Also, trade associations and professional societies which have developed their own standards can submit these to

USASI for approval as USA Standards.

Approval of a standard as "USA Standard" --no matter how
or where developed--is given only if the standard is
supported by a consensus of all national groups substantially
concerned with its scope and provisions.

THE VOLUNTARY NATIONAL STANDARDIZATION PROGRAM

The national program consists of over 425 standards projects set up within USASI procedures at the request of the national groups concerned. Nearly 1,000 such national organizations participate in these projects. How they may participate in the development and approval of USA Standards is explained in a booklet, "How American Standards Are Made".*

The dynamics of this over-all program are covered in detail
by the publication, "Current Projects of the American Standards
Association".* New projects are being frequently introduced
into the USASI procedural machinery. These are geared to the
standards needs of almost every industrial activity. Included
are the country's newest technologies--space, nuclear energy,
electronics and data processing..

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZATION

The United States Standards Institute holds the U.S. membership in two international standardization bodies--International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)--and the Pan American Standards Committee (PASC). In this way, USASI provides the channel through which American interests can participate in global and hemispheric standards projects. USASI also works with the British Standards Institute and the Canadian Standards Association through the "ABC" Conference on Unification of Engineering Standards. A brochure on international standardization is free upon request to the Institute.

The USASI library is a source of information on thousands of
foreign standards. The Institute supports U.S. foreign trade
by promoting a knowledge of USA Standards abroad.

HOW UNITED STATES OF AMERICA STANDARDS ARE ACHIEVED
USA Standards come into existence through two basic methods.

To be updated by the USA Standards Institute, 10 E. 40th St.
New York, N. Y. 10016

1. Standards Committee Method. A committee, composed of representatives accredited for the purpose by all groups and organizations substantially concerned with the scope of the standards project and organized under the rules of USASI for such committees, formulates the standard. The special utility of the method consists in the provision, in advance, of such representation that a consensus will be assured and self evident when the members have approved their completed assignment.

2. Existing Standards Method. Under this method, an existing standard may be submitted for approval by any responsible body, and may be approved by USASI provided:

(a) It is shown that the standard is supported
by the necessary concensus of those

substantially concerned with it

(b) It does not conflict with any other USA
Standard

Approximately one third of the standards approved by USASI have been considered under this method.

Each USA Standard is reviewed at least once every five years, at which time it is reaffirmed, revised or withdrawn.

Thus the work of standards men is never done. Yet like all live work that grows organically and adjusts to the changing pattern of life, standards work is creative and rewarding. It brings together the best men in each field in a selfless service that helps to simplify, enrich and protect life in our age of technology.

USASI STANDARDS COMMITTEE METHOD

The Standards Committee Method, one of the methods
recognized by USASI procedure as meeting the basic
requirements of the Institute, consists in the formation,
at the beginning of a project, of a committee to develop
one or more standards under an assigned scope. The
committee is composed of representatives accredited
for the purpose by the various organized groups concerned
with the project and, when desirable, companies and
specially qualified individuals as general interest.
Membership in a standards committee may also be in the
name of the organization as such, no individual being
designated as representative or alternate.

consists in the provision, in advance, of such representation that a consensus will be assured and self-evident when the members have approved their completed assignment.

USASI procedure specifies that the Standards Committee
Method is used in cases in which a written request is
received from a group which, in the opinion of the Member
Body Council, has a substantial interest in the proposed
area of standardization. It shall also be used in cases
where, in the opinion of the Council, the standard is intended
to be used as mandatory rules of regulatory bodies having
policy powers.

USASI is prohibited by its constitution from formulating standards. It is not a technical society engaged in standardization work. It, therefore, cannot own any committees that formulate standards. Thus standards committees can only be considered as belonging to the group of organizations having representation on the committee and which have agreed to cooperate, under USASI procedure, in the development of standards they all desire.

USASI STANDARDS COMMITTEE SPONSOR

One or more organizations principally concerned with the work assigned to a standards committee may be designated to give administrative support and direction to the committee. The sponsor organization is responsible for the administration and direction of the standards project. It organizes the standards committee with the advice and assistance of USASI; it ensures that the work is carried out continuously and effectively; it provides the necessary administrative services; and keeps USASI informed on the progress of the work. A project may have more than one sponsor.

THE INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEMS STANDARDS BOARD (IPSSB)

To provide direct supervision of the hundreds of USASI technical activities, there exists within USASI a number of Standards Boards, each responsible for several efforts in a general area of standardization. X3, along with the standards committees for office machines, vocabulary for automatic control and library sciences and documentation, reports to the Information Processing Systems Standards Board. The scope of the IPSSB is as follows:

All aspects of systems that transmit, store, or process analog symbolic or encoded representations of information, including satellite or control systems, peripheral equipment, and auxiliary devices that significantly influence the effective utilization of composite information processing systems.

II. The Standards Committees for Computers and Information Processing

A. Introduction

The United States of America Standards Institute (USASI) is the United States' representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and holds the Secretariat for ISO Technical Committee 97 Computers and Information Processing.

The chart shown below outlines the relationship of ISO/TC97, USASI and BEMA/DPG which is the sponsor of USA Standards Committee X3.