Overview
ISO/TS 13499:2019 - "Road vehicles - Multimedia data exchange format for impact tests" defines a simple, standardized format for exchanging multimedia and measurement data from vehicle impact tests between laboratories. The Technical Specification prescribes a directory structure, filename conventions and ASCII-based exchange files to ensure consistent, machine-readable transfer of test information, channel data, photos, movies and reports.
Key topics and requirements
- Directory structure and file organization: All files for a test are stored under a main `` directory with optional subdirectories (Channel, Movie, Photo, Object, Report, Static, etc.). Filenames and directory names are case sensitive.
- File types and extensions:
- Test information file:
.mme
- Multimedia information files: start with `` and use
.mmi
- Data files (channels):
.mmd (format: __.mmd)
- Comment files:
.txt
- Data file layout: Data files contain a header section followed by a data section separated by the separator line (e.g.
#Start of data). Header lines follow the information-file rules.
- Channel identification: A fixed-length channel code (16 characters) encodes test object, position, location, physical quantity, direction and filter class to identify each measurement channel.
- Data formats and units:
- ASCII encoding per ISO/IEC 8859‑1, decimal point is a dot (
.)
- SI units required (ISO 80000-1) - e.g., acceleration in m/s², velocity in m/s
- Valid basic types: integer, float, string; generic types include date/datetime per ISO 8601
- Integrity and metadata rules:
- Use the reserved keyword NOVALUE when data are unavailable
- Descriptors are limited to 28 characters; comment lines start with the descriptor “Comments”
- Filename characters and separators (underscore reserved) are specified to maintain interoperability
Applications and users
- Crash-test laboratories and test-rig operators exchanging raw measurement channels, high-speed movies, photos and reports
- OEM safety teams and suppliers consolidating impact-test datasets from multiple labs
- Test-data management and post-processing software developers implementing import/export tools
- Regulators and research organizations performing cross-laboratory comparisons, archiving and forensic analysis of impact tests
Related standards
ISO/TS 13499:2019 helps ensure consistent, interoperable multimedia and measurement-data exchange for vehicle impact testing, reducing ambiguity and simplifying automated processing across labs and organizations.