IBM has introduced software that extracts data from sensor devices found in supply chains and other applications, and then sends the information for processing in business systems.
The WebSphere Sensor Events software can draw data from readers of radio-frequency identification tags on items moving between suppliers, manufacturers and distribution centers. The tags typically contain tracking and authentication data.
In addition, the WebSphere software can be used with s
enors found in other applications, such as monitoring and managing water flow rates, highway traffic, seismic activity, air quality and the flow of energy across power grids.
In capturing data, the IBM technology automates a reaction by a business system based on a set of rules or events established by the customer. “The software is unique in that it spans the entire spectrum of clients’ solution requirements, from capturing information from sensing devices to connecting with systems for analytics, business process management and managing information technology and physical assets,” IBM said in a statement.
WebSphere Sensor Events includes business event processing technology obtained by IBM in the 2008 acquisition of AptSoft. The technology has been integrated with business process management and events management capabilities from WebSphere and Tivoli software.
Data extracted from sensors can be processed through IBM’s Smart Analytics System, which is the company’s combined hardware and software for an analytics-ready data warehouse geared toward business-problem-specific applications. In addition,WebSphere Sensor Events can be used with IBM’s Cognos business intelligence software.
Customers of IBM’s latest product include Volkswagen, which is using the technology in accessing information on the exact location of the shipping containers used to transport parts from suppliers to the manufacturing floor, IBM said. Other customers includeNortura , Norway’s largest meat and egg producer. The company is using the IBM software to track meat from farm to processing plants, and then to distribution centers and stores.
