Dr.-Ing. Andreas Gössling holds a German diploma (Master of Science equivalent) in Computer Science from the University of Münster, Germany, and a PhD in Engineering from the Faculty of Computer Science at Technische Universität Dresden, Germany. He worked as a research associate at Technische Universität Dresden (Dresden University) from 2006 until 2012. From 2012 until 2016 he worked at Festo AG & Co. KG, Esslingen, Germany, as a management trainee and a research engineer with responsibility for data exchange in industrial applications. Since 2016 he is department manager for netIOT – Industrial cloud communication at Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH, Hattersheim, Germany. His research and development history encompasses artificial neural networks, time-synchronised networked applications, fieldbuses and fieldbus device descriptions, data exchange standards in automation (especially OPC UA and AutomationML) as well as architectures of automation systems. He is chairman of the board at AutomationML e.V. and member of working groups in Plattform Industrie 4.0 and VDI/VDE GMA.

Edge Connectivity is one of the typical challenges in Edge Computing projects. For industrial production scenarios, the interconnection between a heterogeneous world of shop floor standards and innovative IT solutions is a challenge. This presentation discusses the different scenarios faced when implementing an edge computing project. Furthermore, it discusses different technological approaches for overcoming the challenges found in the field. An overview of upcoming standards and their implication for edge connectivity completes the overview given in this talk. Special focus is put on the tension between proprietary solutions, open standards and ecosystems.

The technical focus for this presentation is the mapping between real-time protocols on the shop floor and standard IT protocols for IoT applications. While modern field devices have a growing chance for offering IoT connectivity themselves, the regular situation in current projects will be a need to merge the different protocols encountered onto a single protocol.