StanForD

StanForD is a standard for communication with forest machine controllers (computer systems). Skogforsk is responsible for the development and maintenance of the standard.

StanForD is an abbreviation for Standard for Forest machine Data and Communication.

Today StanForD is used in several countries and constitutes a global de-facto standard even though it has no official status. The application of the standard extends to all types of data communications with forest machines.

Original StanForD

The old StanForD mainly comprises a data standard and a file-structure standard, but a Kermit-based communications protocol or standard for connecting a PC or data recorder to the machine computer on the harvester is also included. The usefulness of this part of the standard will diminish in pace with the growth in wireless data communications. Observe that no updates have been implemented since 2011-11-09.

StanForD2010

A project to develop a new standard version based on xml was started in 2006. The new StanForD2010 was decided during the spring of 2011. StanForD2010 is further described under StanForD2010.

Management of StanForD

Skogforsk is responsible for the development and maintenance of the standard and receives financial support for this work from the manufacturers and Swedish forest enterprises. Most of the work is done by the StanForD secretary.

Representatives of the manufacturers and forest enterprises are welcome to attend the StanForD meetings, which are held twice a year — usually in Uppsala (Sweden) in April and October. Prior to these meetings, the individual countries usually hold their own meetings to discuss possible developments that could be put to the StanForD meeting. If new variables are needed, anyone may propose them by getting in touch with the secretary. New elements or attributes are considered at the meetings and, after approval, are added to the xml-schemas.

Contact information

You can contact Skogforsk's StanForD representatives through stanford2010@skogforsk.se

Project news

StanForD 2010

Introduction

Updated 2024-06-14

StanForD has been coordinated by Skogforsk since the first initiative to establish a standard was taken in 1986/87. The first standard was decided in 1988. Finnish users have been involved since the early 90's through Metsäteho. The organisation of the standard was set in it's present form in the late 90's when the large manufacturers agreed to finance the administrative work together with the Swedish forest companies through Skogforsk.

The old standard has had the same format since the beginning and one of the fundamental principles has been to have full backwards compatibility through never allowing any variables to be excluded. The format was established with the goal of being flexible as well as small in size. These facts mean that it has been possible to adapt the standard to changing conditions but also that quite a bit of historical garbage (variables presently of low relevance and use) has accumulated over the years.

The format is still working well but it is unique, this means that for a beginner a lot of work has to be put into understanding (reading and writing) the technical format.

It was therefore decided 2006-08-25 by all members to start the work on a new version of the standard. After a pre-study it was decided in 2008-05-27 to start a project to develop StanForD2010, coordinated jointly by Skogforsk and Metsäteho.

Objectives

The objectives of the new standard were to achieve:
• Structures that supports data management requirements of today in a better way (normally simpler structures)
• Better structural descriptions
• Stricter priorities (stricter implementation rules)
• A system for management of standard versions
• Reduction of old variables and structures
• Common & general format with open interface (xml), making it easier to implement the standard in new wood supply applications (e.g. in new markets)

Focus

The focus of the updated standard is on:
• Forest machines (harvesters, forwarders, feller-bunchers, yarders, skidders etc)
• Control, reporting and monitoring/follow-up of logging production

Time plan

The first version was completed by June 2011. New versions has so far been published once a year (February) up until version 3.6, published in February 2020. Tree-length machines (feller-bunchers, yarders and skidders) were added to the standard with version 3.5 and 3.6

It was decided 2020-08-17 to develop a new major version 4.0. The comprehensive work to develop a new major version meant that the 4.0 version was not published until the spring of 2023. Implementing a new major version means a fair amount of work for the manufacturers. This means that the first machines supporting this version probably will not be on the market until 2024 or 2025.

Presently work is carried out in order to also including machines for mechanized planting and ground preparation. The plan is to include these new machine types with version 4.1. Contact Skogforsk for more information on this initiative or download the pre-release version of the schemas under section ”Draft for reporting forest regeneration data”.

Observe that the time when a specific standard version is implemented in forest machines and available on the market to a large extent is dependent on the demands and requirements of the machine users.

