Using the Niagara Framework, control systems integration means:
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connecting devices on a common communications media
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modeling those devices in software
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programming applications to use the information in those devices
Before a device, such as a chiller, VAV box, or temperature sensor, can be used, information from those devices must be pulled into the Niagara software.
Niagara then models those devices and their data types in software through the common object model. This usually entails simplifying the device’s data types to make them easier to manipulate and control through the software.
The Niagara common object model is then used to build applications, with the goal being to provide non-programmers a means to program the system easily without developing raw code. The Niagara common object model is similar to a programming language in that there are a few key concepts that are used, but the real power is in the reusable libraries of applications and collections of objects that are available. Once you understand the key concepts and you can put them to work, you can use Niagara objects to build control system solutions quickly and efficiently.
The Niagara common object model, shown in Figure 1, allows the Niagara Framework to:
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provide two-way communication between devices and the Internet
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send real-time device information across the Internet
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control devices in real-time across the Internet.
