In this sense, Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control (OPC) is a technology for standardized data exchange widely used to deal with heterogeneity and interoperability in automation systems. In the path towards facilitating this functionality, an open and standardized communication platform constitutes a key component. The latter one, interoperability, is the possibility of system components to interact, and it is a priority for future systems. Within these networks, there is a paramount requirement, the integration and management of the aforementioned entities (hardware and software) tackling their heterogeneity and interoperability. Such advances have given rise to new and important advances in the automation and control domains. In addition, the developments in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) have favored the increment of both the data transmission speed and the global use of communication networks. These systems are traditionally applied in industrial environments but their capabilities make them suitable for any other process that requires monitoring and control functions out of the industry scope. Supervisory systems, called Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, are responsible of controlling and displaying real-time information of the plant behavior and storing the significant measurements and signals for further analysis and interpretation. Finally, the main conclusions and open research directions are highlighted. All cases include a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to automate and control the plant behavior, which exchanges operative data (measurements and signals) with a multiplicity of sensors, instruments and supervisory systems under the structure of the novel OPC architecture. Namely, the automation of energy systems like a smart microgrid and photobioreactor facilities, the implementation of a network-accessible industrial laboratory and the development of an educational hardware-in-the-loop platform are described. These cases are a proof of concept of the ability of this architecture to support interoperability for different domains. Furthermore, four successful experimental applications of such an architecture, developed at the University of Extremadura (UEX), are reported. Due to the benefits of OPC, the proposed architecture provides features like open connectivity, reliability, scalability, and flexibility. The proposal is a novel conceptual framework, structured into four functional layers where the diverse components are categorized aiming to foster the systematic design and implementation of automation systems involving OPC communication. This paper presents a novel OPC-based architecture to implement automation systems devoted to R&D and educational activities.

It has been widely used in several environments such as industrial facilities, building and energy automation, engineering education and many others. Since its inception in the 90s, the Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control (OPC) protocol has provided open connectivity for monitoring and automation systems.

The interconnection between sensors, controllers and instruments through a communication network plays a vital role in the performance and effectiveness of a control system.

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