November 30, 2001—The leading Finnish companies in the construction, building automation and ICT areas have initiated a standardization effort called COBA (Connected Open Building Automation) to develop an OSGi-, Java- and Linux-based open software architecture for a ‘building operating system’. The first commercial release of the software will be launched in summer 2002.
The aim of the COBA project is to develop an open standard for easy and secure access to the building data and connected devices, via browser over the Internet and mobile terminals. Standard access creates a new business structure by enabling applications and services to access the building functionality. Applications do not need to know anything about the technology used inside the building.
Members of the COBA Group include e.g. Nokia, ABB, Elisa Communications, Hewlett Packard and Lonix. The COBA will first be implemented to the Nokia Home Server environment. Nokia has chosen Linux as the platform of its Home Server.
The project is based on the needs of users, owners and service providers of smart homes, offices and buildings. The project strives to open the building automation market where at the moment the customers building smart houses are tied into systems that are proprietary and therefore expensive.
COBA will be also serving the needs of building users, owners and service providers. A secure standard interface opens up the opportunity of directly connecting a building to a variety of service providers. The best service offer can be automatically selected in real-time, so saving time and money. Companies networked with the architecture will form a new, networked market open to competition and capable of delivering ‘best of breed’ services and solutions. For more information contact COBA.
