SensorUp proposes Whiskers, an Eclipse Open Source Project for SensorThings API

At SensorUp, we firmly believe IoT system silos are hindering innovations (i.e., very very bad things!!) and the real potential of IoT depends on a richly connected “system of systems”. As the editor and working group chair of the standard, SensorUp led the development of the OGC SensorThings API. After three years of countless telecons and face-to-face meetings around the world, the OGC OGC SensorThings API was approved as an official international standard on February 1st 2016. However, having an open standard specification is not enough. In order to truly realize SensorUp’s open IoT vision, IoT needs open source software codes that implements open standards. As a result, we are proposing the Eclipse Whiskers project. Whiskers is an OGC SensorThings API framework consisting of a JavaScript client and a light-weight server for IoT gateways (e.g., Raspberry Pi). JavaScript is ubiquitous, powering client-side web applications and server-side services alike. The availability of an open source client library is an important step in the adoption of the OGC SensorThings standard, as it makes development quicker and easier. In addition the a client library, Whiskers will also have a SensorThings server module for IoT gateways, such as Raspberry Pi. Developers will be able to deploy and configure IoT gateways, make them SensorThings API-compliant, and connect with spatial data servers around the world that implement the full array of OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) standards. The major goal of the Eclipse Whiskers is to foster a healthy and open IoT ecosystem, as opposed to one dominated by proprietary information silos. We aim to have Whiskers co-listed in both Eclipse LocationTech and Eclipse IoT. As Whiskers implements OGC standards, LocationTech is a perfect home for Whiskers. As OGC SensorThings API is an IoT standard, it also makes perfect sense for Whiskers to be an Eclipse IoT project. Please check out our proposal on the project web site, and join us to realize the open and interoperable IoT vision!