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5
International Organizations and Standards
International organizations in engineering and science should help pro-
vide flexible structures for information exchange, the planning and operation
of cooperative research programs, and the harmonization of standards and
regulations. In pursuit of these objectives, multinational arrangements may
be both necessary and efficient from the point of view of the United States
and other countries.
Several intergovernmental organizations, such as the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Civil Aviation Orga-
nization (ICAO), are well established and productive in particular fields of
engineering and technology. Generally, the intergovernmental organizations
are established to provide a meeting ground for experts from governmental
departments or ministries charged with a given mission, for example, pro-
moting air traffic safety or peaceful uses of atorn~c energy. In addition to
these specialized international agencies, several multipurpose intergovern-
mental organizations have sectors concerned with engineering and technol-
ogy. These organizations include the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cul-
tural Organization (UNESCO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO).22 OECD, for example, has a Directorate for Science, Technology,
and Industry, which has been concerned with common policies for informa-
tion on technologies, computers, and communications. NATO's Scientific
Affairs Division conducts programs of research fellowships, advanced study
institutes and research workshops, and collaborative research grants.
International nongovernmental engineering organizations are a more
diverse and extensive mechanism for interaction among engineers than is
generally realized. Through periodic congresses and conferences, technical
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committee meetings, and international journals, multinational engineering
groups have provided worldwide communication links on engineering prob-
lems and advances for many years. The organizations, structured around
a region, a discipline, or a specific engineering objective provide numerous
opportunities for information exchange among engineers and for the devel-
opment of Tong-term personal associations.
In many cases, international technical associations are not open to di-
rect membership by individuals, but rather are "unions" or "federations"
operating through a nongovernmental national member organization that
represents the professional community in each country with interests in the
objectives of the international group. In turn, some of the adhering national
organizations, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers or the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, may have individual members
from several countries. And some professional societies, like the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers or the Society of Petroleum Engineers,
though predominantly American, draw membership heavily from outside
the United States and maintain a worldwide framework for their activities.
There are few, if any, international engineering and technology organizations
in which U.S. engineering interests are not represented.
The view is sometimes expressed that the engineering community suffers
disadvantages because of the lack of an overarching international nongovern-
mental organizational structure comparable to that of the International
Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) in the scientific community. This view
is encountered during discussions of initiatives for global research programs,
such as the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program being developed by
ICSU; the International Space Year currently under ICSU consideration; and
the proposed International Decade of Hazard Reduction. Indeed, in seeking
an organization to act as an initiator or as a partner in the planning and
coordination of needed engineering developments, weaknesses are apparent
in the international institutional infrastructure of engineering. There are,
however, two broadly based nongovernmental international unions of engi-
neering groups, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFE(~)
and the Union of International Technical Associations (UITA). Appendix B
summarizes the structure of these two organizations, as well as the structure
of ICSU and the Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological
Sciences.
The factor often most cited for the apparent lag in international institu-
tional development in engineering is the nature of the technical cooperation,
which often raises proprietary and national security concerns. Although bar-
riers inherent in engineering hinder development of the kind of strong tra-
dition of international, multilateral cooperation that exists in the scientific
community, in the committee's view these barriers are not insurmountable,
as evidenced by the useful work of the many international engineering orga-
nizations that exist today. Moreover, global issues such as those addressed
in the programs of ICSU increasingly demand coordinated participation by
the engineering community, as these issues often arise at the interface of
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science and technology. The Geosphere-Biosphere program, for example, is
built in large part on assumptions about future industrial practice in energy,
transport, and manufacturing, and its implementation will surely involve im-
portant elements of instrumentation, computers, telecommunications, data
base management, and other technological specialties.
The committee does not propose establishment of any new interna-
tional, nongovernmental, technical organization. Such an organization may
develop as a result of the engineering needs of major international research
projects now being considered. It is the latter needs that must be considered
paramount in institutional design or modification.
The committee recommends that the National Science Foundation, the
Department of State, and other concerned agencies sponsor a workshop to
review U.S. participation in international engineering organizations to im-
prove understanding of what such organizations do now and could do better,
and to provide guidance as to which of such organizations merit continuing
U.S. government support. A useful basis for such a meeting would be a
comprehensive examination of the present range of international engineering
activities in the United States in both the governmental and the nongovern-
menta] sectors. Among topics that might be considered at the workshop are
U.S. participation in WFEO and UlTA; the desirability of a closer union
of WFEO and UlTA activities; roles for the Council of Academies of En-
gineering and Technological Sciences; ICSU needs and plans with regard
to engineering, with emphasis on major projects now in planning; and re-
sources for U.S. participation in international nongovernmental engineering
organizations.
In conclusion, the committee believes that a continuing, coherent view
of institutional needs and performance would serve the Tonger-term interests
of the engineering community. The National Science Foundation should
support periodic assessment of the adequacy of the international infrastructure
for cooperation in engineering, as well as the domestic structure needed to
support U.S. participation in international engineering organizations.
