While IoT devices sit in the background collecting data—cloud applications provide the front-end experience where businesses can extract value from their IoT systems. This blog explores:
- The roles of cloud applications in IoT,
- Why user interaction and accessibility are essential,
- What effective data visualization and reporting should look like.
Let’s take a practical look at each topic.
Essential Functions of Cloud Applications in IoT
Making effective use of the data collected by IoT devices wouldn’t be possible without a cloud application to manage collected data, monitor devices, and provide the user interface to enable interaction.
These three core functionalities play an important role in how an IoT system is operated, managed, and used to generate valuable insights based on collected data. Here are a few important things to consider:
- Data management: IoT devices generate vast amounts of data continuously and simultaneously. Cloud applications excel in aggregating, storing, and processing this data. They provide the infrastructure to handle big data analytics, which is essential for deriving insights and making informed decisions based on both real-time and historical data.
- Device monitoring: Monitoring is necessary to ensure optimal health and performance for IoT devices. Cloud applications offer tools to remotely monitor device status, including updates on their operational health, diagnostics, and maintenance alerts. This function helps in preemptively addressing issues before they lead to system failures.
- User interaction: The front-end experience enables user interaction, ensuring they can easily access and control IoT devices. Cloud applications provide user-friendly interfaces and dashboards for users to control IoT devices, customize settings, and view analytics.
SECO developed the Clea software suite to streamline IoT infrastructure that requires these capabilities. Clea consists of three modules – Portal, Astarte, and Edgehog. Portal offers the above IoT cloud functionalities and more, giving developers access to an extensible IoT front-end for monetizing their IoT systems. With Portal’s API integrations with Astarte (for data orchestration) and Edgehog (for device management), developers can easily build web applications that can interact with edge devices.
Click here to learn more about Clea Portal.
User Interaction and Accessibility
Creating a user-friendly interface should be the starting point when building any cloud application. After all, users need an intuitive way to manage complex IoT systems.
A well-designed interface ensures that users can effectively monitor, control, and interact with IoT devices without requiring deep technical knowledge.
A cloud application front-end experience should include the following design best practices:
- Intuitive navigation: The interface should be organized logically, allowing users to find information and perform tasks without confusion. Menus, buttons, and links should be placed consistently across pages, and terminology should be understandable to non-technical users.
- Real-time updates: IoT applications often depend on the timeliness of data. Interfaces should be capable of displaying real-time updates without manual refreshes, providing users with immediate access to the latest data from their IoT devices.
- Customizable dashboards: Since different users may have different priorities and needs, customizable dashboards are essential. They allow users to tailor the interface to display the most relevant data and controls, enhancing usability and efficiency.
Portal incorporates all these design best practices to support a wide range of use cases, from industrial energy management systems, smart inverters, and EV charging systems to remote inventory tracking and advertising for vending machines.
Data Visualization and Reporting in Cloud Applications
For IoT systems, data visualization and reporting transform raw data from devices into actionable insights that humans can easily comprehend and use.
There are a variety of tools and techniques you can use to create effective visualizations and reports in a cloud application. These include:
- Data visualization tools: Modern cloud applications use a variety of data visualization tools like charts, graphs, heat maps, and real-time dashboards. These tools help illustrate data points and trends dynamically, making complex data sets accessible, searchable, and easier to understand.
- Reporting techniques: Automated reporting supports decision-making and compliance. Techniques include scheduled reports, event-triggered reports, and customizable report templates that allow users to focus on specific data points relevant to their needs.
- Interactive dashboards: Interactive dashboards allow users to drill down into data layers. Features like zoom, filter, search, and sort enable users to explore data from different angles and derive specific insights according to their operational needs.
- Integration with analytical tools: Integration with advanced analytics and machine learning tools can further enhance data visualization by predicting trends and triggering prescriptive actions based on historical data analysis.
Portal leverages advanced visualization tools and reporting features to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency in IoT deployments.
Interested in learning more? Request a demo today.