Google PowerMeter: Visualization Makes Things Change

Goolge PowerMeter is a new product from Google, online monitoring power consumption of user's houses. With help of detail information of power usage, Google encourage people to more efficiently save energy. Some important features:

• Devices should act as a web server. This features should be supported by device vendors.
• With a device URL, user can view and manage the device by a internet browser.
• Data is transmitted by HTTPS every 10 minutes.
• Viewer of PowerMeter is integrated in iGoogle.
• Google provides API for third-part developer.

"..Google recommends building an 802.11 ("WiFi") radio into your device and then implementing a TCP/IP stack with SSL aboard the device so that the device can transmit data directly to Google. The device could also use an RJ-45 ethernet jack with a TCP/IP/SSL stack, though this set-up could complicate your customer's efforts to configure the device's connection."

Reference:

• Google PowerMeter API