Patent ID: 8027349

Claim:
A data collection system for distributing data from at least one target asset to at least one software application, comprising: a set of at least one machine platforms, where each target asset is associated with at least one machine platform, data is associated with each target asset, and each machine platform transfers the data associated with at least one target asset in at least one of a plurality of machine platform formats; a plurality of data sources, where each data source is configured to collect, from at least one machine platform, data in at least one of a plurality of machine platform formats; a motion server, where the motion server is configured to convert data in at least one machine platform format to at least one universal format; a protocol server, where the protocol server is configured to convert data in the at least one universal format to data in a protocol format; and a data routing system, where the data routing system causes the data collection system to operate in a pass through mode in which data is passed from the at least one target asset to the at least one software application in the at least one universal format; and a data processing mode in which data is passed from the at least one target asset to the at least one software application in the protocol format.