This International Standard specifies a format for the transfer of scanning-probe microscopy (SPM) data from computer to computer via parallel interfaces or via serial interfaces over direct wire, local area network, global network or other communication links. The transferred data is encoded in those characters that appear on a normal computer display or printer.

The format is designed for the data of SPM such as scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and related surface analytical methods using pointed probes scanned over sample surfaces. The format covers the data taken by single-channel imaging, multiple-channel imaging and single-point spectroscopy. The format can be expanded to two-dimensional spectroscopy mapping in a future version.