Oracle Corp. is bolstering its cloud lineup with new tools aimed at helping companies take better advantage of the data generated by their connected devices.

The first of the additions, which are rolling out for the Oracle Internet of Things Cloud suite, is a modeling feature dubbed Digital Twin. It provides the ability to create a virtual representation of hardware assets such as sensors and vehicles. According to Oracle, each Digital Twin can store the physical properties of the original as well as up-to-date data about its operational status.

The information is fine-grained enough to let companies simulate various real-world scenarios. A utility, for example, could test how a smart meter would fare in tough weather conditions.

Oracle’s Digital Twins run independently of the devices they emulate when they don’t collect operational data from the field. As a result, companies can access information and run tests even if an asset is offline. This is particularly helpful when it comes to hardware in factories, oil rigs and other industrial sites that often have limited or unreliable Internet access.

The Digital Twin capability is rolling out alongside new AI features designed to ease the task of analyzing operational data. Oracle executive Bhagat Nainani told VentureBeat that they provide drag-and-drop controls, which should help accommodate regular business workers. Users can harness the tools to look for operational anomalies and predict potential technical problems in advance.

These features are joined by several offerings that focus on more specialized tasks. The first is Digital Thread, a framework that Oracle has built to simplify the flow of operational data among a company’s backend systems. The rest are prepackaged solutions that apply existing IoT Cloud services to automating field support, fleet management and factory work.

Such vertical-specific offerings are an essential part of Oracle’s competitive strategy. The company must stand out in the feature department to gain an edge over Amazon Web Services Inc. and the other public cloud leaders, which have the advantage at the market level.

It’s especially important since those providers are likewise working to monetize the connected universe. AWS, for example, recently introduced a service that can help companies add data processing features to their Internet-enabled hardware. General Electric Co., Robert Bosch GmbH and other industrial equipment suppliers offer similar solutions for their clientele.

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