The FINANCIAL -- How International Standards help
translate great ideas into technical success stories is the theme of the
November/December 2011 issue of ISO Focus+, the magazine of ISO.
Gadgets like smartphones and tablets have revolutionized the way we carry out everyday tasks. Phones allow us to buy electronic transport tickets on the go, or to access GPS and online maps to help us find our way in unfamiliar towns around the world.
With continual accessibility to the Internet, we can check our e-mail or social networks, shop and access information anytime, everywhere. But behind these innovations are the dreams of visionaries and gurus like Dennis Ritchie, inventor of C, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple and many others whose legacies have resulted in technical revolutions.
The November/December 2011 issue highlights the work of these IT gurus, as it takes a closer look at the International Standards that help turn great ideas into practical realities that can be produced and deployed everywhere in the world. The issue emphasizes that by facilitating economies of scale, market access and interoperability, International Standards help drive innovation.
The articles explore the unique challenges faced by joint technical committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, where the effectiveness and growth of the industry are determined by the ability of components parts to interoperate. Standards are essential, but at the same time, technology develops so rapidly that it may be hard to keep up. In addition, the committees that develop International Standards must take care to bring all stakeholders on board, including other consortia and fora that may already be working on the subject.
The November/December looks at some of the most innovative areas where standards are needed, such as cloud computing and 3D and augmented reality, highlighting the challenges and benefits of this work.
Finally, ISO Focus+ uncovers some of the exciting ICT developments taking place within ISO, which is also taking advantage of the latest innovations to offer the best service possible, so that it can continue to help visionaries make their ideas a reality.
Related Stories
