June ISO Focus+ Magazine Feature Offers Insights from Joe Bhatia on International Meeting in San Diego This September
ISO Focus+: An open session on innovation and sustainability will be held during the General Assembly week. What would you like to see coming out of the open session? As the technical underpinning of many products and services, standards play a critical role in removing barriers to trade, enforcing free trade agreements, and expanding international markets for goods and services. This is particularly true in high-tech, "green" industries like nuclear, wind, and solar technologies and the smart grid. Standardization has the power to help speed those developments and translate them into valuable gains in the global market, while contributing to a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future worldwide. The open session is being specifically designed to encourage dynamic discussions among participants, who will explore how existing and possible new standards can support innovation and sustainable/green strategies in various subject areas. In terms of outcomes, you can expect to see an actionable report outlining areas of focus where standardization can be leveraged to help spur innovation and global economic growth. ANSI is planning to publish the proceedings in cooperation with the ISO Central Secretariat to help make the meeting's outcomes available to the broadest possible audience.
ISO Focus+: This will not be the USA's first time hosting the ISO General Assembly, what has changed since the event was last held in Washington in 1973? I think the standardization industry itself has seen enormous change. The advent of information technology brought about a whole new set of business needs that rely on standards in more complex and inter-related ways. And in recent years we have seen a shift in the evolution of standards to address broad and global issues such as energy, sustainability, transportation, and cybersecurity. Vast opportunities for innovation and economic growth are developing in new and expanding industry sectors, and standards are absolutely key to helping industry tap into these technologies and bringing them to the market. In addition, the ISO landscape has broadened, with increased participation from more and more countries around the world bringing greater opportunities for shared knowledge and global harmonization. ANSI shares ISO's goal of helping developing countries in particular gain the benefits of international standardization, and I look forward to welcoming this diverse group to San Diego.
ISO Focus+: How do you see ANSI in the next five years? What new directions do you see the organization taking? ANSI has an important and compelling public service mission. The Institute is dedicated to growth, change, and continuous improvement for the overall public good. In the coming years, the core mission of the Institute will not change, but our methods and initiatives will respond to the needs of the public. ANSI will continue to focus on activities that will advance trade, protect the environment, improve safety and health, promote quality, and contribute to the betterment of our lives and the global economy. In the next five years, specific areas of focus for ANSI will likely target areas that will bring the broadest impact to the community - energy management, IT security, food safety, and environmental safety and health, for example. Looking forward, ANSI will continue to work with its members, stakeholders, and our regional and international partners to pursue strategic initiatives that create positive change and opportunities for growth. The ISO 2012 GA in San Diego will certainly be a step in this direction. I hope you will join us.
This article originally appeared in the June 2012 issue of ISO Focus+.
For more information on the ISO General Assembly in San Diego, visit the event website
.
