An Innovative Approach to Standards Analysis: Center of Gravity Analysis for International Standards Published by ISO/IEC JTC1 SC 36 Information Technology for Learning, Education and Training

Bruce E. Peoples

Standards make a positive contribution to the world we live in. They facilitate trade, spread knowledge, disseminate innovative advances in technology, and share good management and conformity assessment practices. There are a multitude of standard and standard consortia organizations producing market relevant standards, specifications, and technical reports in the domain of Information Communication Technology (ICT). With the number of ICT related standards and specifications numbering in the thousands, it is not readily apparent to users and developers how these standards inter-relate to form a basis of technical interoperability. There is a need to develop and document a process to identify how standards form a basis of interoperability in multiple contexts at a general horizontal technology level that covers all technology domains, and within specific vertical technology domains and sub-domains. By analyzing which standards inter-relate through normative referencing, key standards can be identified as technical center of gravity standards. These normatively referenced standards are specific standards required for the successful implementation of standards that normatively reference them, and form a basis for interoperability. This paper gives an overview of a methodology for determining center of gravity standards utilizing International Standards published by ISO/IEC JTC1 SC 36 Information Technology for Learning, Education and Training as a basis of analysis.

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