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Canadian Parliament Debate on Standards Incorporated by Reference

September 18, 2024
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“The Jack Pine” | Tom Thomson (1916) | National Gallery of Canada

 

Originally posted January 2014

In these clips — selected from Canadian Parliamentary debate in 2013 — we observe three points of view about Incorporation by reference (IBR); a legislative drafting technique that is the act of including a second document within a main document by referencing the second document.

This technique makes an entire second (or referenced) document a part of the main document.  The consensus documents in which we advocate #TotalCostofOwnership concepts are incorporated by reference into legislation dealing with safety and sustainability at all levels of government.  This practice — which many consider a public-private partnership — is a more effective way of driving best practices for technology, and the management of technology, into regulated industries.

Parent legislation — such as the Higher Education Act of 1965, the Clean Air Act and the Energy Policy Act – almost always require intermediary bureaucracies to administer the specifics required to accomplish the broad goals of the legislation.  With the gathering pace of governments everywhere expanding their influence over larger parts of the technologies at the foundation of national economies; business and technology standards are needed to secure that influence.  These standards require competency in the application of political, technical and financial concepts; competencies that can only be afforded by incumbent interests who build the cost of their advocacy into the price of the product or service they sell to our industry.  Arguably, the expansion of government is a reflection of the success of incumbents in business and technical standards; particularly in the compliance and conformity industries.

About two years ago, the US debate on incorporation by reference has been taken to a new level with the recent statement released by the American Bar Association (ABA):

16-164-Incorporation-by-Reference-ABA-Resolution-and-Report

The American National Standards Institute responded to the ABA with a statement of its own.

16-164-ANSI-Response-to-ABA-IBR-06-16 (1)

The incorporation by reference policy dilemma has profound implications for how we safely and economically design, operate and maintain our “cities-within-cities” in a sustainable manner but, admittedly, the results are only visible in hindsight over a time horizon that often exceed the tenure of a typical college or university president.

A recent development — supporting the claims of ANSI and its accredited standards developers — is noteworthy:

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) manages a website — Standards.GOV — that is a single access point for consensus standards incorporated by reference into the Code of Federal Regulations: Standards Incorporated by Reference Database.   Note that this database does not include specific reference to safety and sustainability codes which are developed by standards setting organizations (such as NFPA, ICC, IEEE, ASHRAE and others) and usually incorporated by reference into individual state public safety and technology legislation.


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Global Positioning System: A Generation of Service to the World

September 18, 2024
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Citizens of the Earth depend upon United States leadership in this technology for several reasons:

Development: The GPS was originally developed by the US Department of Defense for military purposes, but it was later made available for civilian use. The US has invested heavily in the development and maintenance of the system, which has contributed to its leadership in this area.

Coverage: The GPS provides global coverage, with 24 satellites orbiting the earth and transmitting signals that can be received by GPS receivers anywhere in the world. This level of coverage is unmatched by any other global navigation system.

Accuracy: The US has worked to continually improve the accuracy of the GPS, with current accuracy levels estimated at around 10 meters for civilian users and even higher accuracy for military users.

Innovation: The US has continued to innovate and expand the capabilities of the GPS over time, with newer versions of the system including features such as higher accuracy, improved anti-jamming capabilities, and the ability to operate in more challenging environments such as indoors or in urban canyons.

Collaboration: The US has collaborated with other countries to expand the reach and capabilities of the GPS, such as through the development of compatible navigation systems like the European Union’s Galileo system and Japan’s QZSS system.

United States leadership in the GPS has been driven by a combination of investment, innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to improving the accuracy and capabilities of the system over time.

Timing Applications: GPS.GOV

Suggested Functional Specifications for a GPS-Synchronized Clock System using Network Time Protocol and Power over Ethernet

Construction Specifications for Exterior Clocks

Seamless positioning system using GPS and beacons for community service robot

Global Positioning System: Monitoring the Fuel Consumption in Transport Distribution

Smart Cities: Wicked Problems

September 18, 2024
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“Oxford from the River with Christ Church in the Foreground” | William Turner (1820)

 

Smart cities: moving beyond urban cybernetics to tackle wicked problems

Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2015 | “The Smart City”

 

Abstract. This article makes three related arguments. First, that although many definitions of the smart city have been proposed, corporate promoters say a smart city uses information technology to pursue efficient systems through real-time monitoring and control. Second, this definition is not new and equivalent to the idea of urban cybernetics debated in the 1970s. Third, drawing on a discussion of Rio de Janeiro’s Operations Center, I argue that viewing urban problems as wicked problems allows for more fundamental solutions than urban cybernetics, but requires local innovation and stakeholder participation. Therefore the last section describes institutions for municipal innovation and IT-enabled collaborative planning.

