Information sharing support device, information sharing support method, and information sharing support program

Abstract

This enables the integration of information managed by multiple management devices. [Solution] In an information linkage support device that links information based on information from multiple management devices, a storage unit stores a first management ID assigned to a managed object by a first management device and a second management ID assigned to a managed object by a second management device. The device calculates the similarity between the managed object information associated with the first management ID stored in the storage unit and the managed object information associated with the second management ID, and outputs the calculated similarity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for linking information among a plurality of management devices.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, by digitizing the management of facilities and personnel resources in companies and the like, work efficiency has been improved, automation has been carried out, and management costs have been reduced. Each department in a company and the like has introduced a management device (software) according to its own role to improve work efficiency. At this time, the importance of data utilization in a company has increased, and attention has been focused on sharing and utilizing the data possessed by each management device among departments. Therefore, by centrally managing the data held by each management device on an information platform, efforts are spreading to facilitate real-time information sharing, data analysis, and visualization of facilities to be managed, etc., among departments.

[0003] The system of Patent Document 1 is an information linkage infrastructure system for linking a plurality of organizations that respectively manage customer information including a plurality of item information regarding customers. An information linkage bridge manages linkage information for associating the organizations with respect to a customer and the item information in which at least one item information is linked between at least two organizations. When the item information of a customer is updated in any of the organizations, data update information indicating the organization, the customer, and the item information is recorded. The information linkage server notifies, based on the data update information, the organizations associated with the organization in which the item information has been updated in the linkage information that the item information of the customer has been updated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The system described in Patent Document 1 manages customer information using a common ID that uniquely identifies customers across multiple organizations. However, when defining a common ID during system construction, it is necessary to associate the managed data of each organization with the managed items, which requires visually checking the managed item information held by each management device, and this incurs labor costs.

[0006] One of the purposes of this disclosure is to provide a technology that supports the linking of information managed by multiple management devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the information linkage support device disclosed is an information linkage support device that links information based on information from multiple management devices, and is characterized by having: a storage unit that stores a first management ID assigned to a managed object by a first management device and a second management ID assigned to a managed object by a second management device; a similarity calculation unit that calculates the similarity between managed object information associated with the first management ID stored in the storage unit and managed object information associated with the second management ID; and an output unit that outputs the similarity calculated by the similarity calculation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, information managed by multiple management devices can be linked together. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an overall diagram of the information sharing system. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and functions of the management device. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and functions of the information sharing support device. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of an ID linking table as shown in Figure 3. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the overall flow of information sharing processing. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the processing of the ID matching program shown in Figure 3. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the processing performed by the historical similarity calculation program shown in Figure 3. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a method for calculating historical information similarity. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the processing of the consistency verification program shown in Figure 3. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the screen display that the integrity verification program shown in Figure 9 presents to the user. [Figure 11] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and functions of the information sharing support device in Example 2. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the overall flow of information sharing processing. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of an ID linking table as shown in Figure 11. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments (examples) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the figures as appropriate. The examples are illustrative for explaining the present invention, and have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can also be carried out in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0011] In the following description, when explaining the processing by a program, the program, functional units, etc. may be mainly described. However, the main body of these in terms of hardware is a processor, or an information processing apparatus (computer) configured to include such a processor. The information processing apparatus executes processing according to a program read onto a memory while appropriately using resources such as a memory and a communication interface by the processor. As the processor, in addition to a CPU, a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. may be used. Also, the processing for realizing functions is not limited to software program processing and can also be implemented by a dedicated circuit. As the dedicated circuit, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. are applicable.

Example

[0012] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information cooperation system according to an embodiment. The information cooperation system is composed of an information cooperation support apparatus 100 and a plurality of management apparatuses 300 to 302 connected to the information cooperation support apparatus 100. The information cooperation support apparatus 100 is connected to the plurality of management apparatuses 300, 301, 302 via a network 200. In FIG. 1, three management apparatuses connected to the information cooperation support apparatus 100 are described, but any number of two or more management apparatuses are connected to the information cooperation support apparatus 100. [Management apparatus] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration and functions of the management apparatus 300 according to this embodiment. Note that the hardware configuration and functions of the management apparatuses 301, 302 are also the same as those of the management apparatus 300.

[0013] The management apparatus 300 operates on a general computer or on a cloud service that provides such computer capabilities.

[0014] The management device 300 is, for example, a device that monitors the status of air conditioners, production equipment, etc. installed in factories or office buildings, or a device that manages the maintenance and preservation status of these facilities.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the management device 300 shown in FIG. 1 includes an input / output interface 321, a processor 322, an input / output device 323, a storage device 310, and an internal communication line (e.g., a bus) that connects these components.

