[[TracNav(TracNav/ISO15926Primer)]] [[Image(wiki:IdsAdiBranding:Logo-128x128.gif)]] = History of ISO 15926 = ---- [[PageOutline(2-4,Contents,inline)]] == Abstract == Interoperability of digital information became an issue almost as soon as computers made their way into engineering offices. Many organizations from around the world have been working on this topic for many years, from Owner/Operators, Constructors, Consulting Engineers, and Software Developers. Many standards organizations world wide are involved, some having been created just for this purpose. ---- == Metaphor: Interoperability is Like Heavier-Than-Air Flight == There have been many attempts at interoperability, some fizzling out in a few years, some lasting until today. Different organizations, with different needs have tried slightly different approaches. All of these attempts have had to deal with how to convey the ''meaning'' of the data as it (the data) is being transmitted. Some solutions are based on limiting the scope of the data in order to simplify the task of conveying meaning, others attempt to allow unlimited scope. At the lowest level, interoperability is extremely complex, just as the mechanics of flying is extremely complex. Fortunately, when it is mature, ''using'' ''ISO'' ''15926'' will be about as complicated as ''using'' ''flight'' is today. For instance, your humble author, sitting in the middle of Western Canada in the coldest winter since Al Gore started on the rubber chicken circuit, is right now thinking about using heavier-than-air flight. But if I do, I will not have to concern myself with things like power-to-weight ratios, or the exact curve of the wing to maximize the difference in air pressure between the upper and lower surfaces. I will simply phone my travel agent and book a flight to Mexico. Similarly, when ISO 15926 is mature, all most users will need to know is which button to push to connect to a business partner. ISO 15926 is a solution to interoperability of plant information made possible by the confluence of four areas of interest: * How we store and exchange textual information * How we know and understand things * How we use the Internet to find things * How we store and exchange plant information We may well end up with different tools for interoperability, just as there are many solutions today for heavier-than-air flight depending on one's need (glider, propeller airplane, jet airplane, helicopter, lifting body). But just as in flight, where the common element to all modes of flight is a particular shape of whatever is doing the lifting (wing, rotor, aircraft body), we are starting to see that the dictionary of terms is becoming a common element. In Figure 1, below, this is shown as the common use of ISO 15926-4, the reference data library. [[Image(History_ISO15926.JPG, 500px)]] '''Fig 1 - History of ISO 15926''' ---- == How We Store and Exchange of Textual Information == ... ---- == How We Know and Understand Things == ... ---- == How We Use the Internet to Find Information == ... ---- == How we Store and Exchange Plant Information == ... == NEXT == * [wiki:ISO15926Primer_History_ExchangeTextInformation How we Store and Exchange Textual Information] ... ---- [[ViewTopic(ISO15926Primer_History)]]