DASH7 Alliance
Encyclopedia
Overview
The DASH7 Alliance is the body responsible for overseeing the development of the ISO 18000-7 standard
for wireless sensor network
ing, as well as interoperability certification of DASH7
devices and the licensing of DASH7 trademark
s. The DASH7 Alliance is an industry consortium
whereas "DASH7
" is the name of the technology.
The DASH7 Alliance is a privately held, 501(c)3 not-for-profit trade association founded in February 2009. The DASH7 Alliance is headquartered in San Ramon, California
. The DASH7 Alliance itself does not make, manufacture or sell DASH7-enabled products but owns the DASH7 trademark. Manufacturers may use the trademark to brand certified products that belong to a class of wireless sensor network
ing devices based on the ISO 18000-7 standard.
wireless sensor networking technology is operating in the license-free 433.92 MHz spectrum
. DASH7 has multi-kilometer range, multi-year battery life, sensor
and security support, tag-to-tag communications, and a maximum bitrate
of 200kbps. DASH7 devices operate on a single global frequency
and are interoperable “out of the box” regardless of application and by design do not require cumbersome application profiles. DASH7 is the brand given to the ISO 18000-7 standard for active RFID similar to the use of the WiFi
brand for IEEE 802.11
communications.
, Evigia Systems, and Identec Solutions – agreed that current self-certification of interoperability was insufficient and that a more formalized process for determining conformance with the ISO 18000-7 standard and interoperability
across vendors was needed. ISO has no provision for testing equipment for compliance with its standards.
A founders meeting was organized by Savi Technology in February 2009 in Kona, Hawaii
, and around this time the moniker “DASH7” was used to substitute for the much longer and more obscure “ISO/IEC 18000-7:2004”. At this meeting, it was agreed the alliance should incorporate as an independent, non-profit trade association and collect member dues to fund its operations.
In July 2010, the alliance announced the latest step in its interoperability certification initiative, making a series of test methods and scripts available to DASH7 developers.
In July 2010, the alliance also announced that an update to the ISO 18000-7 standard had been submitted to ISO, dubbed DASH7 Mode 2, adding new features and capabilities to the technology.
The working groups are as follows:
Technical Working Group: Receives end user requirements from the Outreach Working Group and begins to translate them into technical specifications for submittal to ISO. Within the TWG, there are also a number of subgroups including security and low frequency wakeup.
Test and Certification Working Group: Coordinates the Alliance's efforts around conformance and interoperability testing, as well as the actual granting of DASH7 Certified status to submitted products that pass the DASH7 Test and Certification process.
Standards and Regulatory Working Group: Coordinates the submittal of specifications to ISO and the subsequent voting by members in ISO. The SRWG also coordinates the Alliance's interactions with various regulatory bodies around the world and liaison relationships with other standards nd industry consortia.
Outreach Working Group: Gathers end user requirements for submittal to the outreach working group and also leads all public outreach for the Alliance. Within the OWG, there are also a number of subgroups including automotive, container sensing and security, building automation and smart energy, and government affairs.
The DASH7 Alliance also owns and controls the DASH7 CertifiedTM logo
, a registered trademark, which is permitted only on equipment which has passed testing. Purchasers relying on that trademark will have greater chances of interoperability than otherwise.
The DASH7 Alliance has a RAND
(reasonable and non-discriminatory) intellectual property
policy, which is the same policy as both ISO and IEEE.
The DASH7 Alliance owns the DASH7 trademarks. The "DASH7 CertifiedTM" trademark is licensed out for use to companies that are incorporating DASH7 wireless technology into their certified products. A DASH7 Member trademark is also available to paying members of the alliance. To become a licensee of any DASH7 trademark, a company must become a member of the DASH7 Alliance.
The DASH7 Alliance is the body responsible for overseeing the development of the ISO 18000-7 standard
International standard
International standards are standards developed by international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use, worldwide...
for wireless sensor network
Wireless sensor network
A wireless sensor network consists of spatially distributed autonomous sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants and to cooperatively pass their data through the network to a main location. The more modern...
ing, as well as interoperability certification of DASH7
DASH7
DASH7 is an open source wireless sensor networking standard for wireless sensor networking, which operates in the 433 MHz unlicensed ISM band. DASH7 provides multi-year battery life, range of up to 2 km, low latency for connecting with moving things, a very small open source protocol...
devices and the licensing of DASH7 trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s. The DASH7 Alliance is an industry consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
whereas "DASH7
DASH7
DASH7 is an open source wireless sensor networking standard for wireless sensor networking, which operates in the 433 MHz unlicensed ISM band. DASH7 provides multi-year battery life, range of up to 2 km, low latency for connecting with moving things, a very small open source protocol...
" is the name of the technology.
The DASH7 Alliance is a privately held, 501(c)3 not-for-profit trade association founded in February 2009. The DASH7 Alliance is headquartered in San Ramon, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The DASH7 Alliance itself does not make, manufacture or sell DASH7-enabled products but owns the DASH7 trademark. Manufacturers may use the trademark to brand certified products that belong to a class of wireless sensor network
Wireless sensor network
A wireless sensor network consists of spatially distributed autonomous sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants and to cooperatively pass their data through the network to a main location. The more modern...
ing devices based on the ISO 18000-7 standard.
