FPWD: Web of Things (WoT) Profile

Web of Things (WoT) Profile

https://www.w3.org/TR/2020/WD-wot-profile-20201124/

Abstract

The WoT Profile Specification defines a Profiling Mechanism and a WoT Core Profile, which enables out of the box interoperability among things and devices. Out of the box interoperability implies, that devices can be integrated into various application scenarios without deep level adaptations. Typically only minor configuration operations are necessary (such as entering a network key, or IP address) to use the device in a certain scenario. These actions can be done by anyone without specific training. The WoT Core Profile defines a set of constraints and rules , which compliant thing descriptions have to adopt to guarantee interoperability.

These rules are prescriptive, to ensure that compliant implementations satisfy the semantic guarantees implied by them. We call this set of rules a Profile. 

The WoT Profile Specification as defined in this document serves two purposes: 
 
  * It defines a generic Profiling Mechanism which provides a mechanism to describe a profile in an unambiguous way. This mechanism can be used to define additional profiles. 
  * In addition, it defines a WoT Core Profile of the Thing Description, which consists of a core data model and protocol binding rules. The WoT Core Profile formalizes the results of several PlugFests that were conducted by the WoT Interest Group and of tests that were conducted as part of the development. This document incudes a binding of the core data model to HTTP(S) and selected notification sub-protocols. The core data model can be bound to other protocols - it is expected that bindings to other protocols (e.g. MQTT, CoAP) will be defined in the near future. A TD that is compliant to the core profile MUST adhere to both the constraints on the data model and the protocol binding.  

Devices that constrain their use of the Thing Description to the WoT Core Profile can interoperate with each other out-of-the-box. 

Note that the core profile is not exclusive. Device implementers are free to adopt other features of the thing description that go beyond the constraints of the core profile, however the interoperability guarantees of the core profile hold only for the WoT Core Profile subset. 
 
  Editor's note  
 The name WoT Core Profile is still under discussion in the group and is used as a working title. It is subject to change after the profile specification has reached a certain level of maturity.  
 

Motivation for a Profile  

The W3C WoT Thing Architecture [wot-architecture] and WoT Thing Description [wot-thing-description] define a powerful description mechanism and a format to describe myriads of very different devices, which may be connected over various protocols. The format is very flexible and open and puts very few normative requirements on devices that implement it. 

However, this flexibility de-facto prevents interoperability, since, without additional rules, it allows implementers to make many choices that do not provide guarantees of common behavior between implementations.

Status of the Document

This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index at https://www.w3.org/TR/. 

This document was published by the Web of Things Working Group as a First Public Working Draft. This document is intended to become a W3C Recommendation. 

Comments regarding this document are welcome. Please send them to public-wot-wg@w3.org (archives). 

Publication as a First Public Working Draft does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. 

This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress. 

This document was produced by a group operating under the 1 August 2017 W3C Patent Policy. W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures made in connection with the deliverables of the group; that page also includes instructions for disclosing a patent. An individual who has actual knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains Essential Claim(s) must disclose the information in accordance with section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy. 

This document is governed by the 15 September 2020 W3C Process Document.

Received on Tuesday, 24 November 2020 07:06:29 UTC