[0016] The input / output circuit interface 321 is an interface for communicating with a communication equipment network 330 such as the network 200.

[0017] The processor 322 is an arithmetic unit and a control unit. By executing various programs (not shown) stored in the storage device 310, the processor 322 exhibits the management functions of the management device 300.

[0018] The storage device 310 in the management device 300 includes a volatile storage device (such as DRAM (Dynamic Access Random Memory)) and a non-volatile storage device (such as HDD, SSD, etc.). The storage device 310 stores a management ID table 311, a management target information database 312, and various programs (not shown) for executing the management functions of the management device 300.

[0019] The management ID table 311 is a table in which the IDs assigned to each management target of the management device 300 are recorded. The management targets are, for example, devices such as air conditioning equipment and production equipment installed in factories or office buildings, and a management ID is assigned for each management unit of the management device 300. The management ID is a unique ID for each management device.

[0020] The managed information database 312 is a database that stores information related to the managed objects of the management device 300. The managed information database 312 stores attribute information of the managed objects corresponding to the management ID, and historical information that includes time information. The data stored in the managed information database 312 is stored linked to the management ID.

[0021] For example, if the management device 300 is a factory equipment status monitoring device, the attribute information of the managed object would include data representing the name, type, model number, and location information within the factory, such as section number or room number, which are initially registered along with the management ID. In other words, attribute information is data that indicates the static properties of the managed object, such as those not tied to time. Historical information that includes time information would include time-series data acquired by sensors installed on each piece of equipment, the results of their analysis, fault occurrence records, and event data such as on / off status of switches.

[0022] Time-series data refers to data recorded at predetermined time intervals. Event data refers to data that records the timing and details of a specific event or action. Here, "timing" can refer to a specific moment, such as "3 PM," or a specific time period, such as "3 PM to 5 PM."

[0023] The input / output interface 321 is an interface for communicating with communication equipment network 330, such as network 200.

[0024] The processor 322 is an arithmetic unit and control unit. The processor 322 executes various programs (not shown) stored in the storage device 310, thereby executing the management functions of the management device 300. For example, the processor 322 generates and stores information to be stored in the managed information database 312 by executing a program stored in the storage device 310.

[0025] The input / output device 323 is a device for receiving data input, outputting data, or both. For example, the input / output device 323 receives input from a keyboard or mouse and displays information from the processor 322 on the display. The input / output device may also be connected remotely via the input / output circuit interface, internal network, or external network.

[0026] Furthermore, the management device 300 only needs to be configured to output information stored in the management ID table 311 and the managed information database 312 via the input / output interface 321 in response to requests from the information linkage support device 100 described later. A device for generating the information to be stored in the managed information database 312 may be provided separately from the management device 300.

[0027] Furthermore, the managed objects controlled by management devices 300 and 301 do not need to be exactly the same; there may be multiple overlapping managed objects. For example, management device 300 may be a condition monitoring device targeting the air conditioning and production equipment of a factory, while management device 301 may be a maintenance information management device that manages the maintenance work history for the same factory's air conditioning equipment.

[0028] Incidentally, businesses using management devices may install multiple management devices for the same managed item. For example, a business may install management devices 300 and 301, each with different functions, such as a power consumption management device and a maintenance information management device, for the same managed item. In this case, by linking the management IDs of the multiple management devices, it becomes possible to coordinate the functions of management devices 300 and 301 and achieve efficient management.

[0029] Traditionally, the linking of these management IDs was performed by visually checking the managed information of management device 300 and the managed information of management device 301. However, this linking process is costly, and it can be difficult to determine the linking by visually checking the managed information of each management device alone. For example, if a management ID is linked to personal information, linking the management IDs is relatively easy by querying the personal information linked to the management ID of each management device. However, depending on the objects managed by the management devices, there may not be information linked that is suitable for querying. The information linking support device 100 according to this embodiment makes it possible to simplify this linking process. [Information linkage support device] The information sharing support device 100 shown in Figure 1 includes an input / output interface 121, a processor 122, an input / output device 123, a storage device 110, and an internal communication line (e.g., a bus) connecting them, as shown in Figure 3.

[0030] The input / output interface 121 is an interface for communicating with a communication equipment network 130, such as network 200. The information sharing support device 100 may be configured to be operable from management devices 300 and 301 via the input / output interface 121.

[0031] The processor 122 is an arithmetic unit and control unit. The processor 122 executes the program stored in the storage device 110, thereby executing the functions of the information linkage support device 100.

