Overview

The first step to visualizing data on the platform is to add a connection to a project, then attach subsequent devices and sensors. The user can add/remove and edit connections, devices and sensors depending on the project role.

Once a Thread connection has been added to a project, it will populate in the left-hand side column of the Connectivity Module. No device or sensor will be able to connect without first establishing a connection that will transmit the data to the platform. After adding a device to a Thread, it will populate on the right-hand side the column of the Connectivity Module under 'Devices & Sensors'. Each Device will be associated back to a single connection. After adding a sensor to an existing device, it will populate on the right-hand side of the column, under 'Devices & Sensors'. Each Sensor will be associated back to a parent device and connection, which will transmit the collected data to the platform.

When connections like API or FTP file connections are made, devices and sensors will automatically be populated when the data begins to be received in the iTwin IoT application.

Network Entities

Once populated, your network will list all connected entities, or hardware, in an asset. Your network is broken up into three different levels of entities: Connections, Devices, and Sensors.

A connection is simply a connection to your data source. It aggregates the data from all associated devices and sensors and sends the information to the platform. They can be either hardware (cell/radio) or software (API and FTP) connections.

A device is an entity that is physically plugged into the Thread and used to configure sensors, or represents a single software-connected piece of hardware. The device can then read the array of associated sensors and store their data, or it can house the sensor datasets being transmitted from the file transfer connection.

A sensor will physically collect the data from the field, and they also represent the data aggregation and storage node in the app.

The hardware entities listed above will also follow a hierarchy. 

Hardware Hierarchy

Connections represent the highest level of the hierarchy, as they house devices and sensors. Connections aggregate the data from all associated sensors and send it to the cloud platform. However, a device may act as an intermediary between a connection and a sensor. It reads a variety of metrics and calculations, which each need its own representation. 

Even though sensors collect the data, they fall to the bottom beneath connections and devices. This is because a sensor will not be able to connect without first adding a connection and device that will transmit the data to the platform.