Introduction
In this lab, we’ll focus on the data visualization capabilities of OpenRemote for your Smart Mailbox IoT project. Data visualization is crucial in IoT applications as it transforms raw data into easily understandable visuals, aiding in quick decision-making and providing insights at a glance.
Importance of Visualization in IoT
Visualizing IoT data, such as the number of letters in a smart mailbox, helps in:
- Identifying patterns and trends over time.
- Enhancing the understanding of smart device (our mailbox here) usage.
- Enabling quick responses to changes or anomalies.
- Improving overall user experience and system efficiency.
Data visualizations are standard in IoT dashboards because they provide an intuitive way to interact with and understand complex datasets.
OpenRemote Insights Page
The OpenRemote Insights page in the Manager UI is where you’ll create and manage dashboards. These dashboards are instrumental in presenting data in a meaningful way, making information like letter count trends and mailbox usage patterns easily interpretable.
Dashboard Customization
Customizing dashboards in OpenRemote is primarily a drag-and-drop process, requiring no coding for standard widgets. You can choose from several built-in widgets:
- Chart Widget: Shows historical/predicted data; supports multi-axis and data decimation.
- Gauge Widget: Compares current attribute values against thresholds.
- Image Widget: Places attribute value labels on a background image.
- KPI Widget: Displays current attribute values with a trend chart.
- Map Widget: Maps asset locations with color coding or labeling options.
For more details on these widgets, visit the OpenRemote wiki.
Building Custom Widgets
While standard widgets cover many visualization needs, OpenRemote also allows for custom widget creation. This is useful for specific visualization requirements not met by the built-in widgets.
- Widget Code Location: Find widget code under
/ui/components/or-dashboard-builder/widgets/. - Developing Custom Widgets: Use existing widgets as a reference to develop your own.
- Integration: Add your custom widget to the dashboard builder.
For a complete guide to custom widget creation, refer to the README in the or-dashboard-builder component on the OpenRemote GitHub repository.
Conclusion
By the end of this lab, you’ll have a deeper understanding of data visualization in IoT and how to effectively use OpenRemote’s dashboard features for your Smart Mailbox project. Remember, visualizations are key to transforming data into actionable insights in the world of IoT.