Did You Know?

Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Federation, highlighting the people and initiatives making waves in standardization.

NIST Releases Online Tools for Evaluation of Building Performance and Sustainability
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC)'s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has publicly released a set of database and software tools designed to allow users to assess the sustainability of building in connection with environmental, energy, and cost performance. The new tools, known as BIRDS (Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability), allows building professionals in more than 200 cities around the United States to effectively evaluate whether exceeding code requirements for energy efficiency would be beneficial over the lifetime of a given commercial building.

BIRDS currently focuses on 11 building prototypes that represent approximately half of all new commercial construction each year in the U.S., assessing the buildings' carbon footprints, energy usage, and other factors relevant to building sustainability. Future versions of the tool are expected to add additional commercial building types, prototypes for new houses, and eventually information on the value of energy retrofits for both existing residential and commercials properties.

To access BIRDS, visit birdscom.nist.gov.

Free Webinars Announced on Cyber Resilience, Supply Chain Risk Management, and Situational Awareness
The International Center for Enterprise Preparedness (InterCEP) at New York University (NYU)'s Global Risk Network has announced that it will hold three free web forums between October and December 2014. The Global Risk Network is intended to engage with risk-related issues important to governments, nonprofit groups, and other stakeholders in nations around the world. The upcoming webinars are:

• Cyber Resilience - Taking an Enterprise-wide Approach Beyond IT to a Clear & Present Danger Web Forum
  This October 29 event will discuss cyber resilience approaches in light of findings on that topic that were recently presented at a Global Risk Network event in London. Online registration for this event is available.
• Supply Chain Risk Management (aka External Dependency Management-EDM) and Related Cyber Resilience Web Forum
  This November 12 event will focus on cybersecurity and resiliency efforts by state and local governments and infrastructure-related organizations and will include discuss of a resilience management methodology developed b a public-private collaborative initiative associated with Pennsylvania's Carnegie Mellon University. Online registration for this event is available.
• Developing a Common Operating Picture & Situational Awareness
  This event, which will be held in December at a date to be determined, will focus on situational awareness and other related issues associated with entreprise preparedness.

To learn more about the Global Risk Network and other activities of InterCEP, visit www.nyu.edu/intercep.

SCTE Establishes International Society of Broadband Experts
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, recently announced the creation of the International Society of Broadband Experts (ISBE), a brand that will provide training and certification to cable operations and engineering works around the world. ISBE is intended to provide a unified source of training and related materials to cable professionals and to allow individuals and organizations outside of the United States to take advantage of SCTE's archive of educational and certification information, among other resources.

To learn more about SCTE and its ISBE initiative, visit www.scte.org.

ANA's American Nurses Foundation Launches PTSD Care Website and Online Toolkit
ANSI member the American Nurses Association (ANA)'s American Nurses Foundation (ANF) recently announced the launch of a new website and related digital tool kit providing nurses with assistance in effectively treating post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) among U.S. military personnel and veterans. These new tools were developed by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing with the financial support of the ANF.

The online PTSD toolkit, which is interactive in nature and includes an e-learning module, is expected to make it easier for nurses to effectively screen and treat PTSD. It was highlighted for praise in a fact sheet released by the White House. ANF plans to distribute the toolkit nationwide using newsletters, websites, and nursing-related publications.

AGA Creates Natural Gas Utilities Threat Information Sharing Platform
The American Gas Association (AGA), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has established a new platform for natural gas utilities that is intended to bolster efforts to share information about potential threats against natural gas infrastructure within the U.S., including both physical attacks and cyberattacks. The platform, known as the Downstream Natural Gas Information Sharing and Analysis Center (DNG ISAC), has been designed specifically to fit the needs of U.S. natural gas utilities and is expected to play a significant role in helping to safeguard these bodies from a wide variety of threats.

To learn more about the AGA and its work, visit www.aga.org.