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June 2005 Newsletter
From the Executive Director
The summer is here and by all accounts it looks like it will be very busy. The ECCMA research office in Vellore is working on the release of the eOTD in the new model format and PartNet is working on a new search engine, both exciting developments and significant milestones.
One of the most important changes to the eOTD is the recognition that there can be more than one definition for a concept. Standards developers will be able to use the eOTD to research new concept definitions and hopefully harmonize existing ones. This is a major development and changes the emphasis of our research not so much on developing new definitions but in assigning concept identifiers to existing definitions.
This is in itself a substantial task and an important responsibility for both the ECCMA research staff and the ECCMA Domain Experts. Configuration management of the eOTD becomes critical as we can expect many concepts to be redefined to allow concepts to be differentiated from each other. The benefit of this work being increasingly accurate descriptions. As a result of this we have entered into discussions with both ANSI and ISO regarding the inclusion of the terminology of their many standards into the eOTD. One consequence of this is that the eOTD will become an index to technical standards and the reference at the end of a definition will link you to the relevant technical standard, unlocking a treasure trove of information that is all too often overlooked in the thousands of technical standards.
For those participating in the development of ISO 22745, a draft for team review will be distributed in July. The Committee Draft Ballot is expected to begin in September and will last for three months. This is the second step in the path to becoming an ISO standard. Work on the 22745 data models is also nearing completion and these are being implemented in the new catalog builder and the project to integrate eOTD tags into CAD files through STEP (ISO 10303).
Another interesting development is the submission of a new work item for the creation of a new ISO standard that defines the requirements for a catalog management system. This new standard will be similar to the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series of quality standards and will include a certification scheme under which a supplier can register to certify the quality of their catalog data.
We have started work on the NATO AC/135 translation project. Under this project we will be addressing the resources required to develop and maintain an initial set of five languages (Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish). The project includes developing procedures for working with the relevant NATO Codification Bureaus as well as national trade agencies. Judy is coordinating the project and she would be interested to hear from any ECCMA member who has a particular need or interest in the five initial languages as well as any member who has an interest in an Arabic translation. Beyond simple interest Judy will be looking for volunteer translators and editors (verify the translations). Short and long term funding for translations is also an issue and I am sure Judy would also appreciate an introduction to any personal contacts you may have within organizations whose mission it is to support international trade or the promotion of national language.
Finally, the ECCMA 2006 conference will be held at the Hershey Hotel in Hershey Pennsylvania from October 25th through the 26th. The ECCMA conference will held in conjunction with the Fall 2006 meeting of ISO TC184/SC4. Combining these two meetings together will create a truly unique opportunity for standards developers and implementers to meet and exchange ideas on the needs and vision for practical solutions to real problems facing government and industry. Interestingly the American Council for technology is holding their Annual Executive Leadership Conference at Hershey Lodge www.actgov.org with an attendance of over 900 information technology leaders from government and industry at the same time.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter Benson
Executive Director, ECCMA
ISO TC184/SC4: 50th Plenary
Judy Atiyeh, ECCMA
ECCMA is pleased to hold ISO TC184/SC4’s Fall Plenary Session in 2006. The Conference will be held on October 22-27, 2006 at the Hotel Hershey, in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This conference will be held in conjunction with ECCMA’s Annual Conference.
We look forward to seeing you at Hershey in 2006. For more information feel free to contact Judy Atiyeh via email at judy.atiyeh@eccma.org or by phone at + 1 610-861-5990.
NATO CODIFICATION: NOT JUST A NUMBER
George Bond, UK Head of NATO Codification and Catalogue Management
The NATO Codification System has been in existence now for over 50 years. The UK remains at the forefront of developments to ensure that it plays an increasingly relevant part in the global Supply Chain both at home and abroad. This year also sees the 10th International Symposium on Codification to be held in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre from the 10th-13th October.
George Bond, Head of NATO Codification in the MOD’s newly-formed Technical Enabling Services group, is tasked with organizing the Symposium on behalf of NATO, has stated the following about the plans:
”The Codification Symposium is held every 4 years but this is the first time the event has been hosted in the UK. We expect delegates from 50 countries worldwide and we are naturally keen to make this an impressive and memorable event both in terms of the presentations and workshops at the conference itself but also the networking opportunities in the impressive surroundings of Edinburgh and Scotland.
What we have seen in recent times is the increasing globalization of the Supply Chain and the issues that we face in the UK MOD - about Transforming Logistics, supporting the coalition war fighter in the Front-Line, managing the Supply Chain in partnership with Industry, moving from Provider to Decider, and generally doing more for less money - are just the same as most other countries with defense interests. So we are all trying to achieve the same goals and we want this conference to include and debate all these common issues.”
