What is awesIO?

awesIO (Airborne Wind Energy Systems Input/Output) is a standardized and validated data framework for airborne wind energy (AWE) applications. Its purpose is to provide a tool-independent format for system configurations, environmental conditions, and simulation inputs and outputs.

The framework uses human-readable YAML files that follow predefined schemas. These schemas define the structure, naming conventions, and required fields for each file type. This enables different tools to interpret the same files in a consistent and unambiguous way. By using a common data format, awesIO allows independently developed models to exchange data without tool-specific manual conversion.

Note

All quantities in awesIO are expressed in SI units throughout all schemas and example files.

Note

awesIO is inspired by and follows the architecture of windIO, the IEA Wind Task 37 ontology for traditional wind turbines.

Goals

The key goals of the awesIO framework are:

• Interoperability — different AWE simulation tools can read and write the same files without custom adapters or manual conversion.

• Standardization — a shared naming convention and file structure reduces ambiguity in data exchange between research groups and tools.

• Validation — files can be checked for compliance with the schema before or after a simulation run, reducing errors caused by incomplete or inconsistent inputs.

• Collaboration — a public, common format makes it easier to compare results from different models, evaluate alternative system designs, and reproduce results.

Validation

A central feature of awesIO is its built-in validation capability. Before a file is used in a simulation, or after it has been produced, it can be verified for:

• compliance with the defined schema,

• presence of all required parameters,

• consistent naming conventions.

This validation step makes it explicit whether a file conforms to the awesIO standard, helping to prevent errors from reaching the simulation stage.

Schemas

awesIO currently contains four schemas, covering the main data exchanged in a performance assessment workflow:

• AWE System Schema — the central schema describing the complete AWE system, including wing, bridle, control system, tether, and ground station.

• Wind Resource Data Schema — site-specific wind conditions.

• Power Curves Data Schema — power output as a function of wind speed.

• Operational Constraints Schema — limits that restrict system operation.

Standardizing these files allows the main inputs and outputs of a performance assessment to be exchanged between tools in a consistent way. For example, different power estimation models can be evaluated using the same wind resource and system description, enabling direct comparison of modelling approaches.

Availability

awesIO is hosted on GitHub, making the schemas, documentation, and examples freely accessible to researchers and developers. It can also be developed collaboratively through issues, discussions, and contributions to the repository. The validation functionality is available as a Python package installable via pip, so researchers can check their own files directly from their workflow.

User Guide

• What is awesIO?
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Install
  • Validate a YAML file
  • Schema selection
  • Available schemas
  • Examples
  • Next steps

Schema Reference

• AWE System Schema
  • Component Types
  • Schema File
  • Example File
  • Validation
  • Schema Structure
    • Airborne Wind Energy System Schema
• Wind Resource Data Schema
  • Schema File
  • Example File
  • Validation
  • Schema Structure
    • Wind Resource Data Schema
• Power Curves Data Schema
  • Schema File
  • Example File
  • Validation
  • Schema Structure
    • Power Curves Data Schema
• Operational Constraints Schema
  • Schema File
  • Example File
  • Validation
  • Schema Structure
    • Operational Constraints Schema

Development

• Developer Guide
  • Repository layout
  • Local setup
  • Code style
  • Testing
  • Documentation
  • Schema changes
  • Release process
• Changelog
  • Format
  • 0.1.0 (draft)

Indices and Tables

• Index

• Module Index

• Search Page

• GitHub: https://github.com/awegroup/awesIO

• Issues: https://github.com/awegroup/awesIO/issues

License

awesIO is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.