Why standards are important
This topic is addressed in a number of papers and reports presented by
the Task Force (e.g.
FIG Workign Week 2000, Prague,
FIG Working Week 2001, Seoul and Intergeo 2001). In
summary there are perhaps three ways in which to make a case that standards
are important.
Firstly, the breadth of standardisation activities. To put some
numbers on this, there were 12,524 ISO standards in print at the end of
1999, amounting to 356,427 pages. The current standard set includes:
- ISO 2172 - Fruit juice - determination of soluble solids content -
Pycnometric method
- ISO 6806 - Rubber hoses and hose assemblies for use in oil burners -
specification
- ISO 8192 - Water quality - test for inhibition of oxygen consumption
by activated sludge
- ISO 11540 - Caps for writing and marking instruments intended for use
by children up to 14 years of age - safety requirements
- ISO 12857 - Optics and optical instruments - geodetic instruments -
field procedures for determining accuracy
Secondly, there are the benefits of standardisation. Recent
research undertaken by the Technical University of Dresden and the
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovations found that the benefit to the German economy from standardisation amounts to
more than US$ 15 billion per year (more than standards and patents).
Thirdly, at a very practical level, all aspects of our lives
involve standardisation. Perhaps the difficulties caused by the lack of
standardisation in some areas make the benefits more clear: how many times
has anyone forgotten their international plug adapter and been unable to
charge electronic equipment in another country? And how often have we all
been frustrated (or worse) by the American insistence on using a different
standard paper size (and a different measurement system) from the rest of
the world?
Turning to the field of surveying, many of the disciplines within the
profession have not to date been subject to de jure standards. Some
have existed for land survey instruments but these have not been widely
used. In the valuation field, national standards have long existed. For the
suppliers and users of geographic information, however, 2001 will be a very
important year, with the publication of about 20 standards in the series ISO
191xx currently being developed by ISO Technical Committee (TC) 211.
The process of creating standards is a lengthy one - most ISO standards
are under development for more than three years. This time scale has to be
shortened in a world where technological developments are happening more and
more frequently; standards will otherwise constrain development. The same
difficulties can arise with legislation - the cadastral survey regulations
of many countries prescribe methodologies which must be used, thereby often
disallowing GPS methods.
The main participants in the process of developing standards are
generally academics and public servants - people whose organisations can
afford for them to spend time on, and travel to, the necessary meetings. In
general, practitioners are present in much more limited numbers. This means
that standardisation bodies will often have limited knowledge of other
initiatives - they will assume a 'green field site' when in fact a good deal
is already in hand.
These reasons summarise why FIG felt that it should become more involved
in and aware of standardisation activities.
Progress and Plans
One of the main early pieces of work completed by the Task Force was a
questionnaire
to ascertain the elements of standards activity which surveyors see as
important. More than 50 responses were received. A
summary of the results is attached. These results helped shape the Task
Force's work plans.
A key output identified by the Task Force was an FIG Guide on
Standardisation, which would assist FIG Officers, Commissions and Member
Associations in participating in and influencing the standardisation
process. A final report of this Guide exists, which has been developed by
the Task Force with input from a large number of people. The
FIG Guide on Standardisation will be presented to the 2002 General
Assembly for formal ratification.
Contained within this Guide is FIG's policy on standardisation, which was
reviewed by the 2001 General Assembly. Its key elements read as follows:
"Overall, FIG's aim in the field of standards is to assist in the
process of developing workable and timely official and legal standards
covering the activities of surveyors: FIG is one of the few bodies through
which surveyors can formally be represented in international official
standardisation activities. In so doing, FIG is supporting its objective
to collaborate with relevant agencies in the formulation and
implementation of policies. FIG is also committed in its objectives to
developing the skills of surveyors and encouraging the proper use of
technology, activities which are becoming increasingly shaped by
standards.
FIG will generally seek to ensure that de facto standards become
official standards as technology matures, or at the very least that all
relevant official, legal and de facto standards are produced in full
knowledge of all other related material.
