International Organization for Standardization facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International Organization for Standardization

Organisation internationale de normalisation
Abbreviation	ISO
Formation	23 February 1947; 78 years ago (1947-02-23)
Type	Non-governmental organization
Purpose	International standards development
Headquarters	Geneva, Switzerland
Membership	170 members (39 correspondents and 4 subscribers)
Official languages	English French Russian
President	Sung Hwan Cho

The International Organization for Standardization (often called ISO) is a group that creates rules and guidelines for almost everything. Think of them as a team that makes sure products and services around the world work the same way. This helps make things safer, easier to use, and more reliable for everyone.

ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization. This means it's not run by any single government. Instead, it's made up of experts from national standards organizations in many different countries. As of 2024, ISO has published over 25,000 international standards. These cover many areas, from technology and manufacturing to food safety, transport, and healthcare. ISO is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its main languages are English, French, and Russian.

What does ISO stand for?

The full name of ISO in French is Organisation internationale de normalisation. In Russian, it's Международная организация по стандартизации.

You might think "ISO" is a short form for "International Standardization Organization." But it's not actually an acronym! The name "ISO" comes from the Greek word isos, which means "equal." The founders chose this name so that the short form would always be "ISO," no matter the country or language. This helps everyone recognize the organization easily.

Both the name "ISO" and its logo are official trademarks. This means they are protected and can only be used with permission.

A brief history of ISO

Plaque marking the building in Prague where the ISO predecessor, the ISA, was founded

The journey of ISO began in 1926. It was first known as the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA). This group mainly focused on rules for mechanical engineering.

The ISA stopped its work during World War II in 1942. But after the war, a new group called the United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) suggested creating a new global standards body. In October 1946, delegates from 25 countries met in London. They agreed to work together and create the International Organization for Standardization. ISO officially started its operations on 23 February 1947.

In the beginning, ISO's standards were called ISO Recommendations. For example, the very first standard, ISO 1, was known as "ISO/R 1" when it came out in 1951.

How ISO is set up

ISO is a volunteer organization. Its members are experts from different countries who are recognized for their knowledge of standards. Each country has one member. These members meet every year at a General Assembly. Here, they talk about ISO's main goals and plans. A central office in Geneva helps coordinate all the work.

A special group called the Council guides the organization. It has 20 members who change over time. This group helps set the yearly budget for the central office.

More than 250 technical committees (TCs) are responsible for creating the actual ISO standards. These committees are managed by a technical management board.

Working with other groups

ISO works with another important group called the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Together, they have a special committee called JTC 1. This committee focuses on creating standards for information technology (IT). It was started in 1987. Its goal is to create worldwide standards for things like computers, phones, and the internet.

Who can be a member?

A map of ISO members as of November 2020. *      ISO member countries with a national standards body and ISO voting rights *      Correspondent members (countries without a national standards body) *      Subscriber members (countries with small economies)

As of 2022, ISO has 167 national members. Each country has only one member representing it.

There are three types of ISO members:

• Member bodies are the main standards organizations in each country. These are the only members who can vote on new standards.
• Correspondent members are countries that don't have their own standards organization yet. They get updates on ISO's work but don't vote.
• Subscriber members are countries with smaller economies. They pay lower fees and can follow how standards are being developed.

How ISO is funded

ISO gets its money from a few different places:

• Organizations that manage specific projects or lend their experts to help with the technical work.
• Payments from member countries. These payments depend on how big each country's economy is.
• Selling copies of the standards they publish.

What are ISO standards?

International Standards are the main things ISO produces. These are like instruction manuals that explain how to do things in a consistent way. For example, they might set rules for how big shipping containers should be, or how safe a toy needs to be.

ISO also publishes other documents, like technical reports. These reports share useful information and explanations that might not be full standards yet.

For example, a technical report might be about "Technical product documentation – Metadata for construction documentation." This helps people understand how to organize information for building projects.

Copyright and cost

ISO documents have strict copyright rules. This means you usually have to pay to get a copy of an ISO standard. In 2020, a typical standard cost around $120 or more. Electronic copies usually have a single-user license, so they can't be easily shared. However, some standards are made available for free.

How a standard is made

Creating an international standard is a careful process. It usually involves six main steps:

• Step 1: Proposal stage - Someone suggests a new idea for a standard.
• Step 2: Preparatory stage - Experts start working on a first draft.
• Step 3: Committee stage - The draft is discussed and changed by a committee of experts.
• Step 4: Enquiry stage - The draft is shared with member countries for their comments and votes.
• Step 5: Approval stage - If enough countries agree, the draft is approved.
• Step 6: Publication stage - The standard is officially published!

Often, small groups of experts called "working groups" are formed to prepare the drafts. These groups make sure the standard is well-researched and practical.

Sometimes, a standard can be created faster. This happens if there's already a good document from another organization that can be used as a starting point.

International Workshop Agreements

Sometimes, important companies and experts work together in open workshops outside of ISO. They create documents called International Workshop Agreements (IWAs). These agreements can sometimes lead to the development of a full ISO standard later on.

Products named after ISO

Because ISO standards are used everywhere, sometimes products are simply called "ISO" if they follow a certain standard. Here are some examples:

• ISO images are computer files that end with ".ISO". This means they use the ISO 9660 standard for organizing files, often for CDs or DVDs.
• Film speed in photography is described by an ISO number (like ISO 400). This number tells you how sensitive the film is to light.
• The part on a camera where you attach a flash is often called an ISO shoe. This is because its design was first defined in ISO 518.
• ISOBUS is a communication system for farm machines. It's based on the ISO 11783 standard.
• ISOFIX is a system for attaching child safety seats in cars. It uses the ISO 13216 standard.
• ISO containers are the large metal boxes used to ship goods around the world. Their standard sizes are set by ISO 668.

ISO awards

ISO gives out awards to celebrate people and groups who do great work in creating international standards:

• The Lawrence D. Eicher Award: This award is for excellent work in developing standards. It's open to all ISO and ISO/IEC technical committees.
• The ISO Next Generation Award: This award is for young professionals from ISO member countries. It recognizes those who promote standards that help with sustainability and teamwork.
• The ISO Excellence Award: This award celebrates the hard work of ISO's technical experts. Anyone who is an expert, project leader, or convenor in a committee working group can be nominated.

See also

ISO committees and what they do

ISO has many technical committees (TCs) that focus on different areas. Here are a few examples:

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  A robot for kids.