Standards
The word Standards includes both governmental standards, such as
regulations on safety and pollutant emissions of processes, and commercial
standards that cover a variety of agreements among market participants on
how products are to be made and used. Commercial standards are a basic lu-
bricant of economic activity. Without standards, the difficulties and costs of
doing business increase significantly, and inconveniences to consumers grow.
Though the issue of international standards recently has come increasingly
to the fore through the telecommunications industry, standardization and
associated problems are not unique to physical networks such as phone sys-
tems. Standardization of sizes of nuts and bolts, speeds for audio recording
and playback, and acceptable machinery noise levels all represent agree-
ment among producers and between producers and consumers that there
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are profound advantages to uniformity or consistency on certain parame-
ters of production and use. Standards are essential to the development of
engineering practice and the widespread adoption of technologies. Indeed,
standards may be viewed as one of the most practical and necessary forms
of cooperation in engineering and technology.
As commerce becomes more global, both industrial concerns and govern-
ment agencies are confronted with the necessity of developing and conform-
ing to international global technical standards. Agreement among domestic
producers and consumers is no longer a sufficient condition for a globally ef-
fective standard. Indeed, give and take in international technical standards
is increasingly recognized as a competitive arena for both companies and
nations as international standards include agreement on
units of measurement;
terminology and symbolic representation;
products and processes (definition and selection of characteristics of
products, testing and measuring methods, specification of products
for defining their quality and performance, regulation of variety,
interchangeability, etch;
safety of persons and goods;
environmental impacts; and
. validation of engineering data.
Appendix C presents information about the current system of international
standards Id U.S. participation in it.
From the perspective of U.S. industry and government, there are two
important aspects to international standards. First, the standard-setting
process is a window on foreign commercial technology. In most cases, stan-
dards for a product, measurement technique, or process follow development
of the corresponding technology. Nonetheless, participation in the interna-
tional standard-setting process provides U.S. industry with information on
the intentions and strengths of non-U.S. companies. The standard-setting
process can be a method of gaining information about foreign technical
developments and about what product characteristics are likely to domi-
nate in global markets. Though some U.S. firms have been active in this
manner automotive, agricultural, and computer companies, for example—
increased participation would be in the best interest of the United States.
There are strong reasons for U.S. firms to engage in international standards
activities as part of a global strategy for development and marketing of any
technologically advanced (or advancing) product or service.
The second, and perhaps more important, way in which standards af-
fect U.S. commercial interests is through issues of market access. For many
countries international standards are the basis for national technical regu-
lations and thereby determine product acceptance in specific markets. The
ability of U.S. industry to sell in the global marketplace depends at least
in part on the compatibility of U.S. products with physical networks and
service systems in other countries. Examples of technical standards that
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are barriers to market access include the different standards for television
receivers in the United States and Europe; container equipment standards
for marine transport; and standards for telecommunications and equipment
services. The lack of widespread adoption of the metric system in the United
States has further complicated the U.S. position.
Effective participation by U.S. industry and government in the devel-
opment of international standards could lead to Tower product costs, help
stabilize current technology applications, permit new technologies to be
introduced, and encourage dissemination of information related to new tech-
nologies. Although such participation will not necessarily yield significant
competitive advantage, lack of participation can result in competitive disad-
vantages. The present system of U.S. participation in international standards
setting, though effective in some technical areas, may not be adequate at the
new levels of international commerce. The expense of foreign travel required
for participation is accepted only reluctantly by many industrial managers
who have inadequate appreciation of the benefit of participation.
Although both U.S.industry and U.S. government are closely involved
with international standards setting, at present there is no integrated or fo-
cused plan for U.S. participation in international standardization activities.
There is an opportunity for the United States to increase the coherence and
level of activity in this important arena that has a direct influence on the
competitiveness of U.S. industry in world markets. Because of the impor-
tance of U.S. participation in the development of international standards,
the committee recommends that the Office of the Special Trade Represen-
tative, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Commerce
sponsor in-depth studies of the needs for, and benefits from, more assertive
and better coordinated U.S. participation in international standards d;evelop-
ment. These studies should be conducted by a technically expert group broadly
representative of industrial management, professional societies, universities,
and concerned governmental agencies.
Issues to be addressed in the study include
.
Definition of U.S. Policy Toward International! Standards. Are there
needs for broad policy statements to guide U.S. adherence to, formulation
of, and participation in international standards? If so, how should a policy
be developed?
Authority to Represent the United States in International Standards
Activities. What typists) of organization (existing or new, private or gov-
ernmental) should represent the United States in international standards
organizations, and what should be the extent of their authority?
~ Funding of Participation. The adequacy and allocation of funding
need to be assessed. Funding for U.S. participation in international standards
development is used for several purposes:
to support travel by U.S. specialists to meetings of international
standards bodies;
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to provide funds for the operation of international standards secre-
tariats held by the United States; and
to provide dues for U.S. membership in international standards orga-
nizations.
~ Assessment of Impact of Standards on Competitiveness of U.S. Prod-
ucts. The influence of current and prospective international standards on
the competitiveness of American products in world markets is an important
aspect of the proposed study. The need for a mechanism to provide timely
assessment of this impact of standards should be considered.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
engineering organizations
