What does PI in OSIsoft's 'PI System' stand for?

Question

What does PI in OSIsoft's 'PI System' stand for?

I can't tell if it stands for the symbol/number Pi, or if it stands for a previous name for the technology, like 'Process Intelligence'. PI is too close to the more common BI to be just a coincidence.

Note - There are Channel9 videos that demonstrate how MS uses OSIsoft to monitor some operations. Links to the C9 videos are from the 'SQL 2008 R2' CEP pages. The SQL CEP features are called StreamInsight.

Answer 1

Mainly to store a large amount of historical data for industrial purposes.

A good example is when you need to develop an enhancement in your process to reduce the energy consuption then you can use the informations of each equipment and make plans to reduce it's energy consuption.

Other example is when you need to make industrial informations available for the entire corporation, as the state of a equipment (stopped or running). The PI System has it's own interfaces to make it possible.