New Specification Available – Process Automation Device Information Model: PA-DIM™ 

FieldComm Group is excited to announce the availability of a specification for a Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM™). Members can download the specification by logging on to ShareFile. 

 

“PA-DIM is a key specification for enabling digital transformation of field device networks in support of Industrie 4.0, the NAMUR Open Architecture and the IIoT. PA-DIM uses OPC UA information modelling principles to define the protocol independent parameters required to describe field device information for subsequent use by a variety of host systems, web applications and cloud architectures," says Ted Masters, President and CEO of FieldComm Group. 

 

PA-DIM implements the requirements of NAMUR’s NOA information model and NE 131, which defines device parameter requirements for common field instrumentation such as temperature, pressure, flow and level transmitters as well positioners and safety related devices. Also defined in NE 131 and supported in PA-DIM are IEC Common Data Dictionary (IEC 61987) definitions for many parameters. 

Field device network components, such as instruments, gateways, multiplexors, network translators and host systems that support PA-DIM, will easily integrate with any system that supports OPC UA, irrespective of the underlying communication protocol of the field instrumentation. For example, a developer can now create a web application that incorporates data from HART®, Profibus or FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus instruments without have any knowledge of those field communication protocols. 

FieldComm Group developer tool support for the PA-DIM specification will be included in the FDI Package IDE v1.5, scheduled for release in Q1 2021. If you are interested in early access, please join the Integration Working Group (FDI Architecture Project Group) on Workspace to help with the development process, or to participate in the beta test review process. 

For those wishing to better understand the importance of PA-DIM for future Process Automation systems, please watch the PA-DIM member webinar FieldComm Group hosted on May 14, 2020 by visiting this page: http://go.fieldcommgroup.org/fcg-tv. Other webinars we hosted in the last 2 months are also accessible through this page.

 

Watch PA-DIM webinar

  

The Process Automation - Device Information Model defines process automation specific device data constructs within the context of an OPC UA based system. Learn about the goals of PA-DIM, current status and future directions in this webinar.