Sensing Platform Puts Computing Power into Edge Devices

Oct. 23, 2014
Itron, Inc. has launched Riva, its new edge intelligence platform that supports sensing technologies and dynamic applications at the device level.

Itron, Inc. has launched Riva, its new edge intelligence platform that supports sensing technologies and dynamic applications at the device level. Building on the power of Cisco’s open standards IPv6 network and IOx fog computing platform, Itron Riva delivers distributed computing power, control and analytics for automated decision-making at the edge of the network. It also offers adaptive communications, which dynamically determines the best network path, including RF or PLC to optimize communications. By bringing intelligence to field devices, Itron is helping create a breakthrough sensing ecosystem to enable growth in global markets ranging from smart grid to the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Itron Riva edge intelligence platform enables easy integration of third-party devices, creating numerous possibilities for realizing the promise of the IoT to empower smarter utilities and smarter cities worldwide. Itron Riva also embeds an operating system and processor into field devices and sensors, enabling real-time decision-making at the device level. Action at the edge reduces network traffic, eases the burden of transmitting high volumes of data back to the utility for analysis and minimizes human intervention to perform tasks that can now be automated.

Cisco’s IOx fog computing platform complements Itron Riva, enabling Itron and Cisco to provide a robust ecosystem of edge computing capabilities. With Itron Riva and IOx, custom applications are supported at the device and field area levels, allowing for greater insight into the network through distributed computing.

Itron Riva also builds on the Cisco IPv6 multi-application smart grid reference architecture, which was jointly developed with Itron and provides true plug-and-play wireless and wired communication infrastructure for the IoT. Its adaptive communications intelligently switches between RF and PLC technologies for the most reliable and fastest communication path. This supports a continually expanding set of localized and automated smart grid use cases, including distribution automation, demand response, grid sensing and integration of distributed energy resources.

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