General information material

Some documents giving a brief introduction to StanForD2010 can be downloaded below in both Swedish, English and German:

StanForD2010 information in English (updated 2021)

StanForD2010 information in Swedish (updated 2021)

StanForD2010 information in German

StanForD2010 information in Japanese

Official documents

Below are the offical standard documents presently available.

StanFord2010 naming and design rules

Date	Ver	Schemas	Schema documentation	Rules	Change history
2011-06-22	1.0	Released schemas 1.0		Rules 1.0
2011-12-04	2.0	Released schemas 2.0	SchemaDoc 2.0	Rules 1.4	Change history 2.0
2013-02-05	2.1	Released schemas 2.1	SchemaDoc 2.1		Change history 2.1
2014-02-06	3.0	Released schemas 3.0	SchemaDoc 3.0		Change history 3.0
2015-02-06	3.1	Released schemas 3.1	SchemaDoc 3.1	Rules 1.5	Change history 3.1
2016-02-04	3.2	Released schemas 3.2	SchemaDoc 3.2		Change history 3.2
2017-02-06	3.3	Released schemas 3.3	SchemaDoc 3.3	Rules 1.6	Change history 3.3
2018-02-06	3.4	Released schemas 3.4	SchemaDoc 3.4		Change history 3.4
2019-02-07	3.5	Released schemas 3.5	SchemaDoc 3.5		Change history 3.5
2020-02-07	3.6*	Released schemas 3.6	SchemaDoc 3.6		Change history 3.6
2022-08-15	4.0	Released schemas 4.0	SchemaDoc 4.0	Rules 1.8	Change history 4.0

*Observe that 3.6 was updated with new schemas for skidders and yarders 2021-02-07

Significant updates with version 4

Version 4.0 has so far (2024-05-22) not been released on the market. This means that version 4.1, that will be published during the autumn of 2024, will “replace” version 4.0. As a consequence 4.0 should be viewed as deprecated.

The update to major version 4 primarily affects operational monitoring (mom) and geographical instructions and reporting (oig and ogr). Example files and introductory documentation can be downloaded below. Both these zip-files include some default settings that can be used by any one (*.din and *.mcl).

Ogi_4_0_Documentation and Examples 240524

OperationMonitoring_version_4_Documentation and Examples

Draft for reporting forest regeneration data

A draft version of schemas as well as a specification for reporting soil preparation and planting can be downloaded below:

Extending StaForD2010 Mechanized forest regeneration 2024-01-16

REST API for communcating StanForD data

It was decided to develop REST APIs in 2019. A first version was accepted in February 2021. Observe that this specification may be updated independently of the schema updates (probably more frequently). The specification can be downloaded below:

StanForD File REST v1.0 (2021-02-07)

There are no known implementation if the REST APIs presently on the market.

Default species group instructions

Skogforsk has created a recommended spi-file for the Swedish market that can be downloaded below:

Metsäteho has created a recommended spi-file for the Finnish market that can be downloaded below:

Skogforsk has together with some Norwegians organizations created a recommended spi-file for the Norwegian market that can be downloaded below:

Norwegian recommended species group instructions (2022-05-19)

Partners

The following companies are supporting StanForD financially.

Biometria (previously SDC)

CGI

Skog-Data

Coillté

John Arlinger, Specialist

StanForD "Classic" Documents

You can download the standard documents below. Observe that no updates to the old standard version has been done since April 2012.

Observe that the classic version should not be used for development of new IT-solutions since no further development will be carried out. Contact secretary for more information about how to work with the standard files in new application built based on StanForD2010.

Main document (2007-03-27)

Variables in numerical order (2012-04-18) (pdf)

Variables in numerical order (2012-04-18) (Excel)

Variables by category (2012-04-18) (pdf)

Variable revisions (2012-04-18)

Appendix 1 (2012-04-18)

Extended documentation (2006-05-29)

Extended documentation is a complement to the official StanForD documents. It contains more detailed descriptions of some of the variables as well as examples of how the variables can be used.

The spp-file below must be used in Finland. The "official" Finnish spp-file ican be downloaded below (updated 2015).

Official Finnish spp-file

In Sweden a different version is strongly recommended to be used. Can be downloaded below:

Swedish spp-file

John Arlinger, Specialist