Aiming to promote the use of Internet Protocol (IP) as the best technology for connecting sensor- and actuator-equipped (“smart”) objects and delivering data gathered by those objects, 25 vendors and users have formed the IP for Smart Objects (IPSO) Alliance. The Alliance intends to complement the efforts of groups such as the Internet Engineering Task Force and the IEEE, which develop and ratify technical standards.
The IPSO Alliance will perform interoperability tests; document the use of new IP-based technologies; conduct marketing activities; and serve as an information source for users seeking to understand the role of IP in networks of physical objects. The group will advocate how networks of objects of all types have the potential to be converged onto IP. Among the founding members are Atmel, Cisco, Emerson, Freescale, and Sun Microsystems.
“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,” said Geoff Mulligan, industry consultant and IPSO Alliance chairman. “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.”