DICONDE in Industrial Inspections: a Blessing for NDE 4.0

Digital transformation of quality and safety assurance through inspections requires standards for data storage and communication across the ecosystem. In addition, the engineering community responsible for manufacturing and maintenance of assets requires some way to preserve data over a long period of time. The open international standard DICONDE (Digital Imaging and Communication in Non-Destructive Evaluation) addresses the need for a standardized, secure, and structured approach to handling NDT data, ensuring its reliability, traceability, and long-term accessibility. DICONDE is a global standard for storing and exchanging industrial test data and relevant information. It defines data storage and network communication semantics, enabling secure digital mapping of various test processes while meeting normative requirements. DICONDE ensures long-term data readability and includes essential metadata for test procedures and conditions, allowing reproducible results. Test reports can also be stored with data. Derived from medical DICOM, DICONDE is maintained by ASTM International. Both standards have diverse applications and evolve continuously. ASTM standards for DICONDE are defined for specific test methods and extend DICOM data types when needed. The standard covers image, signal, video, 3D and document data types. DICONDE, alongside OPC UA, is pivotal for implementing digital NDT processes in Industry 4.0. It provides valuable data for digital twins. In 2020, the DGZfP subcommittee on interfaces recommended using the DICONDE standard.