As a developer or manufacturer of new technologies and as an implementer of digital platforms, it is becoming increasingly difficult. On the one hand, the market is becoming more complex, but on the other, it also appears saturated. However, this should not be a general deterrent to your own activities. It is only necessary to succeed in generating economic added value.

For example, if you want to distribute digital data and digital services, you need a digital platform that acts as a hub between data, systems and customers. Methods, storage media, functions, applications, user interfaces and system connections play a decisive role in this.

If you want to implement, develop or use such a digital platform, the following questions must be asked:

• How is the system data generated and transferred?
• Where does the content come from?
• How are users integrated?
• How are technologies such as artificial intelligence or deep learning integrated?
• How is the data stored?
• How is the digital platform managed?

However, these questions focus primarily on technology and implementation. If you stick to these aspects, it is difficult to make money with this digital platform.

Customers of digital data and digital services are more interested in the properties, functions and features of the digital products themselves. The platform with its technical implementation is merely the tool for selling digital products, just as the supermarket is the tool for purchasing analog products.

A purchase decision therefore depends much more on the "right" content than on the right technology in the background, as this turns the digital platform into a digital ecosystem.

The key questions for the content of digital ecosystems are therefore:

• How is the system integrated into the content?
• How is the content created?
• What content do users really demand and use?
• What content is necessary?
• How do you generate a real business case from the content?

What is the "right" content?

Let's say it straight out: Any content that can be used to earn money is the "right" content.

But what exactly is content? According to the definition in the Duden dictionary, it is "qualified content or information content". The term "content" was primarily used in website development and is spilling over into Industry 4.0 with digitalization, where the term takes on the meaning of "relevant data content". In the digitalized world, it is therefore about data with meaning and with certain data structures.

Examples:

Predictive maintenance, a popular maintenance strategy in the context of Industry 4.0, requires data and algorithms for monitoring, troubleshooting and fault rectification. These algorithms and data are content. In our view, this content offers added value that can also be used to earn money.

The same applies

• for commissioning algorithms for systems and products,
• for upgrades and optimizations for functions and algorithms and
• for data for the maintenance or inspection of systems and products.

Content can be created and used by the system, by customers, but also by functions.

If you analyze the content of leading companies and products, you can identify specific characteristics for the "right" content. If it is successful, it is structured by experts, designed by experts, links the systems together in terms of content, is used by functions, is used by customers, is affordable and - above all - is paid for.

How do you find the "right" content for a digital ecosystem?

The following tasks are derived from the above features:

1. Defining and structuring content
2. Designing content methodically
3. Connecting systems
4. Using content for functions
5. Making content usable
6. Develop a payment model

Task 1: Define and structure content for the digital ecosystem

It is not the platform that decides what the content should look like, but vice versa. The content and functions should be used to decide how the digital platform should be implemented. Based on the customer's requirements for the functions and data, the content must be developed in such a way that it can be used in the functions of the digital platform (see task 4). In particular, care must be taken to ensure that the functions can be suitably implemented with the format of the data. It is therefore necessary to take a close look at the data that is to be sold, clearly define its digital structures and decide on a suitable data format.

XML is a popular data format. Data can be structured well in this format. This data format is also perfect for use in digital projects. However, any other data format is also suitable as long as the system can handle it.

Task 2: Designing content using suitable methods

Once the structure of the content has been defined, the focus is on how it should be created. The effort required for this should not be underestimated, after all, it is the digital product. As highly qualified programmers do not necessarily have the necessary content-related expertise, it is advisable to have the content created by experts. They can use simple and visual methods and follow suitable procedures and processes until specified quality standards are achieved.

Standardized steps for content creation have proven their worth, such as

• Visualize the system,
• defining the problem and
• designing the solution.

Task 3: Connecting systems for content

In a world of digitalization and Industry 4.0, content is closely linked to the production process and the functionality of the product. Therefore, interfaces between the system, product, production and content must be precisely defined.

To do this, it is necessary to analyze how the data is generated by the technical system, how it gets into the content system and finally how it is linked to the content.

This is not just about the physical layer, such as USB or Ethernet. It is primarily about the data that is transmitted via these interfaces.

In the above example of "predictive maintenance", this task must define which information and measured values from the system or product are read out cyclically and saved (monitoring) so that the subsequent functions can process and use them.

Task 4: Use content for functions in the digital platform

The content cannot always be passed on in its original form. Processing often takes place in special functions of downstream systems, artificial intelligence or databases. The content developed in other systems must be suitable for this processing (see task 1).

For the example of predictive maintenance, the data is transferred to an artificial intelligence system, which then uses special data and algorithms to calculate and return the probabilities of error causes occurring.

Task 5: Making content usable for customers

Customers decide on the form, type and manner of content. This makes them the decision-makers for the digital products.

Similar to the supermarket, where the customer decides which products to buy.

It should be regularly observed and checked how customers use the content in order to derive improvements for the properties and structures of the content from the findings.

The development of a UX (user experience) for the use of data and algorithms by customers can be the answer:

• How should the customer receive data?
• How should they see, feel or hear the content?
• What emotion should the content trigger in the customer?

Task 6: Develop a payment model

Content is the digital product with which money is to be earned. Content can lead to direct revenue because the customer pays for it directly. However, content can also lead to savings because a product or system can be manufactured more quickly, is easier to repair or is easier to market. The decision for a payment model should take both aspects into account.

For the example of "predictive maintenance", the customer could pay for the use of the function in the form of a flat rate.

The content demanded and used by the customer forms the basis for business in digital ecosystems. The technology of the underlying digital platforms is of secondary importance as long as they fulfill their basic functionality.

The industry will only succeed in developing digital products based on data if the necessary content is created and used methodically. All characteristics for the "right" content should be taken into account.

If the industry uses existing experience, methods and knowledge to create, market and manage good content, it can be expected to master digitalization and achieve success - especially economic success - quickly.

Heino Brose, Managing Director of Synostik GmbH