1. Source of the Proposed Project
1.1 Title
Universal Remote Console (URC)
1.2 Date Submitted
1.3 Proposer(s)
The INCITS Information Technology Access Interfaces
Technical Committee (INCITS/V2).
Four organizations (IBM, NIST, Panasonic, & Unisys) are members of
both INCITS/V2 and the INCITS Executive Board.
2. Process Description for the Proposed Project
2.1 Project Type (Development or Revision)
Development ("D")
2.2 Type of Document
Standard
2.3 Definitions of Concepts and Special Terms
See attached: Terms
of Reference
2.4 Expected Relationship with Approved Reference Models, Frameworks,
Architectures, etc.
There are a number of existing protocol and
modeling activities being undertaken by the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and other consortia and
specification development activities that we are coordinating with. We
are working with INCITS/L8 to ensure that necessary data definitions, metadata,
as well as shared data registry and registration authority definitions are specified
correctly and similarly with INCITS/T4 to ensure that security and privacy
issues are appropriately addressed.
2.5 Recommended INCITS Development Technical Committee
(Existing)
The INCITS Information Technology Access
Interfaces Technical Committee (INCITS/V2).
2.6 Anticipated Frequency and Duration of Meetings
INCITS/V2 meets 4 times a year at various
locations throughout the
2.7 Target Date for Initial Public Review (Milestone 4)
2.8 Estimated Useful Life of Standard or Technical Report
At least 5 years.
3. Business Case for Developing the Proposed Standard or Technical Report
3.1 Description
This proposed American National Standard will be one in a series supporting
the development of Universal Remote Consoles
(URCs). The goal of this set of standards is to provide a framework of
components that combine to enable remote User Interfaces and remote control of
network accessible electronic devices and services through a Universal Remote
Console (URC).
The V2 Technical Committee is developing a set of
standards for the discovery, selection, configuration, and operation of user
interfaces and options. The purpose of these standards is to facilitate
the development and deployment of a wide variety of devices (from different
manufacturers) that can act as Universal Remote Consoles (URCs) for an equally
varied range of devices and services (called "Targets"). In
other words, the standards will allow users to control any number of
Electronic and Information Technology devices in their environment.
The potential Targets include both devices and
services. They may range from things as simple as a light switch and
thermostats, to more complex items such as audio visual equipment, home
appliances, electronics in a car or other constrained or specialized
environment, web-based services, and any other devices or services that can be
controlled electronically (or via Communications or Information Technology --
CIT).
Targets may be in the same location as the individual
who desires to control the Target through the URC, or the Target can be at any
distance from the URC/user, as long as there is some type of network connection
between the URC and the Target. This is possible since a URC provides the
user with all of the necessary controls as well as the prompts and other
information displayed by the Target.
URC functionality could be provided by common devices
such as personal computing and Information Technology devices (e.g. laptops,
PDAs), telecommunications/WAP devices (e.g. cell phones), etc. They could also
be functions implemented in assistive technology devices, or they could be
devices that were specially built to function as Universal Remote
Consoles. They may also be devices that were built to function primarily
as Remote Consoles for a particular family of products (e.g. a Remote Console
designed to control components of an integrated home audio-visual system), but
would also serve to control any other device that is (V2) URC compatible.
They are similar in behavior to universal remote controls today, except
a) they have much greater function and scope,
b) they synchronize with the Target in both directions (i.e. they can display
the current status of the Target),
c) they don't need to be programmed by the user, (since they will automatically
discover devices that are controllable in a user's vicinity, discover the
abstracted user interface of the Targets and present it in the way preferred by
the user), and
d) depending on the networking technology used, they may be used out of sight
of the product they are controlling.
The output interfaces provided by URCs could be all
visual, all tactile, or all verbal in nature (or any combination thereof),
because the (V2) URC specifies the content of a Target user interface
independently from the form in which it is presented. Similarly and for
the same reason, the control interfaces may be by voice, keyboard, mouse or any
other available technology. Thus, URCs could be designed that an
individual could talk to and, through the URC, the
user could have speech access to any (V2) URC compatible Target listed above
without any of these Targets having any voice recognition or voice control
functionality themselves. A person might, therefore, be able to say to
their URC, "Record channel 12 and show me 'Law and Order'". Or
they could be laying in bed and say, "Set the alarm to
The purpose of the Universal Remote Console
specification efforts within V2 is to provide a framework of components that
combine to enable remote User Interfaces and remote control of
network-accessible electronic devices and services through a Universal Remote
Console (URC).
This document provides an overview of the (V2) URC
framework and its components. The following additional documents will be
defined in separate projects and specify specific languages and components of
the (V2) URC standard.:
3.2. Existing Practice and the Need for a Standard
No standard or specification exists for defining a user interface (UI) for
an arbitrary electronic or information technology device or CIT service that is
independent of mode of UI rendition or instanciation,
along with the means for communicating such definitions and using them to
achieve remote control of the device or service. Such mode independent UI
descriptions together with robust specifications for UI rendition and instanciation ,
defining a "Universal Access Bus," are essential for simplifying and
normalizing our increasingly complex, increasingly computer dominated
environment.
