Overview

I’m new to the world of LonMark.  Please tell me more... { The latest LonMark Task Group postings list is not presently available. Please reload this page or try again in a short while. Thanks. }   What's happening now? Many things are happening.  The NIST Smart Grid Project is one of the most-important and timely of projects:  Through the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, NIST is tasked with “primary responsibility to coordinate development of a framework that includes protocols and model standards for information management to achieve interoperability of smart grid devices and systems” — from generation to end use. LonMark International, LonMark members, and the general public can make it known that they want LonWorks to be a part of the solution by simply participating in the teleconferences and voicing opinions or by participating in the NIST collaboration website and stating opinions there. If we don’t make our voices heard, they won’t know we want LonWorks to be part of the grid solution.  The reach of the new smart grid may even include energy-curtailment interfaces for devices throughout buildings and homes as well.  NIST held an open-to-the-community vote on the 16th of November, 2009, to ratify a charter and purpose for a Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), of which LonMark International is a participating member.  The vote passed and the SGIP is now official. More info soon. LonMark staff is working hard on your behalf but we cannot do it alone. Please join in the effort, even if only to jot a quick post in support of our effort. Here is where we are tracking the changes in the Smart Grid discussions: http://www.lonmark.org/energy   Task Group Activities: Here are the latest postings to the Forum.  Login to take a look: No Topics Available No Topics Available    Many Thanks, Jeremy J. Roberts Technical Director LonMark International

I’m new to the world of LonMark.  What makes it so important?
From the beginning, LonMark branding has been about differentiating products built in the spirit of interoperability from others: about separating the wheat from the chaff.  In this vein, defining new rules and a structure for interoperation allowed for competing manufacturers to sit down at a neutral table and design for the betterment of their industry.  Though a monumental task, it was fueled by the desire to grow the market from a level playing field—irrespective of company size and market dominance.

“LonMark Task Groups” were formed to allow experts to focus on the vertical markets for which they could contribute the most: building automation, lighting, security, homes, transportation; right down to specific applications like sunblind control.  It was the goal of the groups to accomplish interoperability by profiling the interfaces to a device’s functions at the exchange level—leaving the definition of algorithms and processes to each manufacturer. The result: “functional profiles” that allow for modular implementation with the assurance of being able to connect data points in a logical, meaningful way regardless of manufacturer.

How was it done?
By defining the “dictionary and encyclopedia of control networking.”  For example, the technical components of LonMark communications can be compared to a human language like English; where without context, a person may have difficulty conveying their thoughts to another person:

Just as a bonnet is the term for an automobile hood, it can also be a metal cover for a fireplace, a hat for a baby, or a cap for a man.  Without a common, singularly defined dictionary, there is no common definition.  Likewise with temperature data, it must be defined in a common resolution and units—like Celsius to 100th of a degree, for commercial and residential heating systems.

Is that enough?
Not really. In a thermostat, there are several points of temperature data.  To know which is which, sentences must be given context, and data points must be given templates that define their context: functional profiles—the little encyclopedias of a device’s interoperable interface.  Certification to the LonMark Interoperability Guidelines ensures use of LonMark functional profiles in the development of interoperable devices.  This has been the cornerstone of LonMark for more than a decade.

What’s next?
Our technical reach doesn’t stop at Certification of devices: We have taken things an extra step and have been qualifying System Integrators for some time now.  We believe this expanded direction will give building owners and specifiers more confidence in the concept of “open” control-systems maintenance and the longevity of their investments—again, separating the wheat.  We hope you now have a little better understanding of our role in the industries that interest you, we welcome you to browse our Technical Resources section to experience where we have been and where we are going, and we invite you to come along for the ride.

- LonMark