Costs
railML® is an open-source railway data exchange format. This means that it is available to everyone free of charge. The Creative Commons licence, which has applied to railML since 2009, ensures this irrevocably. However, development and maintenance of a standard require efforts, which are currently done by the railML.org community.
railML.org coordinates the railML-related work and is not a commercial enterprise with the intention of making a profit. Even though various railways, software developers and other organisations (like UIC) support the idea of a free, common and unique data exchange model for the railway sector generously, some particularly burdensome services cannot be provided free of charge or cannot, in principle, be provided to the community.
A brief overview of free, chargeable and not offered services by railML.org in the railML domain is provided below.
Free of charge
- Access to and download of the railML schemas
- Usage of railML schemas in a software interface or service
(your software vendor may charge for implementation, a maintenance contract or updates; railML.org will not) - Access to community information and data via user account at www.railML.org
- Membership as railML.org partner (supporter, user or developer)
- Access and usage rights for testing purposes of railML sample data
- Access to the railML forum with five discussion boards (TT, IS, IL, RS, CO)
(web editing rights will be granted on request) - Participation in railML's TT, IS or IL development working groups
(for long term contributors following the railML.org working group rules) - Access to the railML wiki
(editing rights will be granted on request for experienced users) - Submission of railML schemas extension proposals
- Participation at railML.org conferences and events
(thanks to individual sponsoring of railML.org partners; all travel costs and expenses of participants will not reimbursed) - Download and usage of railVIVID: The railML viewer and validator
- Essential information about railML, railML.org, the usage of railML and best practices by phone, forum or by mail
Chargeable
- Product presentation meetings as well as general and specific workshops on railML
- Consulting by railML.org experts regarding the best practices of data management/exchange strategy
- Acquirement of mandatory certification (one-off fee) for software or railML interface prior to usage
- Costs for cease and desist warnings and legal fees caused by improper use of railML.org intellectual property and violation of license terms
Not offered
- Programming for implementation of railML® export or import interfaces in a software
(these services will be provided by a software programmer or vendor only; railML.org develops the railVIVID software only) - Access to timetable, infrastructure, interlocking or rollingstock databases in railML file format
(these railway databases can be provided by an IM, RU or other parties only; railML.org only provides example files)
Questions?
Feel free to contact railML.org for further explanations, questions and remarks at any time.
railML.org also offers the stakeholders a separate contract, which could explicitly confirm this once again.