Why Plotly Dash? and How Can It be Used for Open-Source IoT Solutions in SMEs
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly turning to IoT (Internet of Things) to optimize their operations, enhance decision-making, drive growth but also maintain their competitive edge. Inflation and labor shortages, as well a growing awareness and faith in digitization benefits on business operations have brought all enterprises akin looking into Industry 4.0 for answers. However, unlike industrial giants who can build their own infrastructures, small businesses are often left with fragmented options that do not always yield the “digital thread” benefits promised by digitization.
In this article, we explore how at AEDDIX, we apply IoT in gastronomy, in agricultural setting, as well as on generalized small-scale process control applications to demonstrate value, with Plotly Dash in the tech stack look. With its integration in our ecosystem, offering robust, cost-effective solutions for data visualization and process management, we build on the shoulders of a small Montreal-based data visualization giant. It is also a pretty cool company with an amazing product, so be sure to visit them here .
1. What is Plotly Dash and Why Does It Matter?
Plotly Dash is an open-source framework designed for data visualization, but has become far more than that. It is feature rich in building interactive, web-based dashboards and therefore answers to many for local or deployed dashboard requirements. It was originally designed for Python as Plotly.py and is an extremely appealing solution to engineers and data scientists. It is ideal for developing sophisticated, data-driven applications and as such, AEDDIX Dashboard Templates are built on it.
For SMEs in all sorts of industries, Dash provides a powerful way to access advanced data visualization without needing to rely on costly proprietary software or complex development processes. Example Apps are continuously on display on their website.
While Plotly Dash doesn’t include an out-of-the-box drag-and-drop designer tool without additional payments, its integration with Python enables it to fit easily into a microservice-based architecture. For SMEs, this means that once reusable templates are developed, they can be easily adapted to customer-specific needs, making the effort required for configuration manageable for small to medium-sized teams.
Why is Plotly Dash beneficial for SMEs?
- Cost-Effective: Being open-source and free, it fits well within the budget constraints of SMEs.
- Seamless Integration: Using Python allows for easy integration into existing tech stacks and microservices, making it a practical choice for SMEs with evolving technical infrastructure.
- Reusable Templates: Once core templates are developed, they can be customized for individual projects with minimal effort, reducing the time and cost for future deployments.
- Manageable Learning Curve: For a small technical team, the learning curve of Plotly Dash is very reasonable, enabling them to build effective, data-rich dashboards quickly.
- Interactive Visualization: SMEs can utilize real-time data from IoT devices to create live dashboards, improving decision-making processes.
1. Plotly Dash in Key Industries
Gastronomy
In the gastronomy industry, IoT-based solutions are essential in bringing operational transparency and tracking performance. For example, AEDDIX Systems uses Plotly Dash to monitor and control the brewing process for Bierol while managing digital menus in bars such as Tribaun, Angolo dei 33, and others. In the brewing process, temperature data from IoT sensors is displayed and interacted with, ensuring precise control over the brewing environment and exposing industrial grade sensors.
AEDDIX’s digital menus also help tap rooms manage their product displays, trading between beverages, food and advertisement payloads, while behind the scene monitoring consumption, trends and providing establishment owners the transparency they seek.
Motorized Lotties are also integrated into the dashboards, providing visual cues on process states. These animated elements make it easier to interpret data and monitor real-time conditions, offering a more intuitive and engaging user experience.
Smart Farming
In smart farming, thanks to over-the-air updates, GSM connection and AEDDIX’s proprietary firmware, we can via Plotly Dash manage the throughput of far remote customer yield and establish correlations between environmental conditions and production. With rising environmental strain owing to climate change, close monitoring of the environment is key to adopting and shifting agricultural strategies, while the details of this project remain confidential, smart farming is a good example of SMEs with limited resources, facing challenges that technology can address.
1. Real-Life Example: Embedded Systems Development using Plotly Dash
A practical example of Plotly Dash in use is a battery drain monitoring system. By integrating real-time IoT data from sensors, the system can track battery usage and present the information on a dashboard built using Plotly Dash. Automated alerts inform engineers when the battery levels dropped, allowing them to optimize power usage and prevent downtime.
How did it help in the project?
- Real-Time Data Visualization: The system provided engineers with a live overview of battery performance, enabling timely interventions.
- Operational Efficiency: By visualizing battery drain in real-time, adjustments were made that improved energy efficiency.
- Cost Savings: Preventing unexpected battery drain helped reduce operational costs and prolonged device lifetimes.
2. What’s Next for Plotly Dash at AEDDIX?
As an SME ourself, we continue to build and advocate for IoT adoption. The use of Plotly Dash has allowed us to standardize and generalize our products & services, and we continuously seek expansion of its integration in our tech stack. As we deploy more advanced services, with machine learning and predictive analytics, we will continue to rely on Plotly as a critical asset of our technology.
We also believe that, other SMEs can also gain deeper insights into their operations and make proactive adjustments to optimize performance, if they adopt a data-driven philosophy and utilize the right tools.
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The integration of Plotly Dash into cloud-based services also allows for scalable solutions, making it easier to manage increasing amounts of data as one’s business integration grows.
Stay Tuned: Plotly Dash in Cold Chain Management
An exciting upcoming use case for Plotly Dash at AEDDIX is for cold-chain management. Indeed, not only it is a quintessential technology in the medical sector, it also has broad applications in decentralized asset monitoring in a variety of logistically heavy applications. In tracking parcels for specialty medicine for instance, it is a must to guarantee temperature stability. More to come on this topic very soon, so stay tuned!
Conclusion
Plotly Dash offers SMEs an accessible and powerful tool for data visualization, enabling them to harness the full potential of their data, as well in our case, being a great candidate for IoT integration.
From monitoring battery drain to controlling brewing fermenters, and optimizing farming resources, Plotly Dash has proven to be an invaluable asset for businesses looking to improve operational efficiency. With its flexibility, ease of integration, and growing features, Plotly Dash is set to become a staple in IoT-driven SMEs, driving innovation and growth.
Stay tuned for further developments on how Plotly Dash can revolutionize cold chain management in the medical sector!
