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Data Standards
Introduction
"I believe in standards - So let's use mine!", so goes the common refrain of the standards zealot.
Standards pose two major problems: there are a lot of them; and there are a lot of organisations claiming to produce and promote them. So what, then, is a "data standard"? More importantly, why should we care?
Who is involved?
In formal, legal terms there are only a restricted number of standards organisations involved in data standards:
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The International Standards Organisation, ISO;
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The International Telecommunication Union, ITU;
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The International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC.
In reality however, there are scores of consortia, organisations and networks providing technical specifications that are claimed as standards by those who want to promote them. How to choose therefore?
A hierarchy of norms
One first step that can be useful is to establish a "pecking order" or hierarchy of those specifications that you consider useful for your work, and for your domain of interest. Such a "hierarchy of norms" is a common approach in some legal systems, to determine which laws or rules take precedence over others (for example international law is above EU law, which in turn is above national law, itself more significant that local regulations...)
