2020 Release Summary 
A Full List of Products, Specifications and Application Guides Released Last Year 
We are pleased to provide a summary of the Development Tools, Specifications and Application Guides released by FieldComm Group in 2020. We appreciate all the support provided to us by our member volunteers which helped with the development of some of these products.
New Tools and Technologies 
The PA-DIM Specification's inaugural release occurred last year. PA-DIM implements the requirements of NAMUR’s NOA information model and NE 131, which defines device parameter requirements for common field instrumentation such as temperature, pressure, flow and level transmitters as well positioners and safety related devices. Also defined in NE 131 and supported in PA-DIM are IEC Common Data Dictionary (IEC 61987) definitions for many parameters. 
HART-IP Developer Kit and a HART-IP Communication Server allow exploration into the world of Ethernet-based HART field device development. The Communication Server is a licensed component of the latest FDI-IDE for the HART Protocol developers.  
For powerful light-weight host applications, perhaps targeting mobile devices, we released the FDI EDD Engine X providing application developers an OS-independent code base for integration with their specific platforms.  
Folding together all aspects of testing an FDI Host we created an all-in-one solution: the Host Test Kit. This tool delivers HART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus and FDI test software and standardized Device Descriptions and Device Packages.   
Host developers can also benefit from subscribing to the FDIsync Library or the FDIsync for Developers, which includes the API for the cloud-stored DD and FDI Package Repository.  
Field Device Integration Updates
The next iteration of the FDI Specifications was released early in the year and the developer tools followed closely thereafter.  A useful developer guide was published for members looking to incorporate a User Interface Plug-in (UIP) into their new Device Packages. 
FieldComm Group continues to update and improve the FDI-IDE with releases 1.4.1 and 1.4.2 last year. The FDI-IDE, in addition to previously available Microsoft .NET support, now allows for the creation of device-specific application programs using HTML5. This feature allows users to integrate device-specific application tools with emerging web-based asset management systems. The HTML5 UIP Application Guide was released to assist developers wanting to incorporate UIPs into their device packages. It is included in our ShareFile repertoire of guides and white papers for members to download.    
FDI Common Host Components echoed the FDI-IDE with two updates of its own.  The FDI suite of tools continues to support multiple protocols: FOUNDATION Fieldbus, HART, WirelessHART, PROFIBUS, PROFINET, ISA100.11a and a generic protocol extension. The next focus is to bring PA-DIM into the FDI developer tools. 
We shifted gears with training and began offering an online Device Integration Workshop in December and have already scheduled another workshop in 2021. The workshop showcases the FDI-IDE with demonstrations of building an EDD into an FDI Device Package.  
What’s New with FOUNDATION Fieldbus, HART and WirelessHART
We saw a notable update for the FOUNDATION Fieldbus H1 ITK with release 6.4.0, including updates to be compatible with Microsoft Visual C++ 2015, automation of Templates, and improvements to the execution time of the Field Diagnostics tests.  
The HART Test System was updated with improved burst-mode testing. Its companion, the WirelessHART Test System, saw infrastructure updates to allow the application layer tests to run using the provided Access Points.  
HART Protocol 7.7 Specifications and a new HART EDD Test Specification were released supporting important updates for HART-IP and EDD development. The HART Protocol Specifications are available to anyone in our online library, making HART an accessible technology to learn. 
HART EDD Library saw a full set of quarterly updates as we transition everyone to the new FDIsync Library or FDIsync for Developers corporate subscriptions for accessing all registered EDDs and FDI Device Packages for FOUNDATION Fieldbus and HART field devices. 
How to Purchase Products
New purchases can be made at the FieldComm Group online store: http://go.fieldcommgroup.org/orderform
Software updates and Specifications are distributed via FieldComm Group's ShareFile site:

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