There is a really great article in automation world about one of my favorite topics: EDDL & FDT, Competing or Complementary?
The link for this article can be found here:
http://www.automationworld.com/feature-5370
OPC has been actively engaged in both EDDL and FDT, and several years ago a strategy was put in place to enable EDDL and FDT to work together to form an integration strategy between the respective technologies.
OPC had been actively engaged in FDT for quite a while, from the perspective of FDT leveraging OPC as a mechanism for discovery and communication to field devices.
OPC collaborated with EDDL, as part of a venture to facilitate discovery, configuration and runtime operation for devices essentially are described with the EDDL language.
I encourage you to read this article to understand the thought process behind the activities associated with EDDL and FDT. The collaboration between all the partners engaged in EDDL including OPC, Profibus International, Foundation Fieldbus, and the Hart Foundation.
OPC is always about beg, borrowing and stealing and maximizing our use of technology from both competitors and consortiums alike. I've always found its better not to reinvent the wheel as the old cliché goes. We really want to take the opportunity to make sure that we provide the best specifications and technology, and it's always about leveraging the best technology to make that happen.
The OPC Unified Architecture provides a solid platform with respect to the information model needs for EDDL & FDT. The new effort has been rolled together and is called FDI. There is a steering committee, and a technical committee actively engaged in a cooperative effort to work together to solve the integration opportunity for EDDL and FDT.
A representative from each organization actively participates on the steering committee, and three technical representatives from the vendor companies represent the interests of each of the organizations/consortiums.
The effort is being project managed by my good friend Dave Glanzer (FF) who regularly bridges the gap between the steering committee and the technical team, and his efforts will undoubtedly guarantee the project being successful.
The real benefit will be to the end users who ultimately will be able to buy products from multiple vendors that truly will interoperate together. Vendors have actively been developing products based on EDDL and FDT, now with FDI products will be harmonized together.
Related Sidebar - What is EDDL?
To read the article accompanying this story, go to www.automationworld.com/feature-5375 <http://www.automationworld.com/feature-5375>.
Related Sidebar - What if FDT?
To read the article accompanying this story, go to www.automationworld.com/feature-5376 <http://www.automationworld.com/feature-5376>.