TALQ Specification approved!

Published on 2013-08-14. Source: TALQ Consortium

The TALQ Consortium is happy to announce the completion of the TALQ Specification. The specification defines the application layer protocol between a Central Management System and Outdoor Lighting Networks. By providing this specification the TALQ Consortium aims to grow the market for intelligent outdoor lighting systems. The lack of interoperability among systems of different suppliers has been identified as one of the main obstacles for adoption of centrally controlled outdoor lighting systems. Municipalities and utilities will no longer have to fear supplier lock-in if they decide to require TALQ certified outdoor lighting systems.

Since June 2012 outdoor lighting specialists from 10 of the world’s leading lighting companies joined an intense cooperation for the creation of the TALQ Specification. The task they were asked to perform was to create a specification which would enable seamless interoperation with multi-vendor installations. The specification should support adaptive lighting, in both light pole and group based control systems, system monitoring and data collection, and simplified configuration and upgrading. A further requirement was to provide a structured design with possibilities for future enhancements, which could be applied on various physical communication technologies (e.g. wireless, powerline, etc.).

By end of June 2013 the Technical Work Group compiled the final draft specification, which satisfies all of the requirements. Some of the key features that are supported are multi-level control of light points, extensive calendar and programming functions, monitoring and data logging functionality, as well as scalability and security support. The TALQ protocol is built on standard Internet protocols and security standards, such as XML/HTTP and Transport Layer Security, and is independent of connectivity technology.

The Consortium’s specification approval process was finalized mid-August 2013, which made the document an Approved TALQ Specification. It is now available to all members of the TALQ Consortium, who can start developing TALQ compliant solutions. The next step for the consortium is to develop the process to check those solutions are compliant with the TALQ Specification. For this the consortium aims to develop a compliance test suite and organize plug fests, at which interoperability among systems of different vendors can be proven. Only products that have passed the tests and are shown to be compliant will be allowed to carry the ‘TALQ Symbol’. More detailed announcements about the certifications process will be made in due time.

Approval of the specification also marks a change in the promotional activities of the TALQ Consortium. Whereas until now the attention was focused on lighting companies, this will now shift towards potential customers of TALQ compliant outdoor lighting systems. The aim will be to make them aware of the benefits of using TALQ compliant equipment, such as more opportunities to mix systems from different vendors and applying a single user interface to manage different Outdoor Lighting Networks.