Data Distribution Service
lastmod 2026-06-23created 2026-06-231 edits
The Data Distribution Service (DDS) is an Object Management Group (OMG) standard Publish/Subscribe network communication middleware that enables real-time, scalable, dependable, and high performance real-time systems. It was created out of the need to standardize a data-centric publish/subscribe programming model for distributed environments. Until 2004, when two major vendors, Real-Time Innovations (RTI) of the US and Thales Group of France, cooperated to create the OMG-approved DDS specification, only proprietary DDS solutions were available. DDS was designed for mission critical applications such as financial trading, air traffic control, smart grid management, and industrial automation systems. In the past it was used in a limited way in the defense and aerospace industries, but it is now increasingly used in intelligent systems across a variety of fields.