast hybrid edge database allows developers to save resources, while maintaining speed and efficiency. By synchronizing useful data to the cloud, real time data can be used for both immediate action, and post-event analysis.
Get in touch with our team to get a virtual demo of ObjectBox TS, or check out the sample GitHub repo to see more about the code.