Evident Inspection Technologies’ Emilie Peloquin explains
As industrial systems become more digital, the value of inspection data is extending far beyond the moment it is captured. Increasingly, non-destructive testing (NDT) results feed into asset management platforms, analytics tools, and digital twins, creating a greater need for data accessibility and interoperability
The European Data Act (EDA), now in force, introduces a regulatory framework designed to ensure users can access and share the data they generate through their use of connected products. For the NDT community, the implications are significant.
We spoke with Emilie Peloquin, executive director – global NDT applications engineering from Evident Inspection Technologies to understand what the EDA means for inspection data, equipment manufacturers, and asset owners.
WHAT IS THE EDA AND WHY HAS IT BEEN INTRODUCED?
At its core, the EDA clarifies who has the right to access and use data generated by products or devices. Over the past decade, industrial systems have become more digital and connected than ever. They generate vast amounts of operational data, yet access to that data has often been confined to proprietary software ecosystems. In some cases, users could view the data, but extracting it in a structured, reusable format was far more difficult.
The EDA looks to address that imbalance. It requires that users should be able to access the data generated through their use of a device in a structured, machine-readable form. The objective is greater transparency and interoperability, while reducing unnecessary barriers to data portability. Although the legislation applies within the EU, industrial supply chains are increasingly global. Inspection data routinely moves between contractors, asset owners, and regulators across borders. The legislation reflects that reality by providing a clearer framework for long-term, accessible industrial data.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER FOR NDT?
Across aerospace, energy, rail, automotive, and critical infrastructure, NDT inspection results form part of the documented evidence used to support safety, compliance, and asset life decisions. In many cases, that data must remain accessible for decades. Over time, this creates practical challenges: Software platforms evolve, file formats change, and equipment is upgraded or replaced. If inspection data is stored in tightly controlled or proprietary formats, retrieving and reanalysing it years later can become complex and costly.
From my perspective, the EDA mandates what many asset owners have long advocated: the data generated through use of inspection equipment should remain accessible and usable over time. For NDT, this reduces exposure to vendor lock-in and supports interoperability across software platforms, contractors, and international operations. In short, the regulations now align with the practical realities of long-term inspection data management.
WHAT DOES THE EDA REQUIRE FROM EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS?
The EDA requires manufacturers to ensure that users can access data generated through use of their products in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. For NDT equipment manufacturers, this has practical design implications. Systems need to allow users to retrieve their inspection data directly and share it securely when needed. Data access can’t depend solely on a single proprietary software environment.
This means manufacturers must get serious about file structure transparency, export functionality, documentation, and interoperability. They also need to consider future usability: not just whether data can be viewed today, but whether it can be interpreted and analysed using different tools over time. The regulation places a clear obligation on manufacturers to ensure that user access to generated data is practical, transparent, and unrestricted.
HOW ARE MANUFACTURERS RESPONDING – AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF NDT?
In many ways, the NDT sector has already been moving in this direction. There has been growing recognition that inspection data needs to outlive the software and hardware that originally created it. As a result, several manufacturers have been working to make file structures more transparent and easier to integrate into wider digital environments.
At Evident, that preparation included developing the “.NDE” open file format, built on widely used technologies such as HDF5 and JSON. The goal was not simply regulatory alignment, but practical accessibility: ensuring our customers can retrieve and reuse their inspection data without being tied to a single software ecosystem. Our approach reflects where NDT is heading. Digital twins, advanced analytics and AI-assisted workflows all depend on clearly structured, interoperable data. In that sense, the EDA formalises a shift the sector was already making towards more open, future-ready inspection systems.
Ultimately, the EDA signals that industrial data is no longer an afterthought, but a long-term engineering asset. For manufacturers, that means designing systems that address long-term ownership, data flow and interoperability. For asset owners, it strengthens confidence that records will remain accessible as technologies evolve – they’ll readily have data that is open, usable and prepared for future requirements.
As inspection data increasingly supports digital twins and AI-guided workflows, structured and reliable data flow will be as key as the inspection technology itself.