[0032] The input / output device 123 is a device that accepts data input, outputs data, or does both. For example, the input / output device 123 accepts input from a keyboard or mouse and displays information from the processor 122 on the display. The input / output device may also be connected remotely via the input / output circuit interface, internal network, or external network.

[0033] The storage device 110 within the information linkage support device 100 includes volatile storage devices (such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) and non-volatile storage devices (such as HDDs and SSDs). The storage device 110 stores a management device data acquisition program 111, an ID matching program 112, a history similarity calculation program 113, an integrity verification program 114, a managed information storage database 115, and an ID linking table 116.

[0034] The management device data acquisition program 111 is a program that acquires information stored in the management ID table 311 and the managed information database 312 from the management device 300 connected to the information linkage support device 100. The acquired information is stored in the managed information storage database 115, which will be described later. The management device data acquisition program 111 also has the same function for management devices 301 and 302.

[0035] The ID matching program 112 is a program that mechanically determines the correspondence between the management IDs of each management device. The matching results obtained from the execution of the ID matching program 112 are reflected in the ID linking table 116 described later.

[0036] The consistency verification program 114 is a program that uses the information stored in the managed information storage database 115 (described later) to calculate the accuracy of the correspondences recorded in the ID linking table 116.

[0037] The managed information storage database 115 is a database that stores data stored in the storage device of the management device 300, with which the information linkage support device 100 is linked. Data storage in the managed information storage database 115 may be performed by the management device data acquisition program 111, or it may be performed by the user via the input / output device 123.

[0038] The ID linking table 116 is a table that records the correspondence between the management IDs of each management device. [ID linking table] Figure 4 shows an example of the ID linking table 116 in Example 1. Figure 4 shows an example of a table for managing the linking of IDs between management device 300 and management device 301. The ID linking table 116 consists of a common ID 1161, a management ID 1162 for each management device, a provisional determination flag 1163 indicating whether the combination of management IDs is a provisional determination, an attribute information similarity 1164 calculated by the ID matching program 112, and a history information similarity 1165 calculated by the history information similarity calculation program 113. The generation of the management ID combinations stored in the ID linking table 116 will be described later.

[0039] Common ID 1161 is an ID assigned to a combination of management IDs managed by the information sharing support device 100. For example, the information sharing support device 100 assigns and manages an ID for each combination of management IDs independently of existing management devices. The information sharing support device 100 may assign a new common ID when new data to be managed is registered to any of the management devices. The ID can be any identifier, but some examples include assigning new numbers in ascending order, generating and assigning randomly unique values ​​(for example, using a UUID (Universally Unique IDentifier)), or generating and assigning a common ID based on the ID of any of the management devices included in the combination.

[0040] Management ID 1162 is the identifier data of the managed object adopted by each individual management device. Since each management device defines identifiers according to its own criteria, in this table, Management ID 1162 is stored as a unique string, regardless of its regularity, and the value for each management device is stored as is. This Management ID 1162 can be used as key information for searching to determine whether an ID assigned by an individual management device already has a corresponding common ID in the information sharing support device, whether there are multiple corresponding common IDs and it is necessary to select the appropriate combination from among them, or whether it is not registered at all.

[0041] The provisional determination flag 1163 is binary flag information indicating whether the common ID is in a provisional state generated by the ID matching program 112, or whether the user has confirmed and approved the combination. In Figure 4, "1" indicates that the combination is in a provisional state, and "0" indicates that the combination has been approved by the user. The provisional determination flag 1163 may be provided for each management device so that users of individual management devices can confirm whether the combination has been approved.

[0042] Figure 4 shows the case where the information sharing support device 100 supports information sharing between two management devices (management device 300 and management device 301), but it does not exclude the case where it supports information sharing between three or more management devices. In that case, a table may be prepared for each combination of management devices, or the information may be managed in a single table. If a table like the one in Figure 4 is prepared for each combination of management devices, it is desirable to define a higher-level common ID for the common ID corresponding to each combination.

[0043] The following explanation, using diagrams, describes how the information sharing support device 100 links the management IDs of two management devices (the management ID of management device 300 and the management ID of management device 301). Further explanation will be provided as needed for cases where the information sharing support device links the management IDs of three or more management devices. [Overall processing flow] Figure 5 shows the overall processing flow of the information sharing process according to this embodiment.

[0044] First, the information sharing support device 100 according to this embodiment acquires the management ID, attribute information, and history information of each managed object from each management device (management devices 300, 301) (step S001).

[0045] Next, the information linkage support device 100 calculates the similarity of attribute information linked to the management ID and stores the combinations of management IDs whose similarity satisfies predetermined conditions in the ID linkage table 116 (step S002).

