Standards make it possible for many vendors to create tools for creating and using ECIX-compliant documents. They let designers use ECIX-compliant documents from several manufacturers using the same tools. And, they let designers compare the contents of the ECIX-compliant documents in a reasonable way. The ECIX Project is a project within the CFI, Inc., dedicated to creating ECIX standards as a means of exchanging component information. The ECIX Project will build on existing standards activities where appropriate, and will place the results of its work in the public domain as open standards.
Additional work is anticipated in the areas of CAD integration, etc.
The PTAB may elect to create additional standards as needed. The intended result of this work is a set of proposed standards for submission to a standards body. PCIS version 1.2 was released in Nov. 95 and is now being implemented by project member companies. Software products to support the creation and viewing of PCIS documents are also becoming available. The aim of the Component Information Dictionary Standard is to provide authors and users of component information with a computer sensible dictionary of characteristic properties of components, allowing a for common and unambiguous understanding of those characteristics.