In other posts of our blog we have learned more about FIWARE as a technology, its objectives and its possible uses, among other features. Now it is time to discover its language and protocol, the so-called NGSI.
You already know that the maxim of this technology is the communication and interconnection of devices, services and different producers and consumers of information that we find in some work environments.
Today we will talk about how FIWARE achieves that data interoperability of between the different members of an ecosystem, which in our case applies to the Port of Huelva.
NGSI is the standard protocol used by the set of APIs of the FIWARE components, to perform all actions related to the management of context information.
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are modules and specifications that establish how a software communicates and interacts with another to fulfill one or more functions. In the FIWARE case, the main component that needs to be connected with the rest of modules, since it is the one that stores the current context information, is the Context Broker.
Context Broker and its role with FIWARE language: NGSI
Context Broker uses exclusively NGSI petitions for all its interactions. In addition, there are modules, in FIWARE jargon known as Generic Enablers (GEs), that can be used as a bridge between some protocols used in communications and NGSI.
This allows the integration of additional functionalities such as devices networks that communicate with some of the usual protocols in this type of IoT solutions, historical or big data functionalities. This is done by sending information to the Context Broker so that it reaches it in a format that it can understand.
The NGSI interface is based on a defined API REST (it consists of a series of HTTP calls). The messages inside the request are sent in JSON format.
What is the purpose of the FIWARE language: NGSI?
NGSI seeks to facilitate the open exchange and sharing of structured information among the different stakeholders and members of a given FIWARE architecture. NGSI represents context information as entities that have properties and relationships with each other.
Entities are the virtual representation of all kinds of physical objects in the real world. Examples such as a ship, an access door or even a person can be entities. Attributes are “qualities” that are given to each entity depending on the information you want to obtain from it or actions on which you want to be able to make modifications remotely by means of the reserved attribute of commands.
Now that you know more about the FIWARE language: NGSI, stay tuned to our blog to find out more about this technology!