Overview
ISO 18435-3:2015 - part of the ISO 18435 series - defines a profiling methodology for integrating diagnostics, capability assessment and maintenance applications with production and control systems in industrial automation. It specifies how to use the interoperability templates from ISO 18435‑2 to construct and apply Application Domain Matrix Elements (ADMEs), Application Interaction Matrix Elements (AIMEs) and an Open Technical Dictionary (OTD) to support consistent information exchange across domains.
Key topics and requirements
- Profiling methodology: Guidance for creating profiles that describe the context, conveyance and content of information exchanges between applications using ISO 18435‑2 templates.
- AIME / ADME construction: Procedures to specify application interoperability requirements, content sections, and resource/conveyance requirements for each interaction profile.
- Open Technical Dictionary (OTD): Use of common terminology and referenced ontologies to ensure consistent semantics across domains.
- Intra‑ and inter‑domain compatibility: Methods to assess compatibility within a domain and between domains (e.g., diagnostics ↔ control), including referencing domain standards for context.
- Modeling and representation: Use of UML and defined templates to represent information exchanges and sequence diagrams as appropriate.
- Compliance and verification: Rules and iterative verification processes to confirm that constructed ADMEs/AIMEs meet interoperability objectives.
- Informative examples and annexes: The standard includes annex material (ontology guidance and use cases such as Smart Pump, jam detection, and protocol mappings) to illustrate profile application.
Applications and who should use it
ISO 18435-3 is intended for professionals and organizations involved in industrial automation integration, including:
- System integrators and automation architects designing cross‑application information flows
- OEMs and software vendors implementing diagnostics, condition‑based maintenance (CBM) and asset‑management interfaces
- Maintenance managers and reliability engineers planning predictive maintenance and data exchange strategies
- Standards and interoperability teams creating profiles that reference domain standards (e.g., ISO 13374 for diagnostics, IEC 61512 for batch control)
Practical benefits include faster development of interoperable diagnostics/maintenance solutions, clearer procurement specifications for open systems, and reduced integration risk through standardized profiling.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 18435-3:2015, industrial automation, application integration, diagnostics, maintenance, AIME, ADME, OTD, interoperability, profiling methodology, information exchange.