GE Intelligent Platforms announced the availability of mobile extensions to its industry-leading visualization applications, Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX and CIMPLICITY, on the Apple iPad. Mobility is one of the growing trends in the Automation industry and the iPad ProficySCADA “app” extends the control room providing users with information anywhere, increasing visibility and efficiency of operations.
The iPad app enables users of either iFIX WebSpace or CIMPLICITY GlobalView to instantly connect to their HMI/SCADA runtime projects. It supports the same full featured capabilities of a standard client by delivering full HMI/SCADA functionality including third-party application support with no screen conversions required. This enables every customer to quickly harness the power of the iPad with minimal engineering effort across their operations. “HMI/SCADA represents the foundation of the industrial software ecosystem and GE Intelligent Platforms has more than 25 years of experience in HMI/SCADA,” said Mark Bernardo, Product General Manager for GE Intelligent Platforms’ Automation Software. “We use advanced server based technologies that provide full operation over the web, and now on the iPad, with no screen conversions required.”
The ProficySCADA app enables both power and casual users by incorporating the ability to limit functions via standard runtime project security features as required by a user and/or a group. It also incorporates popular iPad specific user interface functionality such as intuitive multi-touch gestures to achieve mouse and keyboard operation. It automatically zooms in to the currently active window to make it easier to tap windows user interface elements. The new app also takes advantage of the open, flexible and scalable nature of the Proficy HMI/SCADA solutions, iFIX and CIMPLICITY. These products can operate on a single node or scale up to 200+ nodes. Although they have the ability to connect to almost any device via OPC, they also come with many standard built-in native drivers addressing the need for connecting major PLC brands. As such, they are completely hardware independent and provide the flexibility of communicating with multiple makes of control solutions from a single server.
iFIX and CIMPLICITY also excel at real-time data management, control and provide seamless integration with other solutions in the Proficy family including Proficy Historian. They facilitate adherence to industry standards for improved consistency, quality and compliance. Proficy HMI/SCADA products constitute the foundational platform that enables tools for advanced analysis, Work Process Management, and operational excellence. “Many customers want the full HMI/SCADA functionality on devices like the iPad,” continued Bernardo. “ProficySCADA, GE Intelligent Platforms’ first iOS app, enables plant operators and engineers to react faster to problems with real live information and to investigate proactively in a very easy way. As more and more industrial companies realize the power of tablets and smartphones, they will want these types of software clients to expand their systems backed by powerful platforms like Proficy to enable their workforce.”
