Information Technology Supporting the Development of International Standards ISO IT Strategy 2010 and Beyond Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione, Milano, Italy 7 May, 2008 Dr. Bob Sutor Vice President, Open Source and Standards www.sutor.com/blog

What is the Goal? The highest quality standards, developed by experts from around the world in an open, collaborative, balanced, and transparent manner, designed to create a strong foundation on which we all can innovate.

Some Basic Problems We want the best people possible to participate, wherever they live. Travel is time consuming, expensive, and not “green.” Getting together frequently face-to-face is not always possible. Ideally, we would like to enable standards work to take place 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

We want the best people possible to participate, wherever they live.

Travel is time consuming, expensive, and not “green.”

Getting together frequently face-to-face is not always possible.

Ideally, we would like to enable standards work to take place 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

The Usual Solutions Teleconferences Email Discussion lists Document repositories / change control IRC / instant messaging Face-to-face meetings Videoconferencing Where appropriate, these should be provided or paid for by a neutral party, such as the standards organization.

Teleconferences

Email

Discussion lists

Document repositories / change control

IRC / instant messaging

Face-to-face meetings

Videoconferencing

Additional, Newer Solutions Wikis Blogs Social networking Virtual worlds Video sharing The technology can be used publicly or more privately behind firewalls or in closed communities.

Wikis

Blogs

Social networking

Virtual worlds

Video sharing

Technical Requirements For wikis, blogs, and social networking, just an Internet connection, the faster the better. For video sharing or web-based video conferencing, high speed Internet. For virtual worlds, a fast enough computer with a powerful enough graphics card and high speed Internet.

For wikis, blogs, and social networking, just an Internet connection, the faster the better.

For video sharing or web-based video conferencing, high speed Internet.

For virtual worlds, a fast enough computer with a powerful enough graphics card and high speed Internet.

Wikis, Blogs, and Social Networking The purpose of a wiki is document creation and editing, and it gets rid of the need for desktop document editing software. Online document creation is also becoming popular, and will be quite powerful by 2010. Blogs and social networks are about sharing information in a timely way and building communities of interest.

The purpose of a wiki is document creation and editing, and it gets rid of the need for desktop document editing software.

Online document creation is also becoming popular, and will be quite powerful by 2010.

Blogs and social networks are about sharing information in a timely way and building communities of interest.

Virtual Worlds Bring people together avatar-to-avatar. Hold virtual meetings with interactive sharing. Connect after meetings as you would in real life. Get closer to real life interactions than teleconferences and web chats.

Bring people together avatar-to-avatar.

Hold virtual meetings with interactive sharing.

Connect after meetings as you would in real life.

Get closer to real life interactions than teleconferences and web chats.

Current Issues with Virtual Worlds Bandwidth and hardware requirements Confidentiality Skills and interest of participants Number of people who can get together in one place Disconnect between avatar movement and human movement.

Bandwidth and hardware requirements

Confidentiality

Skills and interest of participants

Number of people who can get together in one place

Disconnect between avatar movement and human movement.

Why Web 2.0 and virtual worlds? Because overcoming geographic social separation is important. Because people don’t accept that older, less visual paradigms must continue. Because younger people were “born on the web” and so have different insights and expectations. Because we’re accessing information via an increasing variety of increasingly powerful devices and we need better ways of dealing with it. Because better sharing of appropriate information allows us to be more efficient and innovative.

Because overcoming geographic social separation is important.

Because people don’t accept that older, less visual paradigms must continue.

Because younger people were “born on the web” and so have different insights and expectations.

Because we’re accessing information via an increasing variety of increasingly powerful devices and we need better ways of dealing with it.

Because better sharing of appropriate information allows us to be more efficient and innovative.

My suggestions Make sure you are fully caught up using the pre-Web 2.0 technologies. Consider hosting ISO wikis, blogs, and social networks behind your firewall. Experiment with online document creation and sharing apps like Google Documents. Allow individual groups to experiment with virtual worlds, but don't expect to be in production with them for 2 or 3 years, for your purposes.

Make sure you are fully caught up using the pre-Web 2.0 technologies.

Consider hosting ISO wikis, blogs, and social networks behind your firewall.

Experiment with online document creation and sharing apps like Google Documents.

Allow individual groups to experiment with virtual worlds, but don't expect to be in production with them for 2 or 3 years, for your purposes.