If you’re a Star Trek fan, you know the universal translator is the reason Starfleet officers can communicate seamlessly in alien languages.

The translator is part of the Starfleet communicator pinned to every uniform, automatically interpreting and transmitting what everyone is saying in a way the user can understand.

Unified namespace is a concept, not a device, but it works in a similar way.

UNS applies the same “universal translator” approach to a manufacturing organization’s software systems and machines, which would otherwise operate in silos, isolated by their own data formats and protocols.

A standardized language, unique to the organization that deploys the UNS, allows disparate software systems and machines to communicate data so anyone in the business can understand it.

For a simple example, one sensor might report tank pressures in pounds per square inch, but a PLC in a related system might default to measuring pressure in kilopascals. Since 1 PSI equals 6.89 kPa, it’s important to square the two readings. 

That's where UNS comes in.