FIG sees the following roles for professionals in the
standardisation process:
- Assisting in the production of workable and timely standards by
proposing material which can be transformed into international standards
(rather than relying on work developed by others) and by participating
in the process of developing standards; and
- Disseminating information and creating explanatory material and
guidance notes to ensure that all members of FIG are aware of the most
recent standardisation activities, standards and regulations, and their
implications for surveyors.
In supporting this policy, FIG will dovetail the work of its
Commissions and other bodies with that of official standardisation bodies,
to ensure that the greatest possible benefit for practising surveyors and
their clients is achieved. This dovetailing will be reflected in
Commission, Task Force and Permanent Institution (PI) workplans - these
will include the creation of necessary information and explanatory
material, and any planned output from any of FIG's bodies will be
discussed with the relevant standardisation bodies before it is created.
FIG will also seek to work closely with other international bodies
representing surveyors, to ensure the most effective use of resources."
The achievements and plans of the Task Force are summarised periodically
into a progress report, the latest version of which is attached (Report to FIG General Assembly 2001).
Plans for 2001/02
The Task Force's existence will be reviewed at the 2002 General Assembly,
as part of the consideration of the report of the FIG Task Force on
Commission Structure. In the period before the General Assembly, key
elements of the Task Force's work will be:
- Ensuring that standards are linked into 2002-06 workplans. The
Task Force began work in earnest after the 1998-2002 Commission and
Permanent Institution work plans were prepared. This has meant,
understandably, that the addition of standardisation items to them has
only been possible to a limited degree. It is vital that the new workplans
take standardisation fully into account. Some planned examples are that
Commission 7 will be considering minimum standards necessary for
delivering national cadastres, feeding information back to ISO as
necessary on the completeness (or not) of existing standards. Links with
ICEC's work on construction economic best practice will be included in the
Ad Hoc Commission's work plan; and Commission 3 will be linking elements
of ISO's work on Geographic Information standards into its work plan.
- Building links with other NGOs. We are planning a Round Table
on standards at the Washington Congress, reviewing how FIG and our sister
organisations can work together and influence to best effect in this area.
- Building further FIG's relationship with IVSC (www.ivsc.org).
The International Valuation Standards Committee has developed IVS2000 and
is now working towards a 2002 edition. We are planning joint activity with
them at the Washington Congress, and a formal relationship with them,
recognising the important role FIG (particularly Commission 9) can play in
developing valuation standards.
- Inputting to ISO's work on standards for survey instruments.
Commission 5, particularly through the work of Jean-Marie Becker,
has been involved in the ISO work (in its TC172 SC6 and TC59 SC4) of
refining standards for survey instruments for some years. The goal is a
single, usable set of standards that are appropriate for field surveyors
(and not just for calibration laboratories). Some of these standards are
now approaching their final editions and Jean-Marie will be at the next
ISO meeting in September to continue FIG's work in this field.
- Inputting to ISO work on Geographic Information Standards. The
work of ISO Technical Committee (TC) 211 (www.statkart.no/isotc211)
will have a profound impact on large numbers of surveyors. More than 20
standards covering aspects from terminology to translation protocols will
be published over the next year. Indeed, ISO 19105 on Conformance and
Testing has already been published. At present, many of this first
generation of standards will be conceptual models, not providing the
detail. TC211, however, is now moving into the more detailed area.
Location Based Services is, understandably, a particular focus. Another is
geodetic codes and parameters, where FIG has been asked for assistance in
compiling a library of the definitive transformations required to move
between different coordinate reference systems. TC211 is becoming the
place where the GI community meets - the liaison members of the Committee
include the Open GIS Consortium, GSDI and FIG. FIG has played an active
role, but has recognised that it can't be involved in everything.
Particular aspects we are focusing on at present are:
- The work item on the Qualification and Certification of Personnel
(see also below). This has been a focus since before the Brighton
Congress in 1998. The current status is that a final report is being
prepared, including case studies on education and training in a number
of countries. FIG has commented on the drafts, and has submitted
material from our Task Force on Mutual Recognition as an 'FIG Case
Study'. The ISO report is due to be completed later this year. The
current draft recommends that ISO considers whether it wishes to
continue to work in this area, which has caused friction with
professional bodies and others and, if it does, whether it wishes to be
a certifying body or to take a coordinating role. FIG has proposed a
Round Table discussion in Washington, including all of the main parties,
to see what the most appropriate way forward might be. FIG recognises
the need to facilitate movement of professionals across borders, but is
firmly of the view that an international standard is not the way in a
rapidly changing environment.
