The problem of surface-analytical data exchange for multi-method analysis has to be solved in order to use data from a number of different surface analytical instruments [such as Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), scanning Auger microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, etc.] in a synergistic manner. As only a standardized data exchange format can guarantee the independence of proprietary measurement systems without adaptation of existing software, the public domain software package called the management and exchange of method independent data (MAXMIND), was developed based on the hierarchical data format. A first key feature of MAXMIND is the strict separation of the software design and the development of data dictionaries (sets of parameters for various methods); thus data dictionaries can be modified without recompiling the software. The data dictionaries included in the present version of MAXMIND are in the case of AES and XPS based on published guides.(1-5) Dictionaries for other methods have been set up by the authors and are to be considered as preliminary. Besides a graphical user interface based on the X11 interface, a second key feature is that interfaces have been made from MAXMIND to the "matrix laboratory" (MATLAB) and a processing package from Khoral Research, Inc. (KHOROS), which are both well-known data analysis environments in the surface analysis and image processing community. Using one of these interfaces, a combination of either MATLAB or KHOROS in conjunction with MAXMIND forms an integrated data storage and evaluation environment.