Two years ago, controls industry leaders came together at BuilConn to launch oBIX, an initiative to utilize IT standards for building management. This was intended to provide for more efficient, secure, standard and Enterprise friendly communications over internal networks and the Internet. Technically this is achieved with XML and SOAP, working together as Web Services.

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At BuilConn this year, we will see that first step is near fruition. Just about any kind of control system can produce and interact with Web Services. oBIX will demonstrate interoperability and describe the path to the first release of its standard.

However, even with all this progress in Web Services, Control Systems are still not truly ready for the enterprise. Great progress has been made, but not yet enough.

So what is next?

It’s time to start a dialog about where oBIX goes next. I propose we define oBIX v2 as the application of common abstract lexicons to each domain under oBIX. The focus of oBIX v2 will be to provide to the enterprise the specific business needs of Scheduling, M&V, Performance, Commissioning, etc. A profile of the oBIX v2 framework, then, might look like:

Foundational protocols, used by controls professionals and systems integrators

• WS-Buildings Controls:
  - BACNET-WS
  - LON-WS
  - oBIX v1
  - proprietary Web services

Functional Domain Services used by the enterprise: Owners, Operators, and Tenants

• WS-Buildings HVAC (based on GPC 20)

• WS-Buildings Power

• WS-Buildings Access Control

• WS-Buildings Intrusion Detection

• WS-Buildings CCTV

• WS-Buildings Occupancy

Higher end integrated applications interacting with the Domain Services and their exposing functionality through Web services

• WS-Buildings Performance (M&V, commissioning)

• WS-Buildings Analytics

• WS-Buildings Tenant Services

oBIX v2 should also encapsulate all operations and services under the Policy and Security functions as defined in WSDM, WSM, et al. oBIX v2 should also include standard guidance for control silos coming to oBIX, including:

• Standards for other industries to implement their own WS-Buildings Services

• Reference implementations of oBIX as a WS-DM Services and as a WS-Management service.

• Reference implementation for a combined oBIX/UPnP service

[an error occurred while processing this directive] Call to Action:

The annual meeting of oBIX is in Dallas on Monday afternoon, March 21, before BuilConn. This is an open meeting, and I am inviting not only oBIX members, but also all parties to come and discuss the future of Web Services and the Enterprise. There are places at the table for BACNET and LON, for Web Services and IT, and for Owners and Operators.

It is said, “Well begun is half done.” Well, we are certainly well begun. Please help us come and begin the rest.

If you are interested in a fuller background of these issues, please read here.

Meeting: oBIX General Meeting
Location: Adams Mark Dallas, room TBD
Date: March 21, 2005
Time: 2:00 pm Central
Duration: 2 Hours
Call-in Number: 1(712)824-4100
Code: 214214#
Presentation Online: http://clasma.glance.net?key=1214 from 5 minutes before meeting

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