Capturing and monitoring data from one machine or system is one thing, but it becomes much more interesting if the data from different machines, different plants and between companies can be exchanged, aggregated, and used.

 Therefore, the smart systems in the food processing industry need the ability to connect to one another and exchange information. There are still quite some issues that need to be overcome when it comes to communicating monitoring systems. First, there is the lack of standardization in the choice of communication protocols, data models, semantic standards. Secondly, it is of crucial importance to consider cybersecurity from the outset of the project and create systems that are “secure by design”. In this context, concepts and solutions developed through European initiatives could be considered, like data marketplaces, data spaces, Smart Data Models, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) building blocks (e.g. Context Broker).