Testing, Inspection & Certification

September 17, 2024
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“The Alchemists Laboratory” 1625 | Heinrich Khunrath

The size of the U.S. Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry is approximately $48.19 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to about $60.06 billion by 2032.  The industry is driven by factors such as increasing government regulatory action, consumer awareness about safety, and the rising need for quality assurance in various sectors like automotive, healthcare, consumer goods, municipal and campus building construction.  TIC standards are found in design guidelines, construction contracts, building commissioning and acceptance.

Today we focus on the public commenting facilities of the dominant standards developers relevant to our work:

ASTM International

Intertek

International Electrical Testing Association (Portage, Michigan)

NSF International (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Underwriters Laboratories

Each of the foregoing organizations have global affiliates such as SGS, Bureau Veritas, and TÜV SÜD which we cover in a separate session at some point in the future.  We deal with electrotechnical TIC standards in any of our electrotechnology-oriented sessions every Tuesday.

Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

 

Electrical Commissioning Specifications

September 17, 2024
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University of California San Diego Microgrid Installation



The InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA) is an association of leading electrical testing companies comprised of visionaries who are committed to advancing the industry’s standards for power system installation and maintenance to ensure the highest level of reliability and safety.  It has launched a new revision cycle to update  the existing Edition of ANSI/NETA ECS Standard for Electrical Commissioning Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment and Systems.  From the standard prospectus:

Scope: It is the purpose of these specifications to assure that tested electrical equipment and systems are operational, are within applicable standards and manufacturer’s tolerances, and are installed in accordance with design specifications.

Project Need: The purpose of these specifications is to assure that tested electrical systems are safe, reliable, and operational; are in conformance with applicable standards and manufacturers’ tolerances; and are installed in accordance with design specifications. These specifications are specifically intended for application on electrical power equipment and systems.

Stakeholders: Commissioning agents, governmental agencies, A&E firms, inspection authorities, owners of facilities that utilize large blocks of electrical energy, electrical testing firms.

This standard is not intended to be submitted for consideration as an ISO, IEC, or ISO/IEC JTC-1 standard.

Revision cycles to other titles in the NETA catalogue:

NETA standards are typically referenced in electrical system construction documents for setting safety criteria before local authorities permit initial system energization and building occupancy.  The NETA suite is also among the constellation of consensus documents that set the standard of care for the safety of building electrical systems across the full span of an electrical system life cycle.

We review the NETA catalog jointly with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which is the locus of the most informed technical and business opinions on customer-owned electrical power generating facilities for the education facilities industry.   That committee meets online twice today:

Teleconferences | May 22, 2018

All standards dealing with the #TotalCostofOwnership of distributed electrical energy resources are on the standing agenda of our weekly Open Door teleconferences which are hosted weekly on Wednesday at 11 AM Eastern time.  Click here to log in.

Issue:[13-44]

Category: Electrical, Facility Asset Management, #SmartCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Gary Walls, Glenn Keates

Collaborative Standards Development System

September 17, 2024
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UL’s Collaborative Standards Development System Login

Underwriters Laboratories catalog is heavy on product titles (because manufacturers can build the cost of conformance into the product and pass it on to the user) and light on system interoperability titles (our primary concern).  Many titles are US adaptations of IEC, ITU and ISO titles.  We follow a few when they are heavily referenced into the same interoperability titles such as the National Electrical Code and the International Building Code.   We refer most  — but not all — electrotechnology titles to IEEE E&H).  IEEE E&H meets 4 times monthly and is open to everyone.

