Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Federation, highlighting recent accomplishments and new resources related to standardization.
Upcoming SES Webinars Focus on Standards in Corporate Planning and ANSI-USAID's Standards Alliance
The next webinar hosted by SES - The Society for Standards Professionals will feature Jeffrey Strauss, associate director at Northwestern University BCICS Center for Technology and Innovation Management (CTIM), presenting on Challenges and Opportunities in Contextualizing Standards: Enhancing the Role of the Standards Professional in Corporate Planning. The event is scheduled for November 18, 2014, at 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET.
A January 21, 2015, webinar, from 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET, will focus on The Standards Alliance: an ANSI-USAID Public-Private Partnership.Cory O'Hara, division chief for regulatory reform programs, USAID, and Leslie McDermott, senior manager, international development, ANSI, will jointly presenting an overview of the Standards Alliance's accomplishments and ongoing activities in providing capacity-building assistance to developing countries.
These webinars are offered free of charge to all current SES members and ANSI full member technical contacts; participation costs $50 for non-members. Additional information is available on the SES website.
NIST to Hold Free Workshop on Standards Challenges and Cybersecurity
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will offer a workshop on Standards Challenges and Cybersecurity: Implications for Distributed Systems and User Privacy on November 20 - 21, 2014. The two-day program will address issues related to cybersecurity concerns in the emerging areas of distributed systems (business infrastructure, cloud computing, smart grid/smart cities) and user privacy. The interactive discussions will pay particular attention to the underlying importance of standards and standards development, and will be led by experts from government, industry, and academia.
Visit the workshop website for additional information, to view the agenda, and to register.
ASPE and CSA Group Cooperate to Advance Plumbing Safety and Innovation
ANSI members and accredited standards developers the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) and CSA Group recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate information exchange regarding technical, legislative, and regulatory issues affecting the plumbing products industries. The two organizations will work together to improve the quality of plumbing system designs and to help ensure that plumbing product and system designs are uniformly implemented around the world through the development of consistent consensus standards.
ASPE is a professional organization devoted to the training and certification of plumbing engineers and designers. CSA Group is an independent, not-for-profit association dedicated to advancing safety, sustainability, and social good through standards, certification, and real-world solutions. For more details on the ASPE-CSA MOU, visit the ASPE website.
FEMA Firefighters Grant Program Accepting Applications
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has opened the application period for its 2014 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). Fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service (EMS) organizations are invited to submit electronic applications by December 5, 2014, for financial assistance for critically needed resources to protect the public, train emergency personnel, foster interoperability, and support community resilience.
The AFG Program makes grants directly to fire departments, EMS organizations, and state fire training academies in order to enhance their abilities to protect the health and safety of the public as well as of first responders. For more information and to access the online application portal, visit the FEMA website.
OSEHRA Applies to Become an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer
The Open Source Electronic Health Records Alliance (OSEHRA) has submitted an application for accreditation as an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer (ASD)and proposed operating procedures for documenting consensus on UTMB-sponsored American National Standards. OSEHRA's proposed scope is information technology standards for the quality, usability, and interoperability of open source and related proprietary software used in healthcare and electronic health record systems
For questions or comments, contact Donald Hewitt, vice president, business operations, OSEHRA (571.858.3376; [email protected]). Please submit any comments to OSEHRA by December 8, 2014, with a copy to [email protected]. You may view or download a copy of OSEHRA's proposed operating procedures from ANSI Online during the public review period at www.ansi.org/accredPR.
UTMB Applies to Become an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) has submitted an application for accreditation as an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer (ASD) and proposed operating procedures for documenting consensus on UTMB-sponsored American National Standards. UTMB's proposed scope of activity is standards and technical reports that define effective, interoperable, and comparable healthcare administration practices and metrics among healthcare entities.
For questions or comments, contact Lee Webster, director, talent acquisition and recruitment, University of Texas Medical Branch (409.787.4867; [email protected]). Please submit any comments to UTMB by December 15, 2014, with a copy to [email protected]. You may view or download a copy of the UTMB's proposed operating procedures from ANSI Online during the public review period at the following URL: www.ansi.org/accredPR.