Abstract syntax notation-presentation layer

Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.1) is used to describe the structure of data to be transferred between the Application Layer and the Presentation Layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) (next generation networking protocol).
ASN.1 is meant to provide a mechanism whereby the Presentation Layer can use a single standard encoding to reliably exchange any arbitrary data structure with other computer systems, while the Application Layer can map the standard encoding into any type of representation or language that is appropriate for the end user. ASN.1 does not describe the content, meaning, or structure of the data, only the way in which it is specified and encoded.
These properties make it an excellent choice for a standard way of encoding scientific data. Since ASN.1 does not specify content, specifications can be created as new concepts need to be represented. As it is an International Standards Organization (ISO) standard, the new specification can take advantage of various tools built to work with ASN.1 in general. It removes from scientists the role of specifying ad hoc file formats, and focuses them instead on specifying the content and structure of data necessary to convey scientific meaning.
Data Specification
There are two aspects to ASN.1--the specification of the data and the encoded data itself. The specification describes the abstract structure of the data and the allowed values various fields may take. Frequently scientific data is presented with no formal specification. There may be some documentation describing the data file, but very often it is incomplete or not entirely accurate, since it is usually written about the file rather than as a integral step toward building the file.
The ASN.1 specification is formal language, which means it can be automatically and thoroughly checked for errors and inconsistencies in form by machine before any data is collected.
Commercial Tools
A number of commercial and public domain tools are available for working with ASN.1 and for automatically building data handlers of various sorts. They are focused on the use for which ASN.1 was originally intended, the exchange of data between layers of the OSI. As such they tend to automate the process more that AsnTool does, because the domain of use is more limited. The fact that they determine the internal data structures to use and write all the code to handle them themselves is not a big problem in this case.
Encoding
ASN.1 can be used to encode data in two ways, an ASCII human readable form called "value notation" or "print form," a binary encoding. ASN.1 has separate standards documents for the syntax (specification rules) and the binary encoding rules (BER, or "Basic Encoding Rules"). This was done on purpose to allow various encoding rules for the same abstract syntax. The BER is, at this writing, the only official ISO encoding for ASN.1, but several other encodings which are faster or take less space, are under consideration by ISO. Currently the only binary encoding AsnTool supports is BER.