--- title: "Architecture: Operations centre | Nexus Observatory" description: "Reference architecture of the Operations centre platform: six layers, the protocol functions it relies on and the evidence behind every observation." url: https://observatory.global/operations/architecture/ publisher: Nexus Observatory Inc. updated: 2026-11-07 --- [Nexus Observatory](https://observatory.global/) / [Operations centre](https://observatory.global/operations/) / **Architecture** # How operations centre is built. One reference architecture under every deployment: the layers of a site, the protocol functions this platform relies on, and the evidence that travels with every observation. [Plan with us](https://observatory.global/operations/contact/deployment/) [Industries](https://observatory.global/operations/industries/) Areas · **5** Technologies · **192** Industries · **3** At a glance ## Confidential computing and hardware trust In Operations centre, the confidential computing and hardware trust layer holds trusted execution environments, remote attestation and device identity and roots of trust, each drawn against the standard it follows. Hardware-isolated enclaves and confidential VMs that protect data in use from the host. The problem ### Every node watched. Every incident closed This page shows how Operations centre is put together, layer by layer, from the instrument to the record. Monitoring of fleets, sites and links around the clock where contracted, incident response from first alarm to root cause, managed services that run the network for you, and service levels written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard. Components - Pole-mounted edge gateway node - Particulate monitoring station and sensor node - Radar stream gauge on a road bridge - Street small-cell pole with an air-quality node - "AI tower in a box" - Data hall row pair with cold-aisle containment - Network operations centre with a curved video wall - Field-service crew vehicle Interfaces **Instruments**: SDI-12 · RS-485 / Modbus RTU · 4–20 mA **Radio**: Ethernet · LTE-M / NB-IoT · LoRaWAN **Time and position**: GNSS 1PPS **Security**: TPM 2.0 **Publishing**: MQTT Where it works - Servers and accelerators - Modular edge data centres and AI towers - OTA updates, GitOps and software supply chain In the story below 1. The system, part by part 2. Assembly 3. Installation 4. Deployment 5. Connections 6. Operation 7. Failure and recovery 8. Scale and federation 9. What you get Scenes · 13 Next steps [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/operations/contact/deployment/) [Open the Field Deployment Studio](https://observatory.global/studio/) [See Operations centre](https://observatory.global/operations/) 1. Operations centre · Architecture Every node watched. Every incident closed This page shows how Operations centre is put together, layer by layer, from the instrument to the record. Monitoring of fleets, sites and links around the clock where contracted, incident response from first alarm to root cause, managed services that run the network for you, and service levels written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard. 2. Architecture · Compute and edge Confidential computing and hardware trust In Operations centre, the confidential computing and hardware trust layer holds trusted execution environments, remote attestation and device identity and roots of trust, each drawn against the standard it follows. Hardware-isolated enclaves and confidential VMs that protect data in use from the host. 3. Architecture · Compute and edge Servers and accelerators In Operations centre, the servers and accelerators layer holds short-depth and ruggedised edge servers, GPUs and NPUs and inference accelerators, each drawn against the standard it follows. Servers sized for telecom cabinets with front access, wide temperature range and DC power. 4. Architecture · Compute and edge Edge tiers and multi-access edge computing In Operations centre, the edge tiers and multi-access edge computing layer holds device edge, far edge and near edge, each drawn against the standard it follows. Compute inside sensors, gateways, vehicles and robots that acts on data with no network round trip. 5. Architecture · Compute and edge Modular edge data centres and AI towers In Operations centre, the modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box layer holds AI tower in a box, prefabricated and containerised modules and telecom and IT power systems, each drawn against the standard it follows. A site package that combines RAN, accelerated compute, storage, power, cooling and backhaul at a tower or remote site. 6. Architecture · Compute and edge Kubernetes and fleet orchestration In Operations centre, the Kubernetes and fleet orchestration layer holds Kubernetes at the edge, fleet and multi-cluster management and bare-metal and zero-touch provisioning, each drawn against the standard it follows. Lightweight, conformant Kubernetes on single nodes and small clusters at remote sites. 