Currently, the ANDI FTIR Data Interchange format is under the control of the ASTM Standards E01.25 subcommittee on Laboratory Analytical Data Interchange Protocols and Information Management. However, as there are already other data interchange standards in wide use for FTIR data, it is unlikely that the ANDI format will be approved as an ASTM standard. For more information, please refer to the ASTM web site at http://www.astm.org/.

Please note that this converter is compliant with Data Class 1 (Raw Data) only. It does not include extended class information such as method parameters and peak information.

All translators for the ANDI FTIR format are based on the public-domain netCDF software engine provided and maintained by Unidata (see http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf/ for more information). This converter uses V3.4 of the netCDF software to read and write ANDI FTIR data files.

When ANDI files are imported, the converter will read certain sample and data source information (when available in the ANDI file) into the SPC file Audit Log. The ANDI file sample/source information will start after the "AIA_info_begin" line, and end with a "AIA_info_end" line. When processing SPC file imported from the ANDI FTIR format, note that this information may not get carried into the "modified" files.

If netCDF file has either spectrum or interferogram in it, a single *.SPC file is created. If netCDF file has both a spectrum and interferogram, two separate *.SPC files are created. The created SPC file containing the spectrum data will use the original filename supplied to the converter. The interferogram file will use the same base name, with a "1" appended to the end.

On export, only files in newer SPC format can be exported properly. SPC files stored in the "old" format cannot be exported using this converter. (Note that some current import converters still create SPC files in the "older" format. To change the file into the "new" format, load the file into GRAMS and save it back out again. Then try exporting the file with this converter.) During export, if the SPC file was created from a previous import of an ANDI FTIR file, the information in the Audit Log "AIA_info" section will be carried into the exported ANDI FTIR file. Note that most data files imported into format from other converters will not have this information. Thus, when these types of data files are exported, the created ANDI file will not be fully compliant with the ANDI Data Class 1 (Raw Data) requirements. Due to this, some software packages that support ANDI FTIR files may refuse to read the files exported by this converter. Also note that this converter uses V3.4 of the netCDF software. This is a newer version than is currently supported by some FTIR software manufacturers. Again, because of this, certain other software packages may refuse to read files exported by this converter.