iiRDS in International Standardization

The iiRDS Consortium has written a PAS describing the iiRDS information flow and metadata models, including further information annexes on iiRDS metadata and information exchange scenarios. This PAS was submitted to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and commented on. The comments were discussed within IEC/TC 3/WG 28 with convenor Dr. Michael Fritz and resubmitted for voting in December 2022. The voting period concluded at the end of March 2023, and the PAS has been accepted. The Working Group 28 incorporated some final editorial comments and the IEC now publish the PAS here: https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/76498.

The PAS defines requirements for electronic request and delivery processes for any kind of information for use. Such processes are needed to bridge the gap between objects in the real world and the information needed by their dedicated users, especially in the context of smart manufacturing, industry 4.0 and the industrial internet of things. It further specifies processes in order to enable n:m relations between information sources and information users when there is no explicit agreement between information provider and information consumer. The PAS specifies the Information flow model and the metadata model and also provides iiRDS metadata in the informative annex.

The goal of a PAS is to accelerate standardization in areas of rapidly evolving technology and, in general, to respond to an urgent market need. It defines good practice for a process and provides an effective means of demonstrating the integrity of an innovation or approach. This is our first step in establishing iiRDS in international standardization.

The IEC/TC 3/WG 28 will keep on working and maintaining the standard. The goal is the development of a New Work-item Proposal (NWP) to establish iiRDS as an International Standards (IS).