7. Architecture · Security, identity and trust Device identity and attestation In Operations centre, the device identity and attestation layer holds Trusted Platform Module, DICE layered identity and secure device identifiers, each drawn against the standard it follows. A hardware root of trust that holds keys, measures boot and signs attestation evidence. 8. Architecture · Compute and edge Cooling and ruggedisation In Operations centre, the cooling and ruggedisation layer holds air cooling and containment, direct-to-chip liquid cooling and single-phase immersion cooling, each drawn against the standard it follows. Airflow design, containment and filtration for cabinets and small rooms. Cold plates and coolant loops that handle accelerator heat densities air cannot. 9. Architecture · Compute and edge OTA updates, GitOps and software supply chain In Operations centre, the OTA updates, GitOps and software supply chain layer holds GitOps, secure update frameworks and device management, each drawn against the standard it follows. Declared desired state in version control that sites pull and reconcile, giving audit and rollback. 10. Updates Updates in rings, with rollback Software for Operations centre is released in rings, so a fault shows on one canary site long before it could reach the whole fleet. A ring for Operations centre goes ahead only on health and data completeness, and a failed gate rolls each node back without anyone travelling to site. 11. Architecture · Compute and edge Storage and edge data management In Operations centre, the storage and edge data management layer holds NVMe and NVMe over Fabrics, object and file storage at the edge and storage security and media sanitisation, each drawn against the standard it follows. Low-latency flash storage locally and across the edge network. 12. What you get Open where it can be, contracted where it must be What is open for Operations centre is free: the protocol, the methods and the open data can be used and built on by anyone. What must be contracted for Operations centre, sites, fleets, managed operations and data tiers, Nexus Observatory Inc. delivers at a price per site and per fleet, with service levels in numbers. 13. Next step Operations centre, planned with you Tell us which layers of Operations centre you already run and which you want us to design and deliver. An engineer replies with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for Operations centre, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/operations/contact/deployment/) [Open the Field Deployment Studio](https://observatory.global/studio/) [See Operations centre](https://observatory.global/operations/) More presentations ## See it from every side. Each opens as a full-screen presentation: deeper pages on the same subject, explainers, stories, guided tours of the places, network scenes and the observatories that came before. [All presentations](https://observatory.global/presentations/) ### In depth [Use case **Deployable incident observatory**](https://observatory.global/use-cases/deployable-incident/) [Use case **Avalanche detection site**](https://observatory.global/use-cases/avalanche-detection/) [ISIC section · ISIC O **Public administration and defence; compulsory social security**](https://observatory.global/industries/o-public-administration-and-defence-compulsory-social-security/) [ISIC section · ISIC N **Administrative and support service activities**](https://observatory.global/industries/n-administrative-and-support-service-activities/) ### Explainers [Explainer · Government and public safety **Government and public safety** Wildfire cameras on real terrain, GBON station density, street-flood alert thresholds, CAP alerting with the authority in the loop and the radio horizon of a deployable cell.](https://observatory.global/industries/public-safety/explainer/) [Explainer · Defence-adjacent (civil dual-use) **Defence-adjacent (civil dual-use) — Sectors** Lawful civil dual-use sensing only: northern observatories, satellite reach at high latitude, maritime safety and ice, and critical-infrastructure resilience.](https://observatory.global/industries/resilience/explainer/) [Platform **Operations centre** Alarms nobody owns](https://observatory.global/operations/) [Platform **Hardware & power** The lab is kind; the site is not](https://observatory.global/hardware/) ### Stories [Story · Resilient operations **When the links fail** Observing systems matter most on the days infrastructure fails. Designing for that day means local autonomy, stored power, store-and-forward delivery and…](https://observatory.global/stories/resilient-ops/) [Story · Airspace and drones **A shared sky below 120 metres** Flying beyond visual line of sight turns a drone from a camera on a stick into infrastructure. It needs a command link that holds, an identity others can…](https://observatory.global/stories/airspace-drones/) [Story · Mountains and avalanche terrain **Snowpack, slope and