Among ANSI’s key roles in the U.S. standardization system is to provide a neutral forum for cross-sector coordination and identification of research, standards, and conformity assessment needs in support of emerging technologies and national/global priorities.
To achieve this, ANSI establishes standardization collaboratives, holds stakeholder workshops, and convenes other activities to bring together relevant stakeholders to assess and address standardization needs in a particular industry or technology area.
Once a need has been clearly identified, ANSI may initiate a standards coordination activity – often starting with a targeted workshop or stakeholder event. If a need for more formalized work is identified, these activities may result in the establishment of an ongoing standards collaborative.
Standardization collaboratives (historically referred to as panels) are ongoing initiatives that bring together stakeholders, often organized through working groups, to identify gaps in standards development. The initiatives often begin with one or more stakeholder events to establish the scope and determine stakeholder support.
ANSI collaboratives work to:
The ANSI Energy Efficiency Standardization Coordination Collaborative (EESCC) published a strategic roadmap in June 2014 and follow up progress report in 2016 detailing the standards and conformity assessment programs needed to enable a more energy- and water-efficient built environment.
ANSI Contact: Jana Zabinski, Senior Director, Communications and Public Relations; [email protected]
The ANSI Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards Panel (IDSP) worked to facilitate the timely development, promulgation and use of voluntary consensus standards and guidelines that will equip and assist the private sector, government and consumers in minimizing the scope and scale of identity theft and fraud.
ANSI Contact: Christine Bernat, Director, Standards Facilitation; [email protected]
The Nuclear Energy Standards Coordination Collaborative (NESCC) was a joint initiative of ANSI and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) to identify and respond to the needs of the nuclear industry.
ANSI Contact: Sally Seitz, Associate Director, Standards Facilitation; [email protected]
The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) was a cooperative partnership between the public and private sectors formed for the purpose of harmonizing and integrating standards to meet clinical and business needs for sharing information among organizations and systems.
ANSI Contact: Michelle Maas-Deane, Senior Director, Standards Facilitation; [email protected]
The ANSI Biofuels Standards Coordination Panel (ANSI-BSP) was a cross-sector coordinating body established to promote the development and compatibility of voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment programs to support the large-scale commoditization of biofuels.
Workshops and other technical events are information-sharing and discussion-based sessions attended by public and private sector stakeholders, including industry, consortia/professional societies, academia/research institutions, standards development organizations, regulatory bodies, etc. Stakeholders may be convened for multiple events, as needed, until the community feels its objectives have been met.
Stakeholders may also engage in coordination and information sharing activities between events, such as working group meetings, webinars or announcements, and the deliverables may vary as needed. ANSI has established “networks” to support ongoing efforts where continued engagement was beneficial but an organized collaborative to develop a standards roadmap was not necessary.
The ANSI Network on Smart and Sustainable Cities (ANSSC) was a forum for information sharing and coordination on voluntary standards, conformity assessment and related activities for smart and sustainable cities in the U.S. and abroad.
ANSI Contact: Christine Bernat, Director, Standards Facilitation; [email protected]
ANSI initiated work to address issues related to cybersecurity and standardization.
ANSI Contact: Christine Bernat, Director, Standards Facilitation; [email protected]
ANSI Contact: Anne Caldas, Senior Director, Procedures and Standards Administration; [email protected]
The Network on Chemical Regulation is an issue-driven forum established to enable U.S. manufacturers and other stakeholders to have a strong, collaborative voice when addressing domestic, regional, foreign, and global chemical regulations.
ANSI Contact: Susan Bose, Director, Membership Marketing and Development; [email protected]
Standards landscapes and databases are listings of standards activities, most often in a Microsoft Excel format. Landscapes detail individual standards activities, their publication status, and the standards development organization and committees that support their development. A landscape will also organize these details based on a technical area, material, sector, or other details needed to support stakeholders.
A standards strategy provides a structured framework to guide and strengthen standards-related activities, coordination, and implementation across a specific sector, technology area, or industry.
Supported by a standards collaborative and informed by targeted analysis and robust, cross-sector stakeholder engagement, a strategy addresses the full lifecycle of standardization–ranging from pre-standardization needs such as research and policy alignment, to identifying gaps in existing standards, to outlining effective approaches for implementation and adoption. It serves as both a planning tool and a living document to guide coordinated efforts between government, industry, academia, and standards development organizations.
A standards roadmap details existing research, standards and conformity assessment activities, and gaps with recommendations about how to fill the gaps to meet stakeholder needs.
Supported by a standards collaborative, standards roadmaps are a great resource when the technical discussions have matured and stakeholders need to weave the web together. If activities mature enough without coordination, it’s possible that duplicative or conflicting standards could occur and cause confusion or undermine what their intended to do – improve safety, efficiency, costs savings, and interoperability.
As the demand for new products and services and the adoption of innovative technologies continues globally at break-neck speeds, there are big opportunities for U.S. businesses. Particularly in emerging markets, standards have the power to drive progress, safety, and efficiency by:
