The old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words is overshadowed with the concept of a uniform resource locator (URL), which is the address of a document on the Internet. In Internet fashion, this document is linked to other URLs and very quickly provides linkage to volumes of useful information in a virtual library, allowing us to present millions of words from a single URL. The value of a well-designed website and its respective URLs is worth more than the pictures it contains.

URLs of course often include pictures as well as links to demonstrations and other interactive mediums such as video. The importance of our dot.com and dot.org relationships, plus the amount of URLs depicting our large building automation industry, is growing daily. More and more, we depend on creating a website to provide a virtual ongoing relationship with our clients.

The point of this column is to help make our industry aware of the people that connect the dots and provide valuable links to our large building automation industry.

Valuable links

Engineered Systems "Building Automation" columns are always connecting my readers with new dots and allowing my few words to be amplified and multiplied by the linkage to URLs that speak volumes.

AutomatedBuildings.com's very reason for existence is based on connecting the dots to allow us to see the evolving picture that is our large building automation industry.

AHR EXPO, at www.ahrexpo.com provides the large building automation industry a unique arena called The Building Automation & Control (BAC) Showcase to display its wares and interact face-to-face with its customers. Most importantly, the shows give all in the arena an opportunity to provide their Web address and particular URLs to provide an ongoing connection to their customers.

A BACnet website dedicated to providing the latest information on BACnet, "A Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks," has links to several related websites: www.bacnet.org/Gallery/index.html an informal listing of products and links to the vendor's site; and www.bacnet.org/Links/index.html links to a number of websites of interest. The first section lists organizations involved in the development of other protocol standards. The second section lists periodicals, both electronic and hardcopy, that occasionally discuss building automation and control issues, including BACnet.

The BACnet Manufacturers Association (BMA) at www.bacnetassociation.org/ is an organization that encourages the successful use of BACnet in building automation and control systems through interoperability testing, educational programs, and promotional activities, and provides several useful links.

The LonMark Interoperability Association at www.lonmark.org is your first stop when seeking information on open, interoperable control products and systems based on Echelon Corporation's LonWorks technology and includes several related links.

CABA and its members include manufacturers, dealers, installers, telecommunications companies, energy utilities, builders, consultants, research organizations, publishers, educational institutions, governments, and associations who focus upon residential/large building automation and systems integration. Visit www.caba.org/aboutus/members.cfm.

BuilConn brings together manufacturers, distributors, integrators, contractors, and dealers in the security and HVAC industries. It can be reached by visiting www.builconn.com/

ISA, at http://www.isa.org/ fosters advancement in the theory, design, manufacture, and use of sensors, instruments, computers, and systems for measurement and control in a wide variety of applications.

Automatic Meter Reading Association (AMRA), www.amra-intl.org/, supports development of standards intended to link utility equipment (meters, shutoffs, emergency, rates, etc.) to home automation, energy management, and building owner computer systems.

ARCNET Trade Association (ATA), at http://www.arcnet.com/ is a nonprofit organization of ARCNET users and manufacturers formed for the purpose of promoting ARCNET and providing information and standards for users.

PROFIBUS, www.profibus.com/ is the world's leading vendor-independent open fieldbus standard for use in manufacturing and building automation as well as process control.

This list of connections to some of the major assemblers of dots in our industry provides a wealth of information, as each of these dots allows access to a host of other related dots. By investing time in understanding this wealth of information, we all can gain greater insight to our industry. ES