signal** Avalanche forecasting reasons about the likelihood and size of avalanches on given terrain. The observations behind it come from a few stations in hard…](https://observatory.global/stories/mountain-avalanche/) ### Places and networks [Guided tour · Guided 3D tour **Wildfire forest** Camera masts on the ridges, a weather station in the stand and a private cell: the red ground is what the ridge camera can see.](https://observatory.global/environments/wildfire-forest/) [Guided tour · Guided 3D tour **Mountain valley site** A private 5G tower, an automatic weather station, a compact radar and a seismic vault on real alpine terrain, joined to an edge data centre that admits, times and publishes every…](https://observatory.global/environments/mountain-valley/) [Guided tour · Guided 3D tour **Arctic station** A self-powered station on the ice: a microgrid, a low-orbit satellite terminal, a weather station, a GNSS monument and an edge node that holds data through the polar night.](https://observatory.global/environments/arctic-station/) [Network scene · NTN · Satellite **Satellite direct to device in a mountain valley** Where the valley cell cannot reach, phones on the pass road connect straight to a low-orbit satellite, which relays through its feeder link to a gateway.](https://observatory.global/environments/networks/ntn-d2d/) [Network scene · Backhaul · Fresnel zone **Microwave backhaul across a river valley** An 18 GHz hop from the church tower to a mast on the far side of the flood plain: its first Fresnel zone, clearance over the town and trees, and what a new building in the path…](https://observatory.global/environments/networks/backhaul-fresnel/) ### Heritage observatories [Heritage observatory · United States · 1961 **World-Wide Standardized Seismograph Network** In the early 1960s the United States put identical seismographs, calibrated the same way, in more than a hundred places around the world and published the records on film for…](https://observatory.global/observatories/wwssn/) [Heritage observatory · China · 132 **Zhang Heng's seismoscope** In 132 CE a court astronomer presented a bronze urn that, it was recorded, told the capital of an earthquake no one in Luoyang had felt. No original survives.](https://observatory.global/observatories/zhang-heng-seismoscope/) ### Interactive tools [Interactive tool · Plan a site **Field Deployment Studio** Terrain, devices, coverage, viewshed, power and the best spot for a station, then a deployment request with the plan attached.](https://observatory.global/studio/) **01** Reference architecture ## From one instrument to the grid. Every deployment is drawn on the same six layers. A typed contract sits at every boundary, so parts from different makers fit together. 1. **01** **Instrument** The sensor or radio that makes the measurement, with its calibration. 2. **02** **Node** The device that hosts instruments: identity, time, power and storage. 3. **03** **Site** Nodes in one place, on one mast or in one shelter, with their links. 4. **04** **Cell** Sites that share a backhaul, a power plan and an operator. 5. **05** **Cluster** Cells run as one service, with one fleet plan and one evidence trail. 6. **06** **Grid** Clusters that federate across owners through the open protocol. [**01** **Join** Identity, attestation quote, signed policy.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**02** **Admit** Admitted for a stated scope, nothing wider.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**03** **Describe** What, where, how and by whom, with calibration.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**04** **Time** One clock across the grid, with its error bound.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**05** **Observe** Every value with quality and provenance.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**06** **Qualify** Tested against the specification, state on record.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**07** **Federate** Signed exchange across grids and trust domains.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**08** **Orchestrate** Software and configuration by signed plan.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**09** **Correct** A correction marks what depends on it and publishes a new version.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**10** **Exchange** Products reach people and applications through versioned interfaces.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**11** **Prove** Signed proof receipts that an independent verifier can check.