>> ALLJOYN - A CROSS PLATFORM MESSAGING FRAMEWORK FOR IoT

A flexible, dynamic and forward compatible framework for IoT communication.

The AllJoyn framework is an open source software system that provides an environment for distributed applications running across different device classes with an emphasis on mobility, security, and dynamic configuration. It is “platform- and language-neutral,” meaning it was designed to be as independent as possible of the specifics of the operating system, hardware, and software of the device on which it is running.

It is designed with the concept of proximity and mobility always in mind - in a mobile environment, devices will constantly be entering and leaving the proximity of other devices, and underlying network capacities can be changing as well.

Just reviewing the member list of the alliance it is clear that there is significant backing and a push for standardization in this area - unfortunately, it isn't the only attempt out there and I doubt it'll be the last. At first glance the AllJoyn standard looks great - the notion of independence and future proofing is exactly what is needed to deal with a fragmentation issue that is bound to be worse than any developers have seen in the past.

A recent article on informationweek.com outlined the perfect use-case scenario that was demonstrated at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year:

• A smart air monitor from Birdi, a startup, was placed in a room with several other seemingly unrelated AllJoyn devices, including a television, speakers, light bulbs, and a door lock - these were devices from manufacturers that have had no idea of Birdi's existence. When the smoke detector detected smoke, it used the home stereo speakers to sound the alarm, the connected light bulbs started flashing different colors -- a visual alert for the hearing-impaired. The television showed evacuation instructions, and the connected door unlocked itself automatically.

By working with the standards defined within AllJoyn each component was able to independently register with the AllJoyn Bus and exchange messages as situations occurred - anyone listening on that bus that could handle such messages could react accordingly.

The system is specified in quite good detail and an introduction to the concept is available within the documentation reference available on the allseenalliance.org website.