  More and more household appliances connect to the Internet and exchange data
freely. This is the foundation for true smart buildings. However, there is
still no uniform communication technology available, which can connect all
appliances from all vendors. Protocols differ between manufacturers making
interoperability difficult or even impossible. Manufacturers cannot rely on a
reference for the implementation and real estate developers and operators are
reluctant to commit to a system until it is clear which one will prevail. A
similar situation is evident in smart grids and applies equally to the energy
supply industry. This fragmentation ultimately leads to missed opportunities in
terms of business models which could connect customers with service providers.
We present a first draft of an architecture: SINA - Smart Interoperability
Architecture. SINA is based on existing decentralized infrastructure, which
avoids creating a dependency of the market participants on an overpowering
service provider. The core element of the technical solution is an open-source
module integrated in the private clouds of the manufacturers, energy suppliers
and service providers. The architecture addresses problems of data ownership,
privacy and data security avoiding central administrative structures. It
manages data access and transfer in a decentralized and distributed system.
SINA uses a blockchain and smart contracts to make sure that the pieces of
information about which data are accessed, by whom they are accessed, how they
are processed, and which monetary transactions take place are immutably stored
and made available. This allows providers to offer services to users in a
transparent and trustworthy manner. Finally, SINA includes a matchmaking block
which helps service providers find potential customers and vice versa. This set
of features makes SINA unique.
