IT Standards Research Articles

Users, standards and the economics of coalitions and committees

The goal of this paper is two-fold. Firstly, it attempts to demonstrate that the exclusion of users from the information technology standardization process results in losses as regards the social benefits of standardization. Secondly, the paper deals with two problems regarding the user's involvement in the standard-setting process: (1) involving users in IT standardization requires the creation of effective user coalitions; and (2) including users in the work of standardization committees introduces even more objective functions that must be accommodated.

IT standards development and consensus

IT standards development and consensus

Expanding jurisdictions and other facets of human-machine interface IT standards

Expanding jurisdictions and other facets of human-machine interface IT standards

There are too many standards, and there are too few

Complaints are often heard that there are too many standards, and also that there are too few standards. This paper asks how many standards there ought to be, discusses the two viewpoints, and concludes that both of these apparently contradictory statements are true. However, while the fact that there are too few standards is self-evident, establishing that there are too many is more difficult: the excessive number are concealed, and not to be found in important quantities in the areas where the complaint is most common. The conclusion is drawn that IT standardization has not been serving the IT community as well as it should, and that the solution to the problem is obvious: we must have fewer standards, and we must also have more.

A user community discovers IT standards

When a community of users decides to exploit the strategic advantages of embracing information technology standards and to use standards in the interchange of information required by their applications, they are at the beginning, rather than the end, of a long and complex process. This article is a case study of how the museum community is trying to select standards that will, in fact, deliver the promised strategic advantage and how it is evaluating potential applications. The problems it is facing are more a consequence of a plethora, than of a dearth of standards, and of the fact that «standard» does not necessarily mean «implementable»

IT standards regulation

The information technology and telecommunications (IT&T) industry is presently growing out of its infancy towards a certain level of maturity. At present the development of this industry and its marketplace has reached a level where standardization 1 has become vitally important. One of the major reasons is that users in a multi-vendor environment require compatibility and interoperability of IT&T products. Standardization has become an issue of interest to both users and suppliers. In Europe, commitment to standardization is vital in creating an internal market. Without this internal market the European IT&T industry, of strategic importance to the EC, will not be able to survive in the struggle with Japan and the United States. Large buyers (governments, industry) are able to put pressure on the suppliers to conform to standards. 2 Gradually, suppliers have conformed to a more serious approach to the standardization process and have realized that the former ‘lock-in’ effect of proprietary products has become a burden that locks out the supplier from a large part of the market. 3 As Brock observes, in the IT&T industry standardization generally helps those firms trying to expand their marketshare and hurts those firms trying to defend their market against others 4. For governments, standardization of IT&T products and services is an important instrument in regulating (international) trade and industry. 5 This article offers an overview of a number of legal issues concerning standardization of information technology and telecommunications, focusing on developments in the EC. In most cases this will not imply a significant limitation on the scope of this article since IT&T developments have the same revolutionary characteristics all over the world and generally give rise to the same legal questions. This paper by Kees Stuurman, Attorney, provides a brief overview of the main characteristics of the process of IT&T standardization (organizations involved, interests, backgrounds, types of standards, figures). Subsequently, explorative analysis will consider the legal status of IT&T standards, the protection of standards documents, and the impact of standardization on liability and competition.

The future of software standardization hopes and fears, an essay

The abstract and flexible nature of software poses special problems as far as standardization is concerned. The development of standard software engineering (CASE) tools may help in this, but the future offers both dangers and opportunities. Dangers lie in divergence between US and European standards, in tensions between suppliers and users, and the use of options as an easy way out. Opportunities arise in the increasingly influence of European harmonisation, in heightened awareness of the need for internationalisation, and in greater professionalism. It is suggested that the establishment of an IT Standards Research Institute would be beneficial.

IT certification in Europe

The establishment of a European market for IT products requires not only the development of standards but also an adequate system for certification of conformity to these standards. Certification is particularly needed in the area of open systems interconnection to protect users against incompatibility of equipment. Certification of IT products differs from other forms of product certification. For instance test specifications are very often purposely not included in IT standards. In the IT certifications schemes the development and approval of test methods have also to be dealt with. A proposal for a European IT certification scheme has been developed by CEN/CENELEC/CEPT. This proposal contains on the one hand the actions to be taken to set up IT certification activities in particular in the OSI area; on the other hand the organisational structure required to ensure mutual recognition of IT certificates throughout Europe. IT certification will furthermore be stimulated by the EEC funded programme for the development of IT testing services. The main aspects of these developments and proposals will be explained and the progress on the policy discussion will be given.

The role of OSI in the Dutch information technology policy

Standardisation has traditionally been considered in the Netherlands as a subject which is primarely the responsibility of industry. However, the Government has always supported the existing infrastructure in this field (e.g. the Standardisation Institutes) in a limited way. This is related to the fact that standards are considered as a vehicle for the creation of an open market in Europe, which has always been one of the most important objectives of Dutch Commercial policy. In the field of I.T.-Standardisation Government gradually assumes a larger responsibility, not in the last place because Government needs the IT standards for the implementation of the automation plans of the Government itself. The Information Technology plan, that started in 1983, includes therefore an I.T. standards policy. This aims at the creation of a favourable environment where the drafting, implementation and certification of I.T. standards is facilitated, while each party involved remains in its own domain of responsibility. It puts a strong emphasis on international cooperation and supports the E.C. policy directed towards OSI standards and the linkage between Governmental procurement and Standardisation.

The role of CEN/CENELEC in testing and certification of conformity to standards in information technology

The goal for European IT standardization is twofold: creation of a European market for IT products; proper segmentation of this market The first goal follows from the conviction that the European electronics industry will only have a future if the European market is sufficiently large to provide a basis for product development. With such a home base it can compete on the worldwide market. To create a possibility for smaller industries to compete on this market segmentation is essential. So far IT services are provided by manufacturers providing completely integrated systems. Very few if any European industries seem to be in a position to offer integrated systems. Standardization in telecommunication has so far been primarily aimed at providing international telecommunication services. Much has been achieved in this field, to a large extent by defining gateways between networks with different technical specifications. However, this development did not lead to European IT product standards. For a long time industry did not seem to be interested in such uniform product standards. This attitude has

Data Flow And Object Models In The RailwayDesign Process

All through the railway planning and design process a huge amount of geographic related data is processed. The data assembly techniques varies depending on the need of accuracy for the different stages and from what sources the data can be retrieved. The main methods used for data collection are aerial, field and GPS survey or by data transfer from existing databases or maps. To make certain that the data keeps the right quality through the whole process is it important to have the possibility to attach attribute data to the objects in use. When data is retrieved from other sources, existing databases and maps, is it necessary that the data can be transferred in a proper way. This means that there has to be standards for data transfer of geographic information including attached attribute data. International standardisation work for geographic information is going in ISO/TC 211 Geographic information Geomatics and in CEN/TC 287 Geographic information. Other IT standards wich can be used in this area is ISO 10303 called STEP. By participation in such standardisation work means that it will be possible to have global standards in the area of geographic information instead of local standards for every country. Every participant will also have the possibility to influence on the standard. Modern GIS/CAD-systems including digital terrain models gives the possibility to handle 3D geographic information with attributes. With these kind of tools is it possible to build a 3D-model of the proposed railway formation including design parameters. This design model contains all information needed and can be used for presentation and visualisation, drawings production and all kind of coordinate based data can be extracted to be used on the building site. Transactions on the Built Environment vol 18, © 1996 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509