ODVA has announced that it has embarked on a major new technical activity to develop standards and tools for its next generation of digitized descriptions for device data. ODVA has named the activity "Project xDS™”. The project will focus on the development of specifications for workflow-driven device description files for device integration and digitized business models. Starting with EtherNet/IP™, ODVA's industrial Ethernet network, and EtherNet/IP’s core foundation in standard Ethernet and Internet technologies, ODVA has pursued a vision of simplifying the movement of device data from the plant floor to the enterprise.
Furthermore, ODVA's Common Industrial Protocol, commonly known as “CIP™” and used by EtherNet/IP and ODVA's other industrial network technologies, provides a rich, context-based repository for device data. Together, these technologies ¬ EtherNet/IP and CIP ¬ give the foundation for the definition of a holistic description file that provides the digitized representation of a device. Project xDS will define the technologies and standards for “xDS™” device description files that are based on a common format and syntax to enable workflow-driven device integration.