- Involvement in the terminology work. In particular, the Task
Force is working with the FIG Multi Lingual Dictionary Team and ISO to
review how the MLD can input to the standardisation of terminology. A
meeting has been arranged during the InterGeo conference in Cologne in
September to develop this link further. The MLD could be particularly
useful, as it is primarily in German whereas TC211's work so far has
been in English. This link might also facilitate the keeping up to date
of the MLD after the completion of the current revision.
- Involvement in the testing of the standards, to ensure that
they meet user needs. Much of this is under the banner 'Standards in
Action'. FIG has offered its support to this work, recognising its key
role in explaining to surveyors what the standards mean (this also comes
through very clearly in the FIG policy on standards). To date, we have
not taken a specific role, being generally supportive from the
sidelines. We await a clear steer from TC211, although the inclusion of
relevant items in 2002-06 workplans will be a particular development. In
addition, we are soliciting papers on TC211 activity for the Washington
Congress.
- Considering whether any FIG material can expedite the development
of standards in this area. We have previously submitted the FIG
Statement on the Cadastre. With the key role of national laws in this
area, ISO decided not to take this forward explicitly, but there is a
wealth of other material that FIG could offer to the process, again
supporting FIG's policy of creating workable, timely standards.
- Investigating how Member Associations handle standardisation
activities, to see whether further support from FIG is needed in this
area. This work has been very limited to date, and any thoughts on it
would be most welcome.
- Maintaining and building links with the ISO Central Secretariat.
FIG has established a good profile with the Secretariat in Geneva. It may
be that further substantive contact waits until after the Washington Round
Table with sister organisations, as a joint approach is likely to be more
beneficial than individual approaches.
- Maintaining a profile for the Task Force through articles,
papers etc.
- Ongoing input to the Task Force on Commission Structure.
Standards is an important area for FIG and is likely to remain so. It is
therefore important that any new structure provides a clear focus for
standardisation work, with sufficient profile inside and outside of FIG.
In due course, such a profile might be embedded within the Commissions,
but that might be for the future rather than for 2002.
Certification of Personnel
As mentioned above, a current activity of particular concern
to the Task Force is the work item within ISO Technical Committee (TC) 211
to develop guidance or a standard on the qualification and certification of
survey personnel. FIG is continuing to play an active part in the debate
over how surveyors' skills can be recognised world-wide. This is vital if
surveyors are to be able to participate effectively in an increasingly
global market; but it is also imperative that any arrangements are
sufficiently flexible to cater for rapidly advancing technology and
professional developments, In this work, the Task Force is working closely
with the FIG Task Force on Mutual
Recognition. An overview of the background to the subject and progress
to date is provided in the attached article.
Contact
Iain Greenway
Chairperson
FIG Task force on Standards
Papers related to the task force
Reports:
Articles:
-
Iain Greenway: Standards -
Should Surveyors Care?
Intergeo 2001, Cologne, Germany, 19 September 2001. Article is in
.pdf-format
-
Iain Greenway: FIG and
Standards - Progress to Date. Article in FIG Bulletin 74, September
2001. Article is in .pdf-format
-
Winfried Hawerk (Germany):
Standards in Cadastre - Sense or Nonsense?, Presentation at FIG
Commission 7 Annual Meeting, Gävle, Sweden, June 2001. Article is in
.pdf-format
-
Iain Greenway (UK): Surveyors and Standardisation , presentation at
the FIG Working Week, Prague, 23 May 2000.
Acrobat version (31KB).
-
Iain Greenway (UK):
Standardisation of the Qualifications and Certification of Surveyors,
June 1999, updated August 2001.
Acrobat version (8 KB)
Links to related pages
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