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ISA100.12 to Address Convergence Process with WirelessHART at Orlando Meeting

Research Triangle Park, NC (14 January 2010) - The ISA100 standards committee, Wireless Systems for Automation, will hold a series of meetings at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida, 9-11 February. Subcommittee ISA100.12 will meet each day of the event, and will address the key topic: long-term convergence of the WirelessHART specification with the ISA-100.11a standard.

The ISA100.12 subcommittee is chartered with completing numerous tasks to provide developers with meaningful information to achieve convergence and end-users with educational materials to allow for successful installations of both WirelessHART and ISA-100.11a systems in a pre-converged environment. Included in these tasks is the development of a phased convergence specification to converge WirelessHART and ISA-100.11a. Ongoing work within ISA100.12 includes:

• A recommended practice, prepared along with the ISA100 Co-Existence working group, which will describe techniques for end users for achieving best performance between WirelessHART and ISA-100.11a networks that are installed in the same facility and in overlapping radio space. This document is planned to be completed later in 2010.

• A comparison document that outlines the differences between ISA-100.11a and WirelessHART, nearing completion, which will serve two purposes: First, it will serve as an official ISA100.12 technical comparison document for end users. Second, it will provide a starting point to begin the process of converging ISA-100.11a and WirelessHART.

• An ISA recommended practice, planned for completion in the first half of 2010, which will define approaches for a single wireless field device to be provisioned or configured to run either ISA-100.11a or WirelessHART. This is an important step in the process and will help to preserve the technology investments that early adopters have incurred.

Other ISA100 working groups that will meet in Orlando include Factory Automation, Trustworthy Wireless, Networking, User Guide, Backhaul, Zigbee, Power Sources, and Nuclear Applications. For more information, contact Charley Robinson, ISA Standards, crobinson@isa.org.

About ISA

Founded in 1945, the International Society of Automation (www.isa.org) is a leading, global, nonprofit organization that is setting the standard for automation by helping over 30,000 worldwide members and other professionals solve difficult technical problems, while enhancing their leadership and personal career capabilities. Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, ISA develops standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; and hosts conferences and exhibitions for automation professionals. ISA is the founding sponsor of the Automation Federation (www.automationfederation.org).