.ags is a text file format used to transfer data reliably, between organisations in the site investigation industry, independent of software, hardware or operating system.

In 1991, the AGS set up a method for transferring data between industry organisations. This is known to many simply as ‘AGS Format’ or ‘AGS Data Format’ and provides a standard way to transfer ground investigation, laboratory testing and monitoring data between the contributing parties of a project which involves geotechnical or geoenvironmental elements.

Put simply:

“The AGS Data Format allows for seamless sharing of data between different software used within the geotechnical/geoenvironmental industry”.

Typically the data is generated by a ground investigation contractor, laboratory or on-site drilling crew or technicians and then passed to all project team members. The project team then uses the data for design without the time-consuming and expensive re-keying of data with the associated potential errors or incomplete data entry. Following completion of the project, the AGS Format data is easily archived, for retrieval at a later date without requiring knowledge of the software used to generate it.

To download a freely available copy of the ‘Electronic Transfer of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Data’ document select click here.