Use cases

A growing set of industry use cases applying RDS to real engineering challenges.

Zephyros — 3D/RDS model

DNV and Green Digital are running a short pilot that links a wind digital twin (Zephyros) with IEC/ISO 81346 Reference Designation Structure (RDS) and knowledge graph technology. The aim is to demonstrate a practical end-to-end workflow where RDS-coded structures and relationships can be generated, merged, enriched and explored in a 3D context—supporting “show & share” collaboration across the wind value chain.

AI-enabled RDS coding

Green Digital is developing AI-driven technology that can propose IEC/ISO 81346 Reference Designation Structure (RDS) codes and related metadata by interpreting common engineering information sources such as P&ID drawings, reports and PDFs. The use case demonstrates how automated RDS coding can accelerate consistent structuring of asset information and make it easier to connect documents, data and 3D/digital twin environments.

RDS Reference Architecture for Digital Continuity

Airbus and DNV are collaborating on a use case to define an RDS-based reference architecture that supports digital continuity (digital thread) across complex engineering and manufacturing ecosystems. The work uses IEC/ISO 81346 Reference Designation Structure (RDS) as a shared semantic backbone to connect information across disciplines, tools and lifecycle stages—helping organizations move from fragmented data silos to interoperable, context-rich information.

Implementing RDS “Common Language” in Teamcenter

DNV, Intelizign and Siemens Gamesa are running a use case focused on implementing IEC/ISO 81346 Reference Designation Structure (RDS) as a “common language” inside a Teamcenter environment. The purpose is to surface practical questions, constraints and blockers—and have Intelizign clarify solution approaches—so that RDS can be applied consistently across product structures, configurations, documents and downstream processes.

Interoperability of information across thousands of softwares, companies, countries, ...

Airbus isn’t just building aircraft. It operates within a massive Extended Enterprise orchestrating thousands of disparate software systems and global partners. Without a shared language, critical data remains siloed. Expecting every legacy system to speak a single native language is a fantasy. This use case demonstrates how RDS (Reference Data System) acts as the universal pivot, seamlessly connecting billions of data points across countries and companies to create a truly interoperable network.