ANSI , acronym of American National Standards Institute is a deprived organization with not-lucrative goal which supervises the development of standards for the products, the services, the processes, the systems and the employees of the United States. These standards are proposed starting from a voluntary and consensual step. The organization also coordinates the definition of the American standards with the international standards so that the American products can be used abroad. For example, standardization guarantees that the owners of camera will find films adapted everywhere in the world.

The ANSI is the representative of the the United States to the ISO (International organization of standardization), just like AFNOR represents the France.

The ANSI validates standards developed by the representatives of the organizations standardizing such as government organizations, consumers' associations, companies and others. These standards guarantee that the characteristics and the performances of the products are coherent, that each one uses the same terms and definitions and that the products are tested everywhere in the same way. The ANSI also accredits the organizations which deliver certifications on the international standards for product or people.

Participants

The members of the ANSI are government agencies, corporations, organizations academic or international or individuals. On the whole, the Institute represents the interests of more than 125.000 companies and 3,5 million professionals.

The step

Although the ANSI itself does not develop a standard, the Institute facilitates North-American, known standardization like YEARS (American National Standard), by validating the procedures of the organizations which develop new standards. Accreditation ANSI means that the procedures used by the standardizing organizations conform to the requirements of the institute as regards opening, equity, consensus and process.

Standards adopted by voluntary consensus are accepted more quickly by the market and indicates clearly how to improve safety of these products for the consumer protection. There exist approximately 10.500 American standards which carry certification ANSI.

The stages of standardization of American National Standards are:

  • to collect the consensus of a group open to all the representatives of the interested thirds,
  • broad diffusion near the public for validation and comments of the preliminary versions,
  • taken into account and answer to the comments,
  • incorporation, in a revised version, modifications requested when they take part in the consensus,
  • possibility for each participant of appealing if these principles were not respected during the phase of development.

Participation in the international activities of standardization

In addition to facilitating the specification of standards to the the United States, the ANSI makes promotion abroad American standards, defend the line of action and the technical choices in the international committees and American continent and encourages the adoption of the international standards when they are suitable.

The Institute is the official representative of the United States for two major organizations by the means of National committee U.S (U.S. National Committee or USNC). These two organizations are: the International organization of standardization (ISO) and the international electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The ANSI takes part in the majority of the technical programs at the same time of the ISO and the IEC and directs many committees and work groups. In many cases, the American standards are brought to the ISO and the IEC, through the ANSI or of the USNC, where they are adopted in whole or part like international standards.

Example of standardizations carried out under the direction of the ANSI

The Institute manages 4 groups of standardization:

  • the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel deals with data-processing technologies relating to health and medicine.
  • ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel has the role of identifying, of creating and of accelerating the adoption of the standards concerning the national security.
  • ANSI Nanotechnology Standards Panel coordinates the activities of standardization in the field of the nanotechnologies
  • the Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards Panel , promulgates the standards and recommendations which will help the private sector, the government and the consumers to minimize the flight and the frauds related to the usurpation of identity.

Each one of these committees works to identify, coordinate and harmonize the standards related to their fields.

American National Standards contributed to:

  • ASA (American Standards Association) whose system of exposure for photography became the bases of the ISO standard for the Sensibilité ISO, used universally for the films

  • the ASCII Art which is coloured or animated by the check codes of terminal ANSI (X3.64 code)

References

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