[0046] Next, the information linkage support device 100 calculates the similarity of historical information for the combinations stored in the ID linking table 116 (step S003).

[0047] Next, the information linkage support device 100 receives a management ID input from the user and presents the combinations stored in the ID linking table 116 and the calculated similarity to the user (step S004).

[0048] Next, the information linkage support device 100 updates the ID linkage table 116 based on the user's input (step S005) and terminates the information linkage process.

[0049] For example, step S001 is executed by the management device data acquisition program 111, step S002 by the ID matching program 112, step S003 by the history similarity calculation program 113, and steps S004 and S005 by the consistency verification program 114. Details of each step are the same as those described in the detailed explanation of each program below, so they are omitted here. Step S001 may also be executed by the user storing various data from the management devices 300 and 301 via the input / output device 123. [ID Matching Program] Figure 6 shows an example of the processing of the ID matching program 112 shown in Figure 3. First, the ID matching program 112 obtains combinations of management IDs for which the similarity of attribute information has not been calculated (step S101). The ID matching program 112 obtains combinations of management IDs unique to management device 300 and management IDs unique to management device 301, for which the similarity of attribute information has not been calculated.

[0050] Next, the ID matching program 112 retrieves attribute information associated with the management ID obtained in step S101 (step S102).

[0051] Next, the ID matching program 112 compares the attribute information associated with the management IDs and calculates the similarity (step S103). Specifically, the ID matching program reads the management ID unique to the management device 300 and the attribute information associated with that management ID, and the management ID unique to the management device 301 and the attribute information associated with that management ID, and calculates the similarity by comparing this attribute information.

[0052] If the ID matching program 112 has not calculated the similarity of attribute information for all combinations of management IDs (step S104, NO), it returns to step S101.

[0053] In other words, the ID matching program 112 repeatedly calculates the similarity for all pairs of management IDs, each consisting of an arbitrary management ID unique to management device 300 and an arbitrary management ID unique to management device 301. To put it another way, a unique similarity is calculated for each pair of an arbitrary management ID unique to management device 300 and an arbitrary management ID unique to management device 301, based on attribute information.

[0054] Figure 4 shows the similarity of attribute information as a percentage, but this is not the only way to express it. The similarity of attribute information can be expressed in any data format that indicates the degree of similarity. The same applies to the similarity of historical information, which will be discussed later.

[0055] Any language model or natural language processing can be used to calculate the similarity of attribute information. For example, the ID matching program 112 converts the names (text) of devices associated with management IDs into word vectors using Word2Vec, a natural language processing method, and calculates the similarity as the distance between word vectors.

[0056] Attribute information used in calculating similarity includes the name, type, model number, and location information within the factory, such as section numbers and room numbers, of the managed object corresponding to the management ID, expressed as text data. In other words, the ID matching program 112 calculates similarity based on similar attribute information expressed as text data. The ID matching program 112 may, for example, calculate similarity for multiple types of attribute information. If the data format of the attribute information held by each management device is different, the ID matching program 112 may perform data preprocessing to make them the same text data format.

[0057] If the similarity is calculated for all combinations of management IDs (step S104, YES), the ID matching program 112 assigns a common ID to the combinations of management IDs whose similarity calculated in S102 satisfies predetermined conditions, stores the correspondence between the common ID and the management ID in the ID linking table 116, and terminates the ID matching process (step S105). In other words, the ID matching program 112 extracts combinations of management IDs whose attribute information similarity satisfies predetermined conditions and stores them in the ID linking table 116. The ID matching program 112 also stores the calculated attribute information similarity in the ID linking table 116 (the attribute information similarity column 1164). At this time, the provisional judgment flag 1163 in the ID linking table 116 stores information that the common ID is in a provisional state generated by the ID matching program 112.

[0058] The ID matching program 112 stores, for example, combinations whose similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold in the ID linking table 116. As another example, the ID matching program 112 extracts a predetermined number of combinations from combinations containing any given management ID, starting with those with the highest similarity. The ID matching program 112 performs this extraction process for all management IDs, removes duplicate combinations from the extracted combinations, and then stores these combinations in the ID linking table 116. This prevents management IDs from being left out of the ID linking table 116, thereby more effectively supporting ID linking.

[0059] Furthermore, if the management ID of management device 302 is to be linked in addition to management device 300 and management device 301, the ID matching program will execute the processes of steps S101 to S104 shown in Figure 6 for each combination of management devices. Specifically, the processes of steps S101 to S104 will be executed for each combination of management device 300 and management device 301, management device 300 and management device 302, and management device 301 and management device 302.