The existence of such a universal access bus for consumer products,
environmental controls, appliances, web services, etc. will also benefit people
with disabilities and the aging population by helping
organizations meet state and Federal requirements for universal access
to services, data, and information.
3.3. Implementation Impacts of the Proposed Standard
3.3.1 Development Costs
This Standard will be developed through the
voluntary and cooperative efforts of INCITS Information Technology Access
Interfaces Technical Committee (INCITS/V2) members. No significant development
costs are anticipated.
3.3.2 Impact on Existing or Potential Markets
There is a burgeoning market already for
personalization of content and appearance on the World Wide Web, with regard to
small handheld devices and for commercial sales purposes. Companies such
as IBM, ATG and Vignette, among many others, have products and services for
this explicit purpose. This market is expected to grow considerably in
the next 3 years. There is also a movement in the Web to provide
sites of interest to people with disabilities (e.g., HalfthePlanet,
WeMedia, CanDo) and the
aging population (e.g., SeniorNet), and attempts to bring the W3C WAI
recommendations into these. Alternative interfaces to meet these needs,
whether pre-constructed, adapted or constructed on the fly, are a form of
personalization.
Another rapidly emerging segment of technology is that of pervasive computing, whereby intelligent devices of all sorts are distributed into the living environments of home, shopping, and other activities involving mobile systems. Of particular note are the numerous offerings in:
This follows the burgeoning of wireless technology from companies such as Qualcomm, Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola, to mention but a few, as well as activities such as the Wireless Application Protocol Forum (WAPForum) and the Salutation Consortium in promoting applications for wireless devices. Handheld devices such as the 3Com Palm and the Pocket PC are targeted at the mobile computing environment. Another important factor in the wireless environment is the Bluetooth RF infrastructure for which a very substantial number of manufacturers are building compatible devices.
Whereas these services look towards increasing access for user's critical information, they rely on end-users to configure, change, or maintain configurations for their access. In addition, the burden of incorporating multiples of these offerings into a daily regimen is taxing on the user, and certainly highly error-prone. The key shortfall, however, rests in the personalization of the user's interaction with each of these separate systems, and the changes and dynamics that individual users' will need to effectively coordinate and use these services effectively. This can be made especially difficult for a user with a disability or who is aging.
To make these systems truly usable, service providers must bridge the user's networks (office, mobile, home); the user's devices (phone, web-pad, computer); and the user's information spaces (email, documents, news/information).
Key to interaction across devices and information spaces is the ability to provide the solution in a ubiquitous form factor. Two related initiatives are needed:
Moreover, there is an abundant market for
third-party developers to build products that will carry out interface
transformations for content, appearance and user controls and to build
applications that lend themselves to interface selection or
transformation. Many of these already exist. Netscape has released
its Versions 6 browser which permits widespread modification of both its
operating interface and the content appearing on it, through a language called
XUL (extensible User interface Language). There is also another language
called User Interface Markup Language that uses Sun Microsystems’ Java
Swing for modifying rendering of interface elements. Both of these
languages are compatible with and expressible by the W3C language XML. Sun
is also pushing its Jini connection technology as a means of mediating access
to alternative interfaces (the proposed standards would run over Jini).
Other venues for the standard include the Salutation Consortium’s
Salutation architecture, HomeAPI/Universal Plug and
Play, and other home networking technologies.
3.3.3 Costs and Methods for Conformity Assessment
The document will contain requirements
for conformity pertaining to each component of the standard. These requirements
can be used to test conformance with the standard.
Conformance will be determined by industry
interoperability testing methods. The costs for such testing will be born
by the component (URC or Target) developer or manufacturer.
3.3.4 Return on Investment
The return on investment for this development is
expected to be high, due to the complexity and cost to individuals and their
employing organizations of using the current
methods of interface configuration in the areas covered by the proposed
Standard.
3.4 Legal Considerations
3.4.1 Patent Assertions
Calls have been made to identify assertions of
patent rights in accordance with the relevant INCITS, ANSI and ISO/IEC policies
and procedures. At this time, INCITS/V2 members are unaware of any patent
assertions that may be made.
3.4.2 Dissemination of the Standard or Technical Report
Drafts of this document will be disseminated
electronically. Dissemination of the final Standard will be restricted as the
document becomes the property of INCITS, ANSI, or ISO/IEC.
4. Related Standards Activities
4.1 Existing Standards
There are no known protocols at the Human
Computer Interface.
4.2 Related Standards Activity
HFES
ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 35 User Interfaces
Note: as the U.S. TAG to ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 35 User Interfaces, INCITS/V2 will be
working closely with the International community to ensure the broadest
possible acceptance of the standards. We intend to submit a parallel NP
for development of a multipart ISO/IEC International Standard.
4.3 Recommendations for Close Liaison
W3C/WAI Protocols and Formats WG
INCITS/L8
INCITS T4 (security)
UPnP
Jini
W3C RDF Core Working Group
W3C XForms Working Group
5. Units of Measurement used in the Standard
Not Measurement Sensitive