For those web developers who keep up with the new standards in web development, HTML5 comes as no surprise. The internet has changed so much since the last iteration of HTML was standardized in 1999, new innovations were inevitable. With the widespread deployment of broadband internet connections and the prevalence of multimedia on today’s web, HTML5 was designed to bring HTML standards up to date. Some of the changes are staggering.
HTML5 introduces a number of new features to enhance web browsers’ abilities to create graphics, display multimedia content, and deploy web applications with ease. New elements and attributes have made the latest version of HTML much more robust and sophisticated, and CSS3 has introduced a number of new style elements that are certain to change the face of the worldwide web. As more and more browsers are coming to adopt the new standard, web pages and applications created in HTML5 will load and run more quickly and with fewer errors. This will allow for higher quality video and audio content, more detailed graphics, and more intelligent applications.
While not every browser had fully adopted the new features of HTML5, it won’t be long before the new standard changes the way we see the web. And, subsequently, it will change the way HMI/SCADA systems work as well. With most mobile browsers supporting HTML5 – including iOS, Android and Blackberry devices – the new technology will allow SCADA developers to design software that can be as mobile as today’s workers.
Control operators will no longer be chained to a workstation. Engineers in the field can view HMIs with real time data on their phones and tablets. Executives can use real time information to make important decisions from wherever they may be in the world. With SCADA becoming mobile, businesses can become more agile and responsive to key indicators. The gap between management and production will be all but eliminated. It is now possible to share live data across multiple channels spread all over the country or the world.
So, HTML5 is making SCADA systems more accessible than ever before. The next challenge is to find the best way to take advantage of these new capabilities and maximize the impact of mobility. Are you up to it?