The theme for this Symposium is “Codification – the DNA of Modern Logistics”. George explained some of the thinking behind this approach and what it means.
“I guess what we are really trying to say is that Codification touches virtually every area of the Supply Chain and how we deal with fundamental issues such as identifying material correctly and being able to speak a common ‘language of logistics’ is really the bed-rock of working together either within the UK Armed Forces or in the multi-national coalition operations that we increasingly see today. We can help with many of the problems that those in the Supply Chain are facing today and this Symposium is certainly not going to be a narrow look at the intricacies of Codification – rather a much wider debate and discussion about the common topics that everyone in the Supply Chain - Decider, Provider, Logistician, Policy-Maker, Engineer, Academic Student and Contractor – must tackle these days.
Our overall theme is broken down into daily headings of Building Global Standards, Defense/Industry Partnering and the Integrated Supply Chain and The Future. Over the course of the Symposium we will have over 60 presentations, workshops and seminars - plus exhibitors- with lots of choice for everyone to focus on their particular area of interest. Importantly, we too want the workshops to be practical discussions where we can get down to the detail of exactly who’s doing what, when and how. Most importantly, we are aiming to keep our costs down to give as many people as possible in these days of tight budgets an opportunity to attend – so at only £335 for serving Military and Defense personnel is an excellent value for money”
The Symposium is being held in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, a purpose built conference facility in the centre of Edinburgh, now ranked as one of the top-ten conference destinations in the world. George added:
“Edinburgh, of course, is well-known throughout the world so with that attraction of basing our conference in the capital of Scotland at this very impressive venue of the EICC we hope we will be providing an opportunity to encourage people from around the world to attend – and to bring their spouses to enjoy some of the delights of Edinburgh and spectacular scenery close-by with tours to St. Andrews, Loch Lomond and Rossyln Chapel of ‘Da Vinci Code’ fame. And with a welcome reception in the unique surroundings of Edinburgh Castle and a formal dinner in the Royal Museum of Scotland we are trying to ensure this is a memorable and fun event for everyone and that they leave with some very positive messages about the UK and our part of the MOD.”
October is fast approaching and now is the time to ensure that you reserve your place and your preferred accommodation, which can be booked through the registration process. More information can be found at the Symposium web site: http://www.codification2005.org
ISO 22745
Gerald Radack, CTC
The following parts are planned for ISO 22745:
| Part Number | Title | | 1 | Overview | | 10 | Dictionary Representation | | 11 | Rules and guidelines for the formulation of definitions of dictionary elements | | 12 | Representation | | 05 | Naming and identification of dictionary elements | | 20 | Procedures for operation of the registration authority or maintenance agency | | 21 | Procedures for harmonization of dictionary content with other dictionaries and ISO and IEC standards | | 100 | Dictionary Content | | 200 | Implementation guide for incorporating cataloguing information into ISO 10303 product data. | | xx | Data elements for items of supply and items of production | | xx | XML representation for implemenation guides | | xx | XML representation for catalogues | | xx | XML representation for the dictionary |
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Parts marked with "xx" have not been assigned a number yet.
Several national standards bodies submitted comments at the New Work Item (NWI) proposal ballot resolution meeting at Lillehammer meeting of ISO TC184/SC4 in February that if the same concept is named or defined by several ISO committees, the eOTD should not take sides by choosing one name or one definition over the others. It was felt that choosing a single name or definition would be a barrier to harmonization between ISO standards. As a result, the eOTD core data model was changed so that a concept may have one or more names and one or more definitions, but there will be one "preferred" name and definition. This change will also allow users' names and definitions to be stored in the eOTD. Each concept, name and definition will be assigned a unique identifier within the eOTD. Part 11 provides rules for formulating definitions, and part 12 provides rules for formulating names for concepts. These rules will only be mandatory for the eOTD preferred names and definitions. Names and definitions taken from external sources, including from the NATO Codification System and user dictionaries, will be stored verbatim within the eOTD. The eOTD will have a way to track compliance of a name or definition with ISO 22745, DoD 4100.39-M, or other standards.
Many examples have been added to parts 11 and 12 in order to make these parts easier to understand. Over the next few months, parts 11 and 12 will undergo internal review by the development team and interested parties. It is expected that they will go out for a formal ISO Committee Draft-Technical Specification (CD-TS) ballot in mid-September.
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