Project Charter
The mission, values, and governance of the OpenECU Alliance and the process for projects to join.
Mission Statement
"Standardize, simplify, and democratize access to ECU data through open specifications and community-maintained tools."
We believe that:
- ECU data should be accessible to enthusiasts, tuners, and developers alike
- Open standards foster innovation and interoperability
- Community maintenance ensures long-term project sustainability
- Collaboration produces better outcomes than fragmentation
Core Values
Openness
All Alliance specifications and projects are open: freely available, source code is open source, development happens in public, decisions are made transparently.
Community First
The Alliance serves the automotive enthusiast community: user needs drive feature priorities, contributors are valued, feedback channels are maintained.
Quality
Alliance projects maintain high standards: code is reviewed before merging, tests validate functionality, documentation accompanies features.
Sustainability
Projects should outlast their original creators: knowledge is documented, multiple maintainers are cultivated, dependencies are carefully managed.
Vendor Neutrality
The Alliance does not favor any vendor: all ECU manufacturers are supported equally, no exclusive partnerships, community decides priorities.
Scope
In Scope
ECU Log Standards
Specifications for log file formats and channel mappings
Log Analysis Tools
Applications that read, visualize, and analyze ECU data
Tuning Utilities
Tools that assist with ECU calibration and tuning
Data Export/Import
Converters between formats
Educational Resources
Documentation helping users understand ECU data
Out of Scope
- ECU firmware or embedded software
- Commercial tuning software
- Hardware products
- Projects unrelated to automotive ECU data
What is an Alliance Project?
An Alliance Project is software that has been donated to the OpenECU Alliance for long-term community maintenance. Unlike Spec-Compatible applications (which are independently maintained), Alliance Projects:
- Are hosted under OpenECU Alliance GitHub organization
- Are maintained by Alliance contributors
- Follow Alliance governance and quality standards
- May use Alliance branding and trademarks
- Receive community support resources
Benefits of Becoming an Alliance Project
For Project Owners
For Users
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for donation, a project must meet these criteria:
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Relevance | Related to ECU data, logging, tuning, or analysis |
| Maturity | Functional software with existing users |
| License | Open source (OSI-approved) or willing to relicense |
| Quality | Reasonable code quality, some documentation |
| Maintenance | Current owner willing to participate in transition |
| Community Fit | Aligns with Alliance mission and values |
Project Donation Process
Express Interest
Open a discussion in the OpenECUAlliance repository with project details
Initial Review
Steering Committee reviews scope, technical soundness, and community interest (2-4 weeks)
Due Diligence
Code review for quality/security, license verification, dependency audit
Community Discussion
30-day public comment period for community feedback
Steering Committee Vote
Requires supermajority (2/3) approval
Transfer
Repository transferred, CI/CD configured, announcement published
Project Lifecycle
Project States
Incubation Period
New Alliance Projects enter a 6-month incubation period and are evaluated for quality and community engagement. Graduation criteria:
- Active maintainers (2+ recommended)
- Passing CI/CD pipeline
- Documentation complete
- Community engagement demonstrated
Spec-Compatible vs Alliance Project
| Aspect | Spec-Compatible | Alliance Project |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Independent | Alliance |
| Governance | Self-governed | Alliance governance |
| Maintenance | Owner's responsibility | Community responsibility |
| Branding | "Spec-Compatible" badge | "Alliance Project" badge |
| Requirements | Implement spec | Implement spec + Alliance processes |
| Support | Owner provides | Alliance community |
Note: Becoming an Alliance Project is entirely optional. Many excellent applications remain independently maintained.
Contact
Project Donation Inquiries
projects@openecualliance.org
General Questions
info@openecualliance.org
GitHub Discussions
OpenECUAlliance Discussions