The ace activity on standardized file formats for electromagnetic software

At the outset of the ACE Antenna Software Initiative (ASI) a number of goals were formulated to foster and enhance cooperation and structuring among European players in the field of antennas and applied electromagnetic research and development. One of the key goals is development of procedures for integration and interoperability of software codes from European partners including Universities, Research Institutes and Industry. A very important aspect of software integration is the exchange of data among the software tools and the primary approach used for this purpose is the exchange of data in files. Hence data exchange via files remains a key issue and the development of a standardized file format has thus been a core activity in the ASI. This presentation is a report on the activity including a discussion of the background for the development of standard file formats and the organization and management required for such a rather complex activity, where many partners are involved. The concept of Data Dictionaries will be discussed. Further, the XML format will be looked into and the Electromagnetic Data Interface will be mentioned. Finally future planned activities will be considered. We note already here that many parties are involved and have contributed to the work. This presentation shall thus primarily be considered as a report summarizing the work of the various groups and individuals.