Monday, October 5, 2009

BACnet IT-WG launched

A few minutes ago I received an e-mail from Jim Butler announcing the formation of a new BACnet working group, the IT-WG. As he describes its charter:

Since the design of BACnet began in 1987, much has changed in the world of computers, networking technology, and building automation systems. BACnet has been sufficiently flexible to handle many of these changes, but more changes are coming that may further challenge BACnet’s architecture. Here are some of the changes that could affect the requirements for building automation systems:


1. The trend toward convergence of IT and building automation


2. Network security policies and standards


3. The increasing use of battery-powered and wireless networked devices


4. “Smart Grid” applications that involve building automation systems


The BACnet IT working group’s primary task will be to enumerate the general communication requirements of building automation systems that will be deployed over the next several years and evaluate BACnet against those requirements. To the extent that BACnet does not meet those requirements, the working group will discuss, at a high level, how BACnet could be modified or redesigned in order to better meet those requirements. Based on the outcome of those discussions, the working group members might initiate projects to investigate various design options.


He also notes:

I have set up a Yahoo Group that we will use for e-mail exchange. If you are interested in participating in the BACnet IT working group, you should join that Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bacnet-it-wg/


It is my intention that the working group will use collaboration tools that have not been used by other BACnet committee working groups. I believe that those tools can help us to do a better job of documenting issues (and related documents) that we discuss. An announcement about this will be made in the near future.


The working group’s first face-to-face meeting will be held on Tuesday November 10, 2009 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Georgia Tech.

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