Embracing Standards
The various machines and systems involved in M2M (machine-to-machine) technology solutions have long suffered from a language barrier. Many different communication languages or "standards" exist in M2M, which can make it difficult to integrate data from one machine to another.
With all the recent news about stimulus money and the nation's infrastructure, the smart grid has emerged as one of the biggest areas in the debate about standards. On May 18, 2009, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced significant progress toward development of a nationwide "smart" electric power grid. This new smart grid would use meters capable of two-way communication between the consumer and the utility.
The administration believes the development of the grid will create jobs and spur the development of innovative products that can be exported. Once implemented, the smart grid is expected to save consumers money and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil by improving efficiency and spurring the use of renewable energy sources.
However, before the smart grid can be constructed, there needs to be agreement on standards for the devices that will connect the grid. After chairing a meeting of industry leaders at the White House, Locke and Chu announced the first set of standards that are needed for the interoperability and security of the smart grid and $10 million in Recovery Act funds provided by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, www.energy.gov, Washington, D.C., to the National Institute of Standards and Technology from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, www.commerce.gov, Washington, D.C., to support the development of interoperability standards.
One organization pushing the use of open standards is the Wavenis Open Standard Alliance (Wavenis-OSA), www.wavenis-osa.org, Wakefield, Mass. Wavenis is designed as an ultra-low-power and long-range wireless technology, and it can be used for remote utility meter monitoring, among other applications.
Wavenis-OSA is currently conducting a membership drive, and Orange/France Telecom, www.francetelecom.com, Paris, France, held a membership meeting in Paris on May 27. At the meeting, attendees heard from companies that are part of the Wavenis technology ecosystem.
Wavenis-OSA will conduct another meeting on Thursday, June 11, at 12 p.m., during the M2M Connected World Conference in Chicago. Attendees can learn more about Wavenis and the ways it can be used in M2M.
(Article published on m2mmag.com, copyright and all rights reserved by Specialty Publishing Co. 2009)