Charts

Charts provide powerful visualization capabilities for IoT timeseries data in Beacon Tower. They enable you to monitor trends, compare signals, identify patterns, and analyze historical data through both standard line charts and advanced custom visualizations.

Overview

Charts in Beacon Tower bind directly to telemetry data from assets and signals. They support multiple aggregation strategies, configurable time intervals, and can display data in real-time or historical mode. Charts are primarily used within Dashboards but are also available as standalone analysis views.

Chart Types

Beacon Tower offers two distinct chart types to balance simplicity with advanced customization needs.

Standard Chart

The Standard Chart provides a straightforward line chart visualization optimized for timeseries data.

Key Features:

• Data Sources: Bind one or multiple asset signals to the chart
• Aggregation: Choose from Average, Min, Max, Sum, Median, First, or Last
• Time Intervals: Select intervals from 1 minute (PT1M) to 1 year (P1Y)
• Plotlines: Add horizontal reference lines with custom colors and values
• Axes Configuration: Set min/max bounds, labels, and units
• Legends: Control visibility and positioning
• Thresholds: Define color bands for value ranges

Standard Charts are ideal for monitoring single or multiple signals with straightforward visualization requirements.

EChart Panel (Dynamic Chart)

The EChart Panel provides advanced visualization through Apache ECharts integration with custom scripting capabilities.

Key Features:

• Custom JavaScript: Write scripts for complex calculations and data transformations
• Web Worker Support: Helper functions for off-thread processing to maintain UI responsiveness
• Global Value Displays: Show computed summary values alongside the chart
• Hidden Signals: Include signals in calculations without displaying them visually
• Advanced Styling: Full access to ECharts configuration options
• Custom Interactions: Implement tooltips, zoom behaviors, and dynamic updates

Dynamic Charts are powerful for specialized visualizations, calculated metrics, and custom dashboards requiring advanced logic.

Data Binding

Charts connect to telemetry data through a flexible binding system that supports various data access patterns.

Signal Selection

1. Select an asset from your asset hierarchy
2. Choose one or more signals from that asset
3. Each signal becomes a data series in the chart

Charts can display multiple signals from the same asset or combine signals from different assets for comparison.

Aggregation Types

Control how raw telemetry data is aggregated over time intervals:

• Average (avg): Average value across the interval
• Min: Minimum value in the interval
• Max: Maximum value in the interval
• Sum: Total sum of values
• Median: Middle value when sorted
• First: First value recorded in the interval
• Last: Most recent value in the interval

Time Intervals

Configure the granularity of aggregated data:

Interval	Duration	Use Case
PT1M	1 minute	Real-time monitoring, recent trends
PT5M	5 minutes	Short-term analysis
PT15M	15 minutes	Hourly patterns
PT1H	1 hour	Daily trends
PT12H	12 hours	Multi-day views
P1M	1 month	Long-term monthly data
P1Y	1 year	Annual comparisons

When no aggregation interval is specified, the API returns raw data points at full resolution. Shorter intervals provide finer detail but require more data points. Longer intervals are better for historical analysis over extended periods.

Real-Time Mode

Charts support two data update modes:

• Historical Polling: Fetch data at regular intervals using REST API queries
• Real-Time Streaming: Subscribe to SignalR WebSocket connections for instant updates

When enabled, real-time mode provides live data updates as new telemetry arrives from connected devices. This is particularly useful for monitoring active systems and responding to events as they occur.

Note: Real-time mode behavior is typically controlled at the dashboard level. Individual charts inherit this setting from their parent dashboard.

Configuration Options

Axes

Customize how data is displayed on the X and Y axes:

• Min/Max Bounds: Set explicit ranges or use automatic scaling
• Labels: Configure axis titles and tick labels
• Units: Display measurement units (e.g., °C, kWh, PSI)

Legends

Control the display of series labels:

• Visibility: Show or hide the legend
• Position: Place at top, bottom, left, or right
• Format: Customize label text and styling

Thresholds

Define color bands that highlight value ranges:

• Set boundary values for different states
• Assign colors to each range (e.g., green for normal, yellow for warning, red for critical)
• Useful for quickly identifying out-of-range conditions

Plotlines

Add reference lines to mark important values on the chart:

• Horizontal Lines: Mark thresholds, targets, or limits
• Vertical Lines: Indicate specific time points or events
• Configuration: Set value, color, label, and line style (solid, dashed, dotted)

Plotlines help provide context and make it easier to interpret whether current values meet expectations.

