Understanding FIWARE technology with La Lonja de la Innovación

La Lonja is one of the only two iHub FIWARE Premium in the world. A recognition we achieved after receiving the third and final FIWARE start, a milestone that places us at the top category within the international network of FIWARE iHubs.

This role positions us as a benchmark center when it comes to spreading this technology. We assume a leadership role in its dissemination, driving open innovation from Huelva. Therefore, in today's article, we want to delve a little into what FIWARE technology is and what it is used for. Don't miss it!

What is FIWARE and what is it used for?

At La Lonja de la Innovación we make constant reference to FIWARE. But what is it exactly? It is an initiative, platform and suite of Open Source technologies, meaning they can be used, adapted and improved in an open way.

It was born under the VII Framework Program of the European Union in public-private partnership, with the objective of promoting new solutions for the development of the Future Internet.

With the aim of collecting, managing, exchanging, and making use of data from different sources, such as sensors, devices, or software tools, FIWARE provides a suite of Open Source tools. To ensure that different systems can communicate with each other seamlessly and share information in a unified way, this technology uses a standard protocol called NGSI.

Thanks to the use of open standards, FIWARE facilitates the development and commercialization of smart and interoperable solutions. Its application covers key areas such as Smart Industry, Smart Energy, Smart Water, and Smart Agrifood, facilitating the creation of new business models and collaborative ecosystems. In addition, it helps public administrations achieve their strategic goals to optimize public services and improve citizens' quality of life.

To better understand its usefulness, here are some examples of use in some of these sectors:

• Smart Cities. FIWARE has emerged as the standard for Smart Cities. FIWARE facilitates the adoption of standards by urban managers, promoting interoperability and reducing time to market. Likewise, it directly influences key areas such as real-time monitoring, public transport optimization, and municipal services management.
• Smart Water. It facilitates decision-making and presents innovative digital solutions for the entire water cycle. It allows obtaining real-time data on water, facilitates the optimization of its distribution, quality monitoring, and efficient supply management.
• Smart Agrifood. It enables real-time monitoring of environmental conditions, smart crop management, and product traceability, among other applications.

In these and other sectors, various companies have relied on advice from La Lonja de la Innovación to obtain the FIWARE-Ready certification. Among them are Gabitel, Dinycon, Signify, Solum, Celestia TTI, Celestia TST, Surcontrol and Novality, which have end-to-end solutions adapted to multiple FIWARE technologies.

What are the components of FIWARE?

Now that you know what FIWARE is, we can move on to understanding what this technology is composed of.

Context Broker

It is the central point of the FIWARE architecture. It is responsible for receiving, structuring, and distributing information to the different applications and systems that form part of a solution. For example, in a Smart City solution, it gathers sensor information regarding traffic conditions or air quality, and then allows applications to query it.

Context Information

This is the information that reveals the status or characteristics of a relevant element in the system. For example, a vessel may have attributes such as location, color, and cargo capacity.

NGSI Protocol

It is the standard protocol that enables the management and exchange of context information uniformly across various systems and components. NGSI standardizes elements by translating everything into “entities” (physical objects, such as a boat) and “attributes” (their associated properties, such as location or speed).

Achieve FIWARE certifications with La Lonja

As a FIWARE Premium iHub, at La Lonja de la Innovación we help you implement or integrate your solution with this technology through training, support, and specialized individual mentoring.

In addition to optimizing your project's performance, adopting FIWARE opens the door to obtaining its official certifications. Many companies have already achieved their certification with our support. If you want to give this boost to your product, contact us at info@lalonja.tech and grow your technology with us.