ONVIF set to focus on interoperability and ease of implementation for network video products

ONVIF to establish an open global interface standard for network video products

ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) puts interoperability and ease of implementation in focus in its work to establish an open global interface standard for network video products. The core technology chosen for the ONVIF specification, Web Services, enables efficient development of conformant products.

"Web Services is a modern technology with several capabilities that make it ideal for implementation in network-based products," says Dr. Hans Busch at Bosch Security Systems and Chairman of ONVIF's technical committee. "The technology allows for quick and easy integration thanks to source code generation through standardised WSDL (Web Services Description Language). Data type conformance comes automatically with the generated code, relieving developers from making their own interpretation of the interface. This approach eliminates the risk of misinterpretations and ensures conformance to the interface specification," Dr. Busch continues.

Conformance is one central factor to ensure interoperability on a global market. Another is to keep things as simple as possible and not to reinvent the wheel, which is an additional reason for ONVIF's choice of Web Services. "Several established and well-tested frameworks already exist in Web Services, including specifications for device discovery, event handling and security. These specifications - WS-Addressing, WS-BaseNotification and WS-Security - are derived by standardisation organisations such as W3C1 and OASIS2," says Dr. Busch. "Within ONVIF, we aim to utilise existing standards and only create something new where it is necessary."

With the Web Services technology, ONVIF has a modern and future-proof platform for its standardisation work. "For a global initiative, it is very important to have a developer-friendly platform that enables efficient development of conformant products," says Dr. Busch. "Based on our experiences, we are confident that Web Services will be highly appreciated among integrators, developers and manufacturers," he concludes.