Everybody is jumping on the wireless train. Wireless is becoming either the greatest enabling technology since the PC and PLC, or an overhyped bubble ready to burst any minute. End users will now be even more confused than they already are.
From the press release:
NEW INDUSTRY ALLIANCE PROMOTES USE OF IP
IN NETWORKS OF 'SMART OBJECTS'
Cisco, SAP and Sun Among 25 Charter Members
Of 'IPSO Alliance' Offering Education,
Interoperability Testing for Embedded IP Applications
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 16, 2008 - A group of leading
technology vendors and users have formed the IP for Smart
Objects (IPSO) Alliance, whose goal is promoting the
Internet Protocol (IP) as the networking technology best
suited for connecting sensor- and actuator-equipped or
"smart" objects and delivering information gathered by
those objects.
Smart objects are objects in the physical world that -
typically with the help of embedded devices - transmit
information about their condition or environment (e.g.,
temperature, light, motion, health status) to locations
where the information can be analyzed, correlated with
other data and acted upon. Applications range from
automated and energy-efficient homes and office buildings,
factory equipment maintenance and asset tracking to
hospital patient monitoring and safety and compliance
assurance.
Intended to complement the efforts of entities such as the
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which develop
and ratify technical standards in the Internet community,
the IPSO Alliance will perform interoperability tests,
document the use of new IP-based technologies, conduct
marketing activities and serve as an information repository
for users seeking to understand the role of IP in networks
of physical objects. The Alliance seeks to advocate how
networks of objects of all types have the potential to be
converged onto IP.
Founding members of the IPSO Alliance are Arch Rock, Atmel,
Cimetrics, Cisco, Duke Energy, Dust Networks, eka systems,
EDF (Électricité de France) R&D, Emerson, Freescale, IP
Infusion, Jennic, Kinney Consulting, Nivis, PicosNet,
Proto6, ROAM, SAP, Sensinode, SICS, Silver Spring Networks,
Sun Microsystems, University of Tampere, Watteco and
Zensys.
Geoff Mulligan, industry consultant and IPSO Alliance
chairman, said, "In recent years IP has emerged as the most
efficient and scalable networking technology not just in
the traditional IT realm but in scenarios with low power,
restricted memory, rugged surroundings and tens of
thousands of often unattended devices. Users are
recognizing that the proven, ubiquitous IP standard is a
much better alternative to using a patchwork of proprietary
protocols that have no guarantee of scalability or
interoperability, and require complex gateways that are
difficult to deploy and manage. The aim of the Alliance is
to provide the community with more information on smart
objects and the industries and markets where they play an
effective role. We will offer case studies and white
papers, track IETF and other standards, and organize
demonstrations and interoperability events."
"Unlike proprietary technologies, which typically are
constrained to a single physical medium, IP allows users
virtually limitless flexibility thanks to a layered
architecture. It works on any physical layer from wired to
Wi-Fi to low-power radio and more," said Jean-Philippe
Vasseur, distinguished engineer at Cisco and chairman of
the Alliance's Technical Advisory Board. "As a result, the
IPSO Alliance isn't defined by a narrow focus on a single
medium, but embraces a broad spectrum of options that
address various user requirements."
"The IPSO Alliance is a significant step forward for
organizations whose businesses depend on coherent extended
network architectures to retrieve critical information from
the edge of their enterprises," said Ted Russ, general
manager for ROAM, a provider of streetlight-monitoring
solutions and a division of Acuity Brands Technology
Services. "The advocacy and expertise of the IPSO Alliance
will allow ROAM to focus more on providing new products and
services, and less on deciphering disparate and conflicting
protocols."
IPSO Alliance membership is open to any organization
advocating an IP-based approach to connecting smart
objects. There are two levels of membership: Contributor
members, who currently pay $2,500 per year, may use the
Alliance's technical guidelines and case studies,
participate in meetings and committees, demonstrate their
products at meetings, trade shows and other Alliance
events, and qualify their products and services in the
interoperability program. Promoter members, who currently
pay $5,000 per year, are also eligible to vote, serve on
the Alliance's board of directors, and chair committees.
For more information, visit http://www.ipso-alliance.org.
