A very very big win for end users-- if we can keep it.

Sept. 24, 2007
From the press release:

PRESS RELEASE

HCF and ISA to Collaborate on Wireless Standards

(Austin TX USA - 24 September 2007) - The HART Communication Foundation (HCF) and ISA have entered into an agreement to collaborate and investigate opportunities to incorporate Wireless...
From the press release:

PRESS RELEASE

HCF and ISA to Collaborate on Wireless Standards

(Austin TX USA - 24 September 2007) - The HART Communication Foundation (HCF) and ISA have entered into an agreement to collaborate and investigate opportunities to incorporate WirelessHARTÔ into the work of the SP100 Committee.

The HCF has granted a copyright license to the ISA allowing the ISA100 committee access to the HART Protocol Specification including WirelessHART for the purpose of evaluation and consideration for adoption. Likewise, a copyright license has been granted by ISA to the HCF allowing access to all ISA100 documents at all stages of development. A joint technical committee will be established to assess the WirelessHART technology for meeting ISA objectives and recommend possibilities for incorporation into the ISA100 family of standards.

"We are pleased to enter into this collaboration with ISA and share the results of our work to develop the WirelessHART technology with the ISA100 Committee," says HCF Executive Director Ron Helson. "We believe WirelessHART is the right technology for process measurement and control applications and collaboration with ISA for adoption into the proposed ISA 100 standards is the right thing for the industry."

Congratulations to the leadership of both HCF and ISA and to the leadership of ISA SP100.

The challenge to us all, now, is to build on this a working standard that is interoperable and compatible. If we do this, end users all over the world will be given the most useful standard we can build.

Can we meet this challenge, or will we duff it?