CIS/2 is an extended and enhanced second-generation release of the CIMsteel Integration
Standards (CIS), a set of formal computing specifications that allow software vendors to
make their engineering applications mutually compatible. The CIS/2 documentation
specifies what information may be transferred between software applications, and how that
information must be structured in a repository or data exchange file.
CIS/2 has been developed to facilitate a more integrated method of working through the
sharing and management of information within and between companies involved in the
planning, design, analysis and construction of steel framed buildings and similar
structures. As this new method of working is likely to evolve gradually, the standards may
be implemented in various degrees of complexity, from basic file exchange through to
advanced implementation in a Database Management System (DBMS).
CIS/2 substantially extends the engineering scope of CIS/1, and introduces advanced
data management capabilities to enable data sharing. At its simplest, the CIS
provides specifications and guidelines for the development and implementation of
translators that enable the users of engineering software to export data from one
application into another. However, CIS/2 also allows software vendors to support
concurrent engineering via more direct mechanisms for information sharing and management.
Thus, CIS/2 also provides specifications and guidelines for the development and
implementation of DBMSs built around the CIS and its related technology. Such a DBMS is
known as a Product Model Repository (PMR).