[0060] The ID matching program 112 extracts combinations of equipment IDs for management devices 300, 301, and 302 based on the calculated similarity and stores them in the ID linking table 116. For example, combinations in which the similarity of all pairs of equipment IDs included in the combination exceeds a predetermined threshold are stored in the ID linking table 116. [Historical Similarity Calculation Program] Figure 7 shows an example of the processing of the history similarity calculation program 113 shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, the history similarity calculation program 113 starts execution when the processing of the ID matching program 112 is completed.

[0061] Once the ID matching program 112 has completed its processing, the history similarity calculation program 113 retrieves combinations of management IDs from the ID linking table 116 for which the similarity of history information has not been calculated (step S201). The history similarity calculation program 113 retrieves combinations from the ID linking table 116 of management IDs unique to management device 300 and management IDs unique to management device 301 for which the similarity of history information has not been calculated.

[0062] Next, the history similarity calculation program 113 retrieves the history information associated with the management ID obtained in step S201 (step S202).

[0063] Next, the history similarity calculation program 113 compares the history information associated with the management IDs and calculates the similarity of the history information (step S203). That is, for each combination of management IDs recorded in the ID linking table, the history similarity calculation program 113 reads the management IDs included in the combination and the history information associated with the management IDs, and calculates the similarity by comparing this history information.

[0064] The history similarity calculation program 113 stores the calculated similarity of the history information in the ID linking table 116 (the column for history information similarity 1165) (step S204).

[0065] If the history similarity calculation program 113 has not calculated the similarity of attribute information for all combinations of management IDs stored in the ID linking table 116 (step S205, NO), it returns to step S201.

[0066] In other words, the history similarity calculation program 113 repeatedly calculates the similarity for all pairs of management IDs stored in the ID linking table 116, which consist of an arbitrary management ID unique to management device 300 and an arbitrary management ID unique to management device 301. To put it another way, a unique similarity is calculated for each pair of management IDs stored in the ID linking table 116 based on the history information.

[0067] The history similarity calculation program 113 terminates the history information similarity calculation process when it has calculated the similarity of the history information for all pairs of management IDs stored in the ID linking table 116 (step S205, YES).

[0068] Furthermore, when performing three or more information sharing processes, the history similarity calculation program 113 executes the process shown in Figure 7 for each combination of management devices. Specifically, it executes the process shown in Figure 7 for each combination of management device 300 and management device 301, management device 300 and management device 302, and management device 301 and management device 302.

[0069] Figure 8 shows an example of a method for calculating historical information similarity. First, if both historical information is time-series data, the historical similarity calculation program 113 calculates the average value of both time-series data for predetermined periods and calculates the correlation of the average values. The correlation can be calculated using the correlation coefficient or the Euclidean distance, but is not limited to these methods. As another example, the historical similarity calculation program 113 may sample data from both time-series data for predetermined identical periods and calculate the correlation using a predetermined machine learning model. In this case, it is desirable that the correlation is calculated using an appropriate machine learning model depending on the type of time-series data.

[0070] If both historical data are event data, the historical similarity calculation program 113, for example, determines whether there is event data associated with the other management ID before or after the time / time range of any given event data. The historical similarity calculation program 113 calculates the correlation based on the results of repeating this determination for each event data.

[0071] If one part of the historical information is event data and the other is time-series data, the historical similarity calculation program 113 calculates the correlation based on the changes in the time-series data before and after the time associated with any event data. For example, it calculates the difference between the time-series data at a predetermined time before the time associated with any event data and the time-series data at a predetermined time after that time, and determines whether the absolute value of the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold. The historical similarity calculation program 113 calculates the correlation based on the results of repeating this determination for each event data.

[0072] Another example is calculating a correlation based on the time when the time series data showed a feature over a predetermined period and the time of the event data. For example, the historical similarity calculation program 113 extracts the time when the time series data showed a maximum or minimum value over a predetermined period, determines whether or not event data exists within a predetermined period centered on that time, and calculates the correlation based on the result of that determination.

[0073] Furthermore, the calculation method for historical information similarity used by the historical similarity calculation program 113 is arbitrary and not limited to the example shown in Figure 8. Event data may also be converted into time series data and the similarity may be calculated. For example, if the event data is in a data format linked to a specific time interval, preprocessing may be performed to convert it into time series data in which the time when an event occurred is represented as "1" and the time when an event did not occur is represented as "0". [Integrity Verification Program] Figure 9 shows an example of the process by which the consistency verification program 114 shown in Figure 3 updates the ID linking table 116.

[0074] First, the integrity verification program 114 starts when the user selects (enters) a management ID unique to one of the management devices to which they want to link information. The integrity verification program 114 obtains the management ID entered by the user (step S301).

