About 200 CiA documents

CiA specifications have different states. Initially, they are work drafts discussed and improved by a CiA technical group. Once the content is stable, they are released as draft specification proposals (DSP), accessible only for CiA members. Usually, they are revised after one year, when first implementation experiences have been made. After improving the document, it is usually published as draft specification (DS). Documents in DS status can be purchased by means of a one-year document series subscription by everyone. Of course, CiA members can download them free of charge. The maintenance period of DS documents is normally five years. There are also public available specifications (PAS), which are free-of-charge downloadable also for non-members. The release of a PAS is a decision by the CiA Technical Committee on request of the responsible CiA interest group (IG).

CiA has established seven IGs:

• IG01 CANopen CC (classic)
• IG02 CANopen FD
• IG03 Profiles
• IG04 Lower layers
• IG05 J1939
• IG06 Safety & security
• IG07 High availability

Most IGs have established special interest groups (SIG) with a dedicated scope and workplan. Some SIGs have initiated task forces (TF), which also develop CiA technical documents; but the release as DSP is in the responsibility of the SIG. TFs exist temporarily. The publication of documents in DS state is decided by the parent IG on request of the responsible SIG.

Before CiA documents are published, they run through a quality-insuring process. They are reviewed by the CiA office regarding understandability and correctness. This includes also compliancy check with the CiA editing rules. In a second step, the layout is proofed. In the final approval, a formal check is done, which includes the proof of references, definitions, abbreviated terms, etc.