Non-electrotechnology titles):

3600 Standard for Measuring and Reporting Circular Economy Aspects of Products, Sites and Organizations (December 6)

Electrotechnology titles: Workspace re-organization should be complete by end of 2022

489 Standard for Molded-Case Circuit Breakers, Molded-Case Switches and Circuit-Breaker (January 16)

1778 Standard for Safety for Uninterruptible Power Systems (January 16)

2201 Standard for Safety for Carbon Monoxide (CO) Emission Rate of Portable Generators (December 19)

 3600 Standard for Measuring and Reporting Circular Economy Aspects of Products, Sites and Organizations (December 6)

62990 Standard for Safety for Workplace Atmospheres (October 9)
– 217 Standard for Safety for Smoke Alarms (August 28)
– 1480 Standard for Safety for Speakers for Fire Alarm and Signaling Systems, Including Accessories (November 27)
– 231-202x, Standard for Safety for Power Outlets (September 25)
268 Standard for Safety for Smoke Detectors for Fire Alarm Systems (November 13)
– 283 Standard for Central-Station Alarm Services (May 10)
– 325 Standard for Safety for Door, Drapery, Gate, Louver, and Window Operators and Systems (October 3)
– 347A Standard for Safety for Medium Voltage Power Conversion Equipment (April 3)
1004-5 Standard for Safety for Fire Pump Motors (September 12)
– 1072 Standard for Safety for Medium-Voltage Power Cables (September 11)
1998 Standard for Safety for Software in Programmable Components (November 6)
– 2251 Standard for Safety for Plugs, Receptacles, and Couplers for Electric Vehicles (October 10)

– UL 2580 Standard for Safety for Batteries for Use in Electric Vehicles (April 24)

– Standard for Photovoltaic (PV) Modules – Type Approval, Design and Safety Qualification – Retesting (national adoption with modifications of IEC 62915).  The revisions appear to be largely harmonization revisions; updating normative references.  (March 20)

– 2800 Standard for Safety for Medical Device Interoperability.  Referred to IEEE E&H (April 3)

– 347A Standard for Safety for Medium Voltage Power Conversion Equipment (April 3)

– 414 Standard for Safety for Meter Sockets (April 3)

– 347 Standard for Safety for Medium-Voltage AC Contactors, Controllers, and Control Centers (August 14)

– 1996 Standard for Safety for Electric Duct Heaters (August 21)

– 6142 Standard for Small Wind Turbine Systems (August 21)

– 8801 Standard for Safety for Photovoltaic (PV) Luminaire Systems (May 10)

– 61800 Standard for Safety for Adjustable Speed Electrical Power Drive Systems (April 24)

– 60950 Standard for Safety for Information Technology Equipment (May 9)

– 1480 Standard for Safety for Speakers for Fire Alarm and Signaling Systems, Including Accessories (July 26)

– 2200 Standard for Stationary Engine Generator Assemblies (June 19)

– 2388 Standard for Safety for Flexible Lighting Products (June 20)

2900 Standard for Safety for Software Cybersecurity for Network-Connectable Products (October 11)

The Business of Standards Never Stops

September 17, 2024
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ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) is a globally recognized organization that develops and publishes technical standards for a wide range of products, systems, and services. These standards are used by manufacturers, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders to ensure that products and services are safe, reliable, and of high quality.

In the field of measurement science, ASTM plays an important role in developing standards and guidelines for measurement techniques and practices. These standards cover a wide range of topics related to measurement science, including the calibration of instruments, the characterization of measurement systems, and the validation of measurement results. They are used by researchers, engineers, and other professionals in academia, industry, and government to ensure that measurements are accurate, precise, and reliable.

ANSI Public Review

 

ASTM standards for measurement science are developed through a process that involves input from experts in the field, including researchers, industry professionals, and regulatory bodies. These standards are updated regularly to reflect advances in measurement science and technology, as well as changes in industry and regulatory requirements.  This is a far better way to discover and promulgate leading practice.  In fact, there are regulations intended to restrain the outsized influence of vertical incumbents in legislative precincts where market-making happens.

Federal Participation in Consensus Standards

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Fellows Coffee Shop

September 16, 2024
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“I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk

that keep the darkness at bay.”

— J.R. R. Tolkein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” completed his studies at the University of Birmingham in 1915. He graduated with first-class honors in English Language and Literature. After graduation, Tolkien went on to serve in World War I before embarking on his distinguished career as a writer and academic.

Roger Scruton “Why Intellectuals are Mostly Left”


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