[0075] The user can select an administrator ID by any means. For example, this could be done by entering the administrator ID as text, selecting it from a dropdown list, or hovering the mouse over an object on the screen that corresponds to the administrator ID.

[0076] In this case, it is desirable that the consistency verification program 114 accepts the selection (input) of a management device having the management ID along with the management ID. By configuring it in this way, even if the management ID unique to management device 300 and the management ID unique to management device 301 use overlapping strings, smooth information exchange processing becomes possible.

[0077] Furthermore, if the information sharing support device 100 performs information sharing support processing targeting three or more management devices, the consistency verification program 114 may also accept the user's specification of the management device to which information will be shared.

[0078] Next, the consistency check program 114 extracts combinations containing the entered management ID from the ID linking table 116 (step S302). The consistency check program 114 searches the management ID 1162 column of the ID linking table 116 and extracts combinations containing the entered management ID. If the input of a management device having the same management ID is received along with the management ID, only the column corresponding to that management device is searched from the management ID 1162 column of the ID linking table 116. This prevents the extraction of unintended combinations even if duplicate strings are used as management IDs between management devices, and speeds up the extraction process.

[0079] Next, the consistency verification program 114 presents the extracted combinations and their similarity to the user via the input / output device 123 (step S303). The consistency verification program 114 displays the extracted combinations and their similarity on the display of the device (management device or information linkage support device) into which the user entered the management ID.

[0080] If the information sharing support device 100 performs information sharing support processing for three or more management devices, and in step S301 accepts the user's specification of a management device to which information will be shared, the consistency verification program 114 may display the similarity calculated for pairs consisting of the management ID specified by the user and the management ID unique to the management device to which information will be shared.

[0081] This allows the user to review the extracted combinations and the similarity scores calculated for those combinations, and to select the appropriate combination. The consistency verification program 114 accepts selections from the user via the input / output device 123.

[0082] If the system accepts a combination selection from the user (step S304, YES), the consistency check program 114 removes the provisional judgment flag for the selected combination. Furthermore, the consistency check program removes the combinations that were not selected from the combinations extracted in step S302 from the ID linking table 116 (step S305).

[0083] Furthermore, if a provisional judgment flag 1163 is set for each management device, all combinations other than the one in question will be deleted only when all provisional judgment flags attached to a particular combination (row) have been deleted.

[0084] If the user does not select a combination, the consistency check program terminates (step S304, NO).

[0085] Figure 10 shows an example of a screen display presented to the user by the integrity verification program 114 shown in Figure 9. Figure 10 shows an example of a screen display when the user enters "X001", which is a management ID unique to the management device 300. The example screen display shown in Figure 10 includes the management device having the management ID entered by the user, the said management ID, a plurality of candidate management IDs associated with the said management ID (i.e., combinations of management IDs), and radio buttons for selecting the management ID to associate with the entered management ID.

[0086] As shown in Figure 10, the consistency verification program 114 may display the combination of management IDs and their similarity, along with the historical similarity calculation program 113's historical similarity calculation data, in any format. By providing the historical information display unit 1147 in this way, users can perform ID linking even more efficiently.

[0087] Figure 10 shows the case where the history information managed by management device 300 is time-series data, and the history information managed by management device 301 is event data. Next to the management ID "X0001" of management device 300, time-series data is displayed with time on the horizontal axis and data volume on the vertical axis. Next to the management IDs "Y0003", "Y0004", and "Y0001" of management device 301, a mark (filled triangle 1148) is displayed with time on the horizontal axis at the time the event occurred.

[0088] It is desirable that these multiple history information display units, with time on the horizontal axis, be displayed vertically. Furthermore, it is desirable that the horizontal axes of the multiple history information displayed vertically be unified. In other words, it is desirable that the time axes (horizontal axes) of the multiple history information displayed vertically be aligned. That is, it is desirable that the time indicated by the horizontal axis position of the history information for management ID "X0001" matches the time indicated by the horizontal axis position of the history information for management ID "Y0001". By configuring it in this way, users can easily compare history information.

[0089] For example, suppose that management device 300 is a device for managing the status of equipment, and management device 301 is a device for managing the maintenance history of equipment. In this case, the history information would include, for example, the sensor data of "X0001" managed by management device 300, and the maintenance dates and times of "Y0003," "Y0004," and "Y0001" managed by management device 301. By checking the similarity between the time when the sensor data of "X0001" showed a characteristic value and the maintenance time of management device 301, the user can easily determine which management ID should be associated with "X0001" (i.e., the management ID assigned to the same equipment).