DASH7 Technology
DASH7DASH7
DASH7 is an open source wireless sensor networking standard for wireless sensor networking, which operates in the 433 MHz unlicensed ISM band. DASH7 provides multi-year battery life, range of up to 2 km, low latency for connecting with moving things, a very small open source protocol...
wireless sensor networking technology is operating in the license-free 433.92 MHz spectrum
Spectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
. DASH7 has multi-kilometer range, multi-year battery life, sensor
Sensor
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...
and security support, tag-to-tag communications, and a maximum bitrate
Bitrate
In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....
of 200kbps. DASH7 devices operate on a single global frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
and are interoperable “out of the box” regardless of application and by design do not require cumbersome application profiles. DASH7 is the brand given to the ISO 18000-7 standard for active RFID similar to the use of the WiFi
WIFI
WIFI is a radio station broadcasting a brokered format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA, the station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...
brand for IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee . The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent...
communications.
History
Upon receiving awards for the U.S. Department of Defense’s RFID III contract for ISO 18000-7 devices, several companies – Savi TechnologySavi Technology
Savi Technology is a US-based company that provides real-time RFID solutions for managing and securing global supply chain assets. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, Savi has offices in Mountain View, CA, Lexington, KY, Singapore, London, UK, and Melbourne, Australia...
, Evigia Systems, and Identec Solutions – agreed that current self-certification of interoperability was insufficient and that a more formalized process for determining conformance with the ISO 18000-7 standard and interoperability
Interoperability
Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
across vendors was needed. ISO has no provision for testing equipment for compliance with its standards.
A founders meeting was organized by Savi Technology in February 2009 in Kona, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and around this time the moniker “DASH7” was used to substitute for the much longer and more obscure “ISO/IEC 18000-7:2004”. At this meeting, it was agreed the alliance should incorporate as an independent, non-profit trade association and collect member dues to fund its operations.
In July 2010, the alliance announced the latest step in its interoperability certification initiative, making a series of test methods and scripts available to DASH7 developers.
In July 2010, the alliance also announced that an update to the ISO 18000-7 standard had been submitted to ISO, dubbed DASH7 Mode 2, adding new features and capabilities to the technology.
Alliance Mission
The mission of the DASH7 Alliance has three basic components:- Ensure interoperabilityInteroperabilityInteroperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
across ISO 18000-7 devices - Expand the feature set of the ISO 18000-7 to reflect new market requirements
- Evangelize DASH7 technology in new markets and geographies
Organization
The DASH7 Alliance today consists of four main working groups overseen by a board of directors. There are a number of subgroups within the working groups.The working groups are as follows:
Technical Working Group: Receives end user requirements from the Outreach Working Group and begins to translate them into technical specifications for submittal to ISO. Within the TWG, there are also a number of subgroups including security and low frequency wakeup.
Test and Certification Working Group: Coordinates the Alliance's efforts around conformance and interoperability testing, as well as the actual granting of DASH7 Certified status to submitted products that pass the DASH7 Test and Certification process.
Standards and Regulatory Working Group: Coordinates the submittal of specifications to ISO and the subsequent voting by members in ISO. The SRWG also coordinates the Alliance's interactions with various regulatory bodies around the world and liaison relationships with other standards nd industry consortia.
Outreach Working Group: Gathers end user requirements for submittal to the outreach working group and also leads all public outreach for the Alliance. Within the OWG, there are also a number of subgroups including automotive, container sensing and security, building automation and smart energy, and government affairs.
DASH7 Certification Program & Trademark
The DASH7 Alliance also manages the DASH7 CertifiedTM test and certification program, a certification process required for any product using DASH7 wireless technology. The program was designed to ensure maximum commitment to open standards and ease of use. The program adheres to the ISO 18047 conformance standard and tests for both conformance to the ISO 18000-7 standard as well as for interoperability across DASH7 vendors. Successful test results are transmitted to the DASH7 Alliance by an accredited test lab and the DASH7 Alliance subsequently grants rights to usage of the DASH7 CertifiedTM logo.The DASH7 Alliance also owns and controls the DASH7 CertifiedTM logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, a registered trademark, which is permitted only on equipment which has passed testing. Purchasers relying on that trademark will have greater chances of interoperability than otherwise.
Intellectual Property
New DASH7 specifications are considered the intellectual property of the DASH7 Alliance and remain accessible only to DASH7 Alliance members until they become public knowledge during the ISO standards process.The DASH7 Alliance has a RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
(reasonable and non-discriminatory) intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
policy, which is the same policy as both ISO and IEEE.
The DASH7 Alliance owns the DASH7 trademarks. The "DASH7 CertifiedTM" trademark is licensed out for use to companies that are incorporating DASH7 wireless technology into their certified products. A DASH7 Member trademark is also available to paying members of the alliance. To become a licensee of any DASH7 trademark, a company must become a member of the DASH7 Alliance.