White Paper: S1000D™ An Overview

S1000D is an international specification for technical publications, utilizing a Common Source Database. It was originally introduced to the European community by the Association Européenne des Constructeurs de Matériel Aérospatial (AECMA), representing the European aerospace industry. Based on the Air Transport Association's ATA Spec 100 it was intended for use in aviation within the European defense community, but has since expanded into a global specification, supporting land, sea and air including support for civil aviation requirements. S1000D provides standards and guidelines that enable the production of technical documentation in internationally recognized neutral standards; it also provides a clearly defined methodology for exchanging technical information between partners, suppliers and customers.

The S1000D specification is now supported by the successor to AECMA, the AeroSpace and Defence Industries of Europe (ASD), the Aerospace Industries Association of America (AIA) and the Air Transport Association (ATA). The specification is controlled by an international body, the S1000D Steering Committee (SC), which is responsible for maintaining the specification. The SC includes members from both government agencies and industry. To address the rapid development of information technology, the SC is supported by a group of specialists known as the Electronic Publications Working Group (EPWG).

S1000D and Commercial Aviation
After a review of existing standards, the ATA e-Business Steering Committee has decided that the next generation of technical data standards for the civil aviation industry should be developed in S1000D in order to provide a single global standard for both civil and military applications.