Data standards: the link between design and test

The author discusses the design to test data representations that are being developed by Rome Laboratory in concert with representatives of the computer aided design/test (CAD/CAT) industry and various US Department of Defense and government agencies under the auspices of the IEEE. Few standard representations of engineering, design, and test information exist to foster exchange and reuse in any reasonable fashion during the process of developing and fielding electronic systems. One problem is that the data generated by one vendor's tool cannot be readily used by the tools of another vendor. Another problem is that no integrated solution exists to address the complete spectrum of engineering, design, and test activities. Three industry standard data representations that are in various stages of development are presented, and their potential impact on the problem domain is examined.<>