diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 5bf9af5..721a01b 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ option (BUILDSWIGJAVA "Build Java API." OFF)
 option (USBPLAT "Detection USB platform." OFF)
 option (FIRMATA "Add Firmata support to mraa." OFF)
 option (ONEWIRE "Add Onewire support to mraa." ON)
+option (JSONPLAT "Add Platform loading via a json file." ON)
 option (IMRAA "Add Imraa support to mraa." OFF)
 option (FTDI4222 "Build with FTDI FT4222 subplatform support." OFF)
 option (IPK "Generate IPK using CPack" OFF)
diff --git a/cmake/modules/FindJSON-C.cmake b/cmake/modules/FindJSON-C.cmake
index dd8a418..f96701e 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/FindJSON-C.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/FindJSON-C.cmake
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # JSON-C_LIBRARIES - library directories
 
 find_package (PkgConfig)
-pkg_check_modules (PC_JSON-C QUIET json-c)
+pkg_search_module (PC_JSON-C QUIET json-c json)
 
 find_path (JSON-C_INCLUDE_DIR json.h HINTS ${PC_JSON-C_INCLUDEDIR}
 ${PC_JSON-C_INCLUDE_DIRS} PATH_SUFFIXES json-c json)
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 9ac11bd..6b7a9f8 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -92,8 +92,19 @@ set (mraa_LIB_MOCK_SRCS_NOAUTO
   ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/mock/mock_board_i2c.c
 )
 
+if (JSONPLAT)
+  find_package (JSON-C QUIET)
+  if (${JSON-C_FOUND})
+    set (mraa_LIB_SRCS_NOAUTO
+      ${mraa_LIB_SRCS_NOAUTO}
+      ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/json/jsonplatform.c
+    )
+  endif ()
+endif ()
+
 set (mraa_LIBS ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
 
+
 if (X86PLAT)
   add_subdirectory(x86)
   set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DX86PLAT=1")
@@ -136,11 +147,24 @@ if (USBPLAT)
   add_subdirectory(usb)
 endif ()
 
-if (IMRAA)
-  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DIMRAA=1")
-  find_package (JSON-C REQUIRED)
-  include_directories (${JSON-C_INCLUDE_DIR})
-  set (mraa_LIBS ${mraa_LIBS} ${JSON-C_LIBRARIES})
+if (JSONPLAT OR IMRAA)
+  find_package (JSON-C QUIET)
+  if (NOT ${JSON-C_FOUND})
+    if (IMRAA)
+      message (FATAL_ERROR "Enabled IMRAA but JSON-C library not found")
+    elseif (JSONPLAT)
+      message (WARNING "Enabled JSONPLAT but JSON-C library not found: Ignoring JSONPLAT")
+    endif ()
+  else ()
+    if (JSONPLAT)
+      set (CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DJSONPLAT=1")
+    endif ()
+    if (IMRAA)
+      set (CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DIMRAA=1")
+    endif ()
+    include_directories (${JSON-C_INCLUDE_DIR})
+    set (mraa_LIBS ${mraa_LIBS} ${JSON-C_LIBRARIES})
+  endif ()
 endif ()
 
 set (mraa_LIB_SRCS