Circuitswhere

Circuitswhere is a hypothetical online platform and data model used in discussions of circuit data management. It envisions integrating circuit diagrams with spatial and contextual metadata to enable search, analysis, and reuse of electronic circuits and electrical networks. In this concept, circuits are represented as graphs: components act as nodes and electrical connections as edges, annotated with attributes such as component type, value, footprint, tolerance, manufacturer, and installation location.

The Circuitswhere data model emphasizes interoperability and collaboration. It supports geospatial tagging of circuit elements, version-controlled edits, and APIs for programmatic access. The platform is designed to be compatible with existing formats such as netlists, SPICE models, and EDA exports, allowing imports and exports between tools. A central feature is a search engine that can locate circuits by topology, component types, or physical placement.

Potential use cases include educational communities that share laboratory circuits, hobbyist and maker projects, maintenance planning for simplified electrical networks, and early-stage grid prototyping. By linking diagrams with locations and provenance data, Circuitswhere aims to improve design reuse, documentation, and fault-tracing in distributed settings.

Status and reception: Circuitswhere remains a conceptual framework discussed in research and theory discussions. There is no widely adopted standard or production system under this name. Practical challenges include data standardization, licensing, and ensuring data quality, especially for sensitive grid or proprietary designs. See also graph databases, netlists, SPICE, and electrical grid modeling.