May 2012 - Connectivity Week has long focused on a number of topics in multivendor interoperatbility and data transfer with IT infrastructure. This years event focused on Power management and the Smart Grid. The lead off for the event was a discussion on the Green Button Initiative 

In the words of the organization - “Green Button is an industry-led effort that responds to a White House call-to-action: provide electricity customers with easy access to their energy usage data in a consumer-friendly and computer-friendly format via a "Green Button" on electric utilities' website. Green Button is based on a common technical standard developed in collaboration with a public-private partnership supported by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology. “

The data sets provided are geared towards consumers, utilities and developers. The open data structure of the electrical use, which is reporting on a 15 minute basis, is available in multiple data file formats for use in reporting systems and for import into mobile and browser applications. This data is being extended under the common format into supporting other smart utility measurements such as gas and water. The data reporting has already been implemented by several utilities such as NSTAR, PG&E, SDG&E, TXU Energy, and Reliant. These utilities are being followed by over one dozen others that are committed and have rollout schedules for the services.

The keys for developers of applications, is that the data is being provided in a 24hr delayed basis for historical review. The applications are to be designed as interval agnostic, so that 15min, hourly, 12 hr interval, daily, weekly and monthly data can all be analyzed by the same tools for trend and use models. The goal is to achieve real time access to the data that would allows for active management of Demand Response (DR), active rate billing and more importantly remote proactive control of the energy use.

One of the major elements of this data collection is the ability to create new and user-friendly analysis techniques. These techniques involve consolidated visualization of the data. The graphics generated are both static and video based, and need to be viewable in standard computers as well as mobile devices. This requires the developers to include transcodeing a s a portion of the content analysis generation scheme.

The presentations by the Green Button Initiative were supplimented by discussions with www.data.gov. In thier own words - “The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. As a priority Open Government Initiative for President Obama's administration, Data.gov increases the ability of the public to easily find, download, and use datasets that are generated and held by the Federal Government. Data.gov provides descriptions of the Federal datasets (metadata), information about how to access the datasets, and tools that leverage government datasets. .... A primary goal of Data.gov is to improve access to Federal data and expand creative use of those data beyond the walls of government by encouraging innovative ideas (e.g., web applications). Data.gov strives to make government more transparent and is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government.” Following the Green Button program, the development community is focusing on consumer and industrial applications for this data. These new applications are also very media centric for rapid interpret- ability.