[0090] Furthermore, the screen display 1140 includes a scroll bar 1149 that allows the horizontal axis positions of multiple history information display sections to be moved simultaneously. This allows the user to compare history information at any given time.

[0091] The consistency verification program 114 may highlight characteristic times or periods identified from the history information of the management ID entered by the user. For example, if the history information is event data, the times or periods to be highlighted include the time when the event occurred and the period including that time; if the history information is time-series data, the times when the maximum or minimum value within a predetermined period was recorded and the period including that time. In Figure 10, for the time-series data corresponding to management ID "X0001", the time when the data volume showed the maximum value within a predetermined period is clearly indicated (dashed line). This makes it even easier to associate user IDs.

[0092] In the screen display illustrated in Figure 10, a history information display unit 1147 is provided for each management ID, but multiple history information can be superimposed on a single history information display unit 1147.

[0093] Furthermore, the consistency verification program 114 may display only the similarity of attribute information calculated by the ID matching program 112 as the similarity presented to the user, or it may display only the similarity of historical information calculated by the historical similarity calculation program 113.

[0094] In this embodiment, the degree of consistency was calculated for combinations generated by the ID matching program 112, but the degree of consistency may be calculated for all possible combinations. If the degree of consistency is calculated for all combinations, only combinations with a degree of consistency equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold may be stored in the ID linking table 116.

[0095] By calculating the consistency score only for combinations generated by the ID matching program 112, rather than calculating it for all combinations, the computational load can be reduced and speed increased, thereby improving user convenience.

[0096] In this embodiment, the management devices 300 and 301 and the information linkage support device 100 are described as being hardware-independent; however, all the functions of the management devices and the information linkage support device 100 may be installed on a single computer. Some or all of the management devices and the information linkage support device may also be implemented as virtual resources on the cloud. [Examples]

[0097] Figure 11 shows an example of the hardware configuration and functions of the information sharing support device 400 of Example 2. The basic configuration of the information sharing support device 400 of Example 2 is the same as that of the information sharing support device 100 of Example 1. In this example, only the configurations that differ from Example 1 will be described, and the common configurations will not be described.

[0098] Businesses using management devices may introduce new management devices in addition to those already in use. In this case, the newly introduced management device does not hold sufficient management information other than the initially registered information, so it is necessary to link the management ID at the appropriate time while operating the management device. In such cases, even if the information linkage support device 100 according to Example 1 is used, the user does not know the appropriate timing for linking, making it difficult to link the management ID.

[0099] According to this embodiment, even when a management device has not accumulated sufficient historical information, such as when introducing a new management device, it is possible to easily link information from multiple management devices. [Information linkage support device] The information sharing support device 400 shown in Figure 11 includes a history information storage detection program 417 in addition to the functional blocks shown in Figure 3. The history information storage detection program 417 is stored in the storage device 410. [Overall processing flow] Figure 12 shows the overall processing flow of the information sharing process according to this embodiment.

[0100] First, the information sharing support device 400 according to this embodiment acquires the management ID, attribute information, and history information of each managed object from each management device (management devices 300, 301) (step S401).

[0101] Next, the information linkage support device 400 calculates the similarity of attribute information linked to the management ID and stores the combinations of management IDs whose similarity satisfies predetermined conditions in the ID linkage table 412 (step S402).

[0102] Next, the information sharing support device 400 starts acquiring history information from each management device (step S403). The information sharing support device 400 repeats the history information acquisition process in step S403 until the amount of history information accumulated for a given combination of management IDs satisfies a predetermined condition (step S404, NO). If the amount of history information satisfies the predetermined condition, the information sharing support device 400 proceeds to step S405.

[0103] The determination process in step S404 is performed by the history information storage detection program 417 for each combination stored in the ID linking table 416. As shown in Figure 13, the ID linking table in Embodiment 2 has a column for stored data flags 4166.

[0104] The data storage flag 4166 is a binary flag that indicates whether the amount of stored historical information meets or does not meet a predetermined condition. In Figure 13, "1" indicates that the condition is met, and "0" indicates that it is not met.

[0105] In step S402, when a combination of management IDs is stored in the ID linking table 416, the data storage flag 4166 is set to "0". The history information storage detection program 417 stores "1" in the data storage flag 4166 column for a combination when the history information of the combination stored in the ID linking table 416 satisfies predetermined conditions. In other words, when the amount of history information associated with all management IDs included in a given combination satisfies predetermined conditions, "1" is stored in the data storage flag 4166 column for that combination.

[0106] The conditions under which the history information accumulation detection program 417 stores a data accumulation flag may include, for example, detecting that time-series data exceeding a predetermined period has been accumulated, or detecting that a predetermined number of event data or more has been accumulated.

