Technology Standards Guide - Group OneISO and the IECThe ISO and the IEC are organized in a similar fashion. Their membership is comprised of national standards bodies such as ANSI and DIN. These member organizations propose a standard, then a working group is formed to address it. The working groups are led by one of the national groups, and are made up of members of these national groups, along with experts from industry, government, and academia. Together, ISO and IEC share a Joint Technical Committee, JTC 1, that is devoted to information technology standards. Some of the ISO/IEC standards are available for free at the JTC 1 Web site. While ISO addresses a broad range of standards, from acoustics to zinc, IEC focuses on electronics. The IEC also addresses terminology, measurement, safety, environmental impact, and alternative energy sources. ISO, IEC, IEEE, and the Open Group work together on the POSIX standards, through the Portable Application Standards Committee. Visit PASC on the Web. If you are curious about the name ISO, it is not an acronym. It is derived from the Greek word, "isos", meaning "equal". Here are a few of the key ISO and ISO/IEC standards:
* (J)TC = (Joint) Technical Committee, SC = Sub-Committee IEEE Standards AssociationThe IEEE Standards Association develops and publishes standards for electronics and computer technology. The IEEE (I-triple-E, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is comprised of technical professionals worldwide. They developed the POSIX Portable Operating System Interface, upon which both ISO/IEC 9945 and the Single Unix Specification are based. POSIX is now administered by a group formed in conjunction with the Open Group, the Portable Application Standards Committee. Visit PASC on the Web. Here are some well known IEEE standards:
American National Standards InstituteANSI is a non-profit organization formed to facilitate the development of standards in the U.S. They are the American delegation to ISO and the IEC. Its membership consists of corporations, educational institutes, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. They have a group that represents members outside the U.S, and one that represents the interests of consumers. ANSI has developed a number of technology standards, such as the ANSI C and ANSI C++ standards, both of which were subsequently adopted by ISO (ISO/IEC 9899, ISO/IEC 14882). ISO and ANSI standards can be downloaded at the ANSI Web site, but only a small number are free. Most are reasonably priced, but it would make more sense to visit your local bookstore, unless you need an official reference copy. National Institute for Standards and TechnologyThe NIST is a branch of the U.S. government's commerce department. They develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology. The Office of Weights and Measures defines the standard U.S. units of measurement; inches, grains, chains, scruples, leagues, dry pints, typographical points and more. They provide information on other systems of measurement as well, in case you need to know how many zeptometers there are in an inch (25.4*1018). The NIST Laboratories and the Advanced Technology Program are engaged in a plethora of technology research programs, from quantum cryptography to nanoelectronic device metrology. NIST Calibration Services enable industry to measure angles, surface textures, roundness, laser beam tolerances, and oscillation frequency. The NIST atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado is the keeper of the official U.S. time. It is synchronized with the U.S. Naval Observatory, which disseminates it via GPS, the Internet, and other means. For the official UTC time on the Web, visit www.time.gov, or compare it with the time on your computer with our own JavaScript time page. |
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