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) [**12** **Exit and decommission** An open exit path, and a record that closes.](https://observatory.global/protocol/functions/) The protocol functions this platform relies on most. **02** Trust and evidence ## Every observation carries its proof. What a buyer, a regulator or a partner grid can check, on every site we build. Evidence ### Identity and attestation Hardware-rooted identity, with a quote checked at every join. Evidence ### Segmentation Least privilege between nodes, tenants and sites. Evidence ### Time integrity Every clock monitored, every holdover logged. Evidence ### Evidence bundles What was done, by whom, with what result. Evidence ### Qualification state Each device and release, with the tests behind it. Evidence ### Signed plans Software and configuration change only by a signed plan. **03** Read further ## The open specification behind it. [Observatory Protocol Specification Functions, state machines, objects and flows. Read →](https://observatory.global/protocol/specification/) [Observatory Protocol Reference designs Nodes and sites drawn to the protocol. Read →](https://observatory.global/protocol/reference-designs/) [Observatory Protocol Conformance Run the suite against an implementation. Read →](https://observatory.global/protocol/conformance/) **04** On this site ## Where to go next. [Operations centre Areas Every area, with its systems and standards. Open →](https://observatory.global/operations/areas/) [Operations centre Technologies The layered map of what we build with. Open →](https://observatory.global/operations/technologies/) [Operations centre Industries The industry sites built on this platform. Open →](https://observatory.global/operations/industries/) [Operations centre Resources Explainer, stories, specification and forms. Open →](https://observatory.global/operations/resources/) ## Bring us the site. We bring the survey, the design and the crew. The form names who receives your details. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/operations/contact/deployment/) [Contact](https://observatory.global/operations/contact/) [Nexus Observatory](https://observatory.global/) **Operations centre** . Every node watched. Every incident closed. [Talk to us](https://observatory.global/contact/) Operations centre - [Overview](https://observatory.global/operations/) - [Areas](https://observatory.global/operations/areas/) - [Technologies](https://observatory.global/operations/technologies/) - [Architecture](https://observatory.global/operations/architecture/) - [Industries](https://observatory.global/operations/industries/) - [Resources](https://observatory.global/operations/resources/) - [Contact](https://observatory.global/operations/contact/) Platforms - [Protocol & Grid](https://observatory.global/grid-services/) - [Software](https://observatory.global/software/) - [Hardware & power](https://observatory.global/hardware/) - [Sensors & instruments](https://observatory.global/sensors/) - [Connectivity](https://observatory.global/connectivity/) - [Edge compute & AI](https://observatory.global/edge-ai/) - [Earth observation & GeoAI](https://observatory.global/earth-observation/) - [Space and satellite systems](https://observatory.global/space/) - [Positioning, navigation and timing](https://observatory.global/pnt/) - [Security and trust](https://observatory.global/security-trust/) - [Digital twins and simulation](https://observatory.global/digital-twins/) - [Data & licensing](https://observatory.global/data-products/) - [Field services](https://observatory.global/field-services/) - [Design and integration](https://observatory.global/integration/) - [Test and qualification](https://observatory.global/qualification/) - [Operations centre](https://observatory.global/operations/) - [Training and enablement](https://observatory.global/training/) - [Frontier labs](https://observatory.global/labs/) Solutions - [Early warning](https://observatory.global/use-cases/street-flood/) - [Wildfire and fire weather](https://observatory.global/use-cases/wildfire-camera/) - [Environmental compliance](https://observatory.global/use-cases/methane-fenceline/) - [Asset monitoring](https://observatory.global/industries/infrastructure/) - [Private networks](https://observatory.global/connectivity/private-5g/) - [Remote power and sites](https://observatory.global/use-cases/remote-microgrid/) - [Climate and resilience](https://observatory.global/industries/climate/) - [Site twins](https://observatory.global/digital-twins/) - [Data licensing](https://observatory.global/data-products/) Industries - [Public safety](https://observatory.global/industries/public-safety/) - [Government](https://observatory.global/industries/government/) - [Cities](https://observatory.global/industries/cities/) - [Civil resilience](https://observatory.global/industries/resilience/) - [Communities](https://observatory.global/industries/communities/) - [Humanitarian](https://observatory.global/industries/humanitarian/) - [Climate](https://observatory.global/industries/climate/) - [Water](https://observatory.global/industries/water/) - [Nature](https://observatory.global/industries/nature/) - [Oceans](https://observatory.global/industries/oceans/) - [Agriculture](https://observatory.global/industries/agriculture/) - [Energy](https://observatory.global/industries/energy/) - 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