The increasing use of electromagnetic modelling in antenna design has led to the need for a common way to exchange data between the various software tools available in this field.
The EDX Working Group was formed for the purpose, following previous attempts promoted by ESA, as a co-operation within the Antenna Centre of Excellence, a NoE under the 6th EU Framework Programme, and the European Antenna Modelling Library team, working under ESA contract.

The outcome is the Electromagnetic Data Exchange language (EDX). It is formed by three main elements. A neutral Electromagnetic Markup Language (EML), with a simple grammar is used for the data files. A set of agreed but open to evolution Electromagnetic Data Dictionaries (EDDs) establish the lexicon of the exchange language. A software library, the Electromagnetic Data Interface (EDI), simplifies access to data from C++, Fortran and Matlab® programs.