ADatP (Allied data processing publication)

ADatP stands for Allied Data Publication, a form that appears in older NATO material as Allied Data Processing Publication. It is the designation NATO uses for publications that specify data, information-exchange or interoperability standards. Each publication carries its own number, such as ADatP-2, ADatP-5, ADatP-34, ADatP-4774 and ADatP-4778.

The term comes from NATO's standardization system. NATO Archives records ADatP-5 under the title Allied Data Processing Publication 5 (ADatP-5), and current NATO interoperability documentation uses the shorter expansion, Allied Data Publication. Both forms describe the same publication family.

Two expansions for the same acronym

The expansion depends on the publication and the period. NATO archival records use "Allied Data Processing Publication." ADatP-2 is described there as a NATO glossary of automatic data-processing terms and definitions. Newer interoperability material uses "Allied Data Publication."

NATO maintains an official terminology database, NATOTerm, through the NATO Terminology Office within the NATO Standardization Office. It holds non-classified military and NATO-relevant terminology in English and French and is available through the NATOTerm portal.

ADatP-34 and the NATO Interoperability Standards and Profiles

The best-known current publication in the series is ADatP-34, titled NATO Interoperability Standards and Profiles. NATO identifies it as the cover publication for those standards and profiles in its interoperability documentation. The cited edition is designated ADatP-34(N)(2), as shown in volume 2 of the framework.

This makes ADatP-34 the entry point to the wider catalogue of standards that NATO uses to align information systems across member nations.

How ADatP numbers pair with STANAGs

ADatP publications are closely tied to STANAGs, NATO Standardization Agreements. NATO's 2024 interoperability catalogue lists these pairings:

• ADatP-36 with STANAG 5527
• ADatP-5.01 with STANAG 5501
• ADatP-03 with STANAG 5500
• ADatP-4774 with STANAG 4774
• ADatP-4778 with STANAG 4778

The same catalogue lists ADatP-36 as a mandatory standard in at least one interoperability service area. It also lists ADatP-4774 and ADatP-4778 in connection with confidentiality metadata. ADatP publications can therefore be binding requirements within NATO interoperability profiles.

What an ADatP reference means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

The acronym alone does not set a technical obligation in a Canadian solicitation. Suppliers should not read a bare reference to ADatP as a specific requirement. The NATO catalogue does not itself identify a Canadian contracting authority or solicitation.

When a requirement cites an ADatP publication, a bid team should confirm four things:

• The numbered publication, for example ADatP-34 or ADatP-4774.
• The edition and any amendment level.
• The associated STANAG.
• The compliance clause or technical requirement in the solicitation that incorporates it.

Opportunities from federal and broader public-sector buyers are posted on CanadaBuys, the Government of Canada's home for doing business with the federal government. Read the incorporated technical requirements in each notice, and ask the contracting authority to clarify through the stated question process if the cited publication or edition is unclear.