The PM-EdgeMap: Towards Real-Time Process Mining on the Edge-Cloud Continuum

2026-06-10

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenge of achieving low-latency real-time decision-making in smart factories as they evolve toward cyber-physical systems, a requirement that traditional cloud-based processing struggles to fulfill. To bridge this gap, the work proposes a formal process mining framework tailored for edge–cloud collaborative architectures, marking the first deployment of process mining algorithms in edge computing environments. The framework introduces standardized representations of datasets and computational topologies and integrates a conformance-checking mechanism at the edge to enable responsive, real-time process analysis with minimal latency. Empirical case studies demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly enhances autonomous decision-making efficiency and system responsiveness in smart manufacturing settings.

Abstract

Smart factories are evolving into Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), demanding increased autonomy. This necessitates real-time decision making, facilitated by insights derived from sensor data. Process mining offers a valuable approach to gain such insights and guide actions. The edge computing paradigm supports this real-time requirement by enabling network communication between sensors and leveraging nearby computing resources. This paper investigates the implications of performing real-time process mining algorithms on the edge. Within this paper, we first propose a formalism to describe relevant datasets and the computing topology. We then evaluate the edge computing approach through a case study involving an edge-based conformance checking algorithm. The results demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of edge-based real-time process mining for enhanced autonomous control in smart factories.

Problem

• real-time process mining
• edge computing
• smart factories
• Cyber-Physical Systems
• autonomous control

Innovation

• edge computing
• process mining
• real-time conformance checking
• Cyber-Physical Systems
• smart factory