[0107] Next, the information sharing support device 400 calculates the similarity of historical information for combinations of management IDs whose amount of historical information meets predetermined conditions (step S405).

[0108] Next, the information linkage support device 400 receives a management ID input from the user and presents the combinations stored in the ID linking table 412 and the calculated similarity to the user (step S406).

[0109] Next, the information linkage support device 400 updates the ID linkage table 412 based on the user's input (step S407) and terminates the information linkage process.

[0110] The history information storage detection program 417 may notify the user of a management ID if the data storage flag for all combinations containing a given management ID among the combinations stored in the ID association table 416 becomes "1". Upon receiving user input in response to this notification, the program may initiate processing of the integrity verification program 414, assuming that the management ID was entered by the user.

[0111] This configuration allows users to link their management IDs at a more appropriate time. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0112] 100, 400 Information Sharing Support Device 110, 410 storage device 111, 411 Management device data acquisition program 112,412 ID Matching Program 113,413 Historical Similarity Calculation Program 114,414 Integrity Verification Program 115, 415 Managed Information Storage Database 116,416 ID linking tables 200 Networks 300~302 Management device 417 History Information Accumulation and Detection Program

Claims

1. In an information sharing support device that links information based on information from multiple management devices, A storage unit that stores a first management ID assigned to a managed object by a first management device and a second management ID assigned to a managed object by a second management device, A similarity calculation unit calculates the similarity between the managed information associated with a first management ID stored in the memory unit and the managed information associated with a second management ID. The system includes an output unit that outputs the similarity calculated by the similarity calculation unit. Information sharing support device.

2. The aforementioned managed information includes attribute information of the managed object, The aforementioned similarity calculation unit includes an attribute information similarity calculation unit that calculates attribute information similarity, which is the similarity between attribute information linked to a management ID. The information sharing support device according to claim 1.

3. The attribute information includes the name, type, model number, or location information of the managed object. The information sharing support device according to claim 2.

4. It has a combination extraction unit that extracts combinations of management IDs whose attribute information similarity satisfies predetermined conditions, The storage unit has a combination storage unit that stores the combination of management IDs extracted by the combination extraction unit and stores the combination with a provisional determination flag attached. The information sharing support device according to claim 2.

5. The aforementioned managed information includes historical information, which is information linked to time information. The aforementioned similarity calculation unit includes a history information similarity calculation unit that calculates the similarity between history information linked to a management ID. The information sharing support device according to claim 4.

6. The historical information similarity calculation unit calculates the historical information similarity of the combinations of management IDs stored in the combination storage unit. The information sharing support device according to claim 5.

7. The combination storage unit has a history information storage detection unit that detects when the amount of history information associated with a management ID included in a combination of management IDs stored in the aforementioned combination storage unit satisfies a predetermined condition. The historical information similarity calculation unit calculates the historical information similarity for combinations in which the historical information storage detection unit has detected that the amount of historical information satisfies predetermined conditions. The information sharing support device according to claim 5.

8. It has an integrity verification unit that accepts the input of a management ID from the user, The output unit outputs the combination of management IDs stored in the combination storage unit that includes the management ID received by the consistency check unit, and the similarity score of the said combination. The information sharing support device according to claim 4.

9. The aforementioned managed information includes historical information, which is information linked to time information. The aforementioned similarity calculation unit includes a history information similarity calculation unit that calculates the similarity between history information associated with a management ID, The output unit outputs the similarity of historical information for combinations including the management ID received by the consistency check unit, and the historical information displayed in chronological order. The information sharing support device according to claim 8.

10. The consistency verification unit receives an appropriate combination of management IDs selected by the user from among the multiple combinations output by the output unit, and deletes the combinations that were not selected from among the multiple combinations output by the output unit from the combination storage unit. The information sharing support device according to claim 8.

11. An information sharing support method that links information based on information from multiple management devices, A step of storing a first management ID assigned to a managed object by a first management device and a second management ID assigned to a managed object by a second management device, A step of calculating the similarity between the managed information associated with the first management ID and the managed information associated with the second management ID, Steps include outputting the calculated similarity score, A method for supporting information sharing, which is performed by a computer.

12. Computers, A storage unit that stores a first management ID assigned to a managed object by a first management device and a second management ID assigned to a managed object by a second management device. A similarity calculation unit calculates the similarity between the managed information associated with a first management ID stored in the memory unit and the managed information associated with a second management ID. An output unit that outputs the similarity calculated by the similarity calculation unit, An information sharing support program designed to function as such.

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