Open System Architecture for Enterprise Application Integration (OSA-EAI)
Operators, maintenance personnel, logistic managers, OEMs, parts suppliers, and engineers have always wanted to have information about the condition of equipment assets at their fingertips when they need it. Unfortunately, it typically is scattered among separate information systems, one for each platform and then separated by information type: manufacturers nameplate data, as-installed data, as-maintained data, operational data, condition monitoring data (such as vibration readings, infrared thermography, oil analysis, control device monitoring, etc.), and asset diagnostic/health and reliability data.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to view the different information types on the same computer terminal, let alone compile and synchronize them into an integrated view or report on which to base intelligent asset management decisions. Even when the systems can be accessed from the same display, it usually requires customized efforts to integrate disparate databases which use proprietary programs with different data models.
Interconnectivity of the islands of engineering, maintenance, operations, and reliability information is embodied in MIMOSAs Open Systems Archicture for Enterprise Application Integration (OSA-EAI) specifications. Previously, these separate information islands were built using specialized proprietary systems that provided value because they were optimized for a specific task or tasks, and they provided best results and value for those purposes. However, their combined value can be multiplied significantly if they can be merged into an OpenO&M™ information "data network".
The "data network" can be building open OSA-EAI bridges to proprietary data stores to allow this information to be easily understood and utilized. For more information on some of the advantages and limitations of each approach view the Technical Architecture Summary for this specification.