Using Charts in Dashboards

Charts are most commonly used as panels within Dashboards, where they combine with other visualization types to create comprehensive monitoring views.

Adding a Chart Panel

1. Edit a dashboard using the dashboard editor
2. Add a new panel
3. Select panel type: Chart or Dynamic Chart
4. Configure data sources and visualization options
5. Save the panel and dashboard

Dashboard Integration

• Charts share the dashboard's time range selector
• Real-time data toggle applies to all charts on the dashboard
• Charts can be resized and repositioned within the dashboard grid
• Multiple charts can monitor different aspects of the same asset or compare across assets

See the Dashboards documentation for complete details on creating and managing dashboard layouts.

Chart Page (Analysis View)

Beyond dashboards, Beacon Tower provides a dedicated Chart page for focused data analysis.

Analysis Features

• Configurable Time Ranges: Select custom start and end dates for historical analysis
• Multiple Signal Comparison: Compare signals from different assets side-by-side
• Aggregation Controls: Adjust data granularity on the fly
• Export Options: Download chart data or images for reporting

The Analysis View is ideal for:

• Investigating historical incidents
• Comparing performance across time periods
• Analyzing correlations between signals
• Preparing data for reports or presentations

Best Practices

Performance Considerations

• Use appropriate time intervals for your time range (avoid PT1M for multi-month views)
• Limit the number of signals shown simultaneously on busy dashboards
• Consider aggregation methods that match your use case (Mean for averages, Max for peak detection)

Visualization Design

• Choose Standard Charts for straightforward monitoring
• Reserve Dynamic Charts for specialized calculations or custom visualizations
• Use plotlines to mark expected values or limits
• Apply thresholds to quickly identify abnormal conditions
• Group related signals on the same chart for comparison

Data Accuracy

• Understand how aggregation affects your data (Average smooths peaks, Max highlights extremes)
• Consider device reporting frequency when selecting intervals
• Verify that real-time mode is necessary (historical polling is sufficient for many use cases)

Integration with Telemetry

Charts visualize data from the Telemetry and Timeseries system. Understanding how telemetry data is stored and queried helps you:

• Choose appropriate aggregation strategies
• Optimize query performance
• Interpret gaps or anomalies in chart data

Refer to the Telemetry and Timeseries documentation for details on data collection, storage, and retrieval.

API Access

While charts are typically configured through the Web UI, you can also query timeseries data programmatically using the Beacon Tower REST API.

Key Endpoint:

• POST /timeseries/get — Fetch timeseries data with aggregation and time range filtering
• POST /timeseries/get/last — Retrieve the last value of a specific signal or property

Both endpoints require specifying an asset ID, timeseries names, and time range. Optionally include aggregation type (avg, min, max, sum, median, first, last) and interval (e.g., PT1M, PT1H, P1M).

See the API Reference for complete endpoint details, request formats, and response schemas.

Summary

Charts are a core visualization tool in Beacon Tower, providing flexible and powerful ways to monitor and analyze IoT telemetry data. Whether you need simple trend monitoring with Standard Charts or advanced custom visualizations with Dynamic Charts, Beacon Tower's charting capabilities support a wide range of use cases from real-time operations to historical analysis.

Key Takeaways:

• Standard Charts offer quick, configurable line visualizations
• Dynamic Charts provide advanced customization with Apache ECharts
• Data binding supports multiple signals, aggregation types, and time intervals
• Charts integrate seamlessly into dashboards or work as standalone analysis tools
• Configuration options include axes, legends, thresholds, and plotlines
• Real-time mode enables live data streaming for active monitoring