scope:

This standard specifies the data format that shall be used for both required and optional data available at the output of radiation instruments for U.S. Homeland Security applications. The performance requirements for these types of instruments are described in other standards, such as ANSI N42.321, ANSI N42.33, ANSI N42.34, ANSI N42.35, and ANSI N42.38.

Purpose

The purpose of this standard is to facilitate manufacturer-independent transfer of information from radiation measurement instruments to a standard file format for use in U.S. Homeland Security applications. The goal is to enable interpretation of data without reference to manufacturers' documentation. It specifies the format of data provided by radiation instruments used for homeland security. The purpose of this data is for analysis and storage of the radiation measurements. The data may consist of raw or unprocessed data, analysis results, device parameters or settings, or other measurements needed or applicable to the further analysis or to verify the quality of the results produced by the instrument.

This standard does not address instrument control, data transmission protocols, or the physical media used for communications.