SCADA is dead... Long live SCADA!

摘要

Since it first appeared in UK manufacturing in the 1980s, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software has been a core component of food factory control and data visualisation networks. Bigger and more complex operations, in particular, continue to use SCADA, and multiple suppliers are still actively selling evolved versions of the technology. At the same time, it is not uncommon to hear the opinion that SCADA is'past its sell-by date'or, more melodramatically still,'SCADA is dead'. So, why is opinion so divided? Founder of the consultancy Food Scientific Services, and former manager of the National Centre for Food Manufacturing at the University of Lincoln, Mike Dudbridge has real doubts about the current relevance of SCADA in its traditional form. "Now, it's all about having the capability to upload data to the internet, and it links in to the move towards the Internet of Things [IoT],"he says. "Data flow and signals are taking that route rather than a dedicated route. That is where the developments are coming."