18 Appointment and Operation of
Registration Authorities
18.1 Overview
There is a need in the field of information technology for the
unambiguous identification of objects to provide interoperability
between information systems. Individual standards committees have
defined, as part of their development of technical standards, classes
of objects (e.g. fonts, coded character sets, protocols, etc.).
Specific objects are the individual members of the class of objects
(e.g. for the class of objects "fonts", the objects might be "Times",
"Gothic", etc.), Registration is the process whereby unambiguous names
are formally associated with objects. This may be done by an
organisation, a standard or an automated facility.
18.2 Types of
Structures for Registration
There are two types of structures for registration:
- A single international level registration, e.g. the JTC 1
Registration Authority used in conjunction with ISO 2375 for coded
character sets
- A hierarchy of registration, e.g. as for International Code
Designators (ICD) in ISO 6523, Data Interchange - Structures for the
Identification of Organisations
In the case of registration through a single international level
registration, all names for a given object class are chosen from a
single, flat, naming domain. In the case of registration through
a hierarchy, the highest level of registration partitions the naming
domain and assigns the registration responsibility for each partition
to a subordinate level. This process can be iterative, with the
subordinate level partitioning its assigned naming domain further and
assigning those partitions.
In both cases above, the highest level of registration can be an IS or
a JTC 1 Registration Authority.
In the case of a hierarchy of registration,
- A subordinate level of registration can be performed by an
organisation, standard or automated facility;
- There can be a requirement for a JTC 1 Registration Authority
within the hierarchy to provide for the registration of objects at the
international level.
18.3
Need for Registration and Registration
Authorities
18.3.1
Technical groups
developing technical standards shall make
every attempt to avoid the necessity for registration and JTC 1
Registration Authorities in particular. Where this is not
possible, technical groups shall attempt to satisfy their requirements
through the use of existing registration processes (e.g. use of ISO
3166 by ISO/IEC 10021 and ISO/IEC 8348 Add 2).
18.3.2
All requirements
for registration must be reviewed and
concurred by JTC 1 (see 18.4.2). Procedure
standards for JTC 1
Registration Authorities must also be reviewed and concurred by JTC 1
(see18.4.2). Where registration is
performed by a means other
than a JTC 1 Registration Authority, JTC 1 must still assure the
international integrity of the registration. This involves a
review by JTC 1 of the documentation of the process by which other
organisations, standards or automated facilities provide the
registration and action by JTC 1 on an exception basis as
required. This documentation may take the form of procedures to
be included in the technical standard, reference to existing standards,
or the creation of separate procedure standards.
18.4
Standards and Publications
18.4.1
For every type of
registration involving a JTC 1
Registration Authority, two different standards are required. The
first is the technical standard in which the objects to be registered
are defined. The second shall define the procedure according to
which the JTC 1 Registration Authority shall work and specify its
duties and obligations. The procedure standard shall also specify
an appeals procedure which shall be written by JTC 1 in consultation
with the proposed JTC 1 Registration Authority and the ITTF.
18.4.2
Where a new JTC 1
Registration Authority is required, the
technical group responsible for the technical standard defining the
objects to be registered shall develop the companion procedure
standard. The group shall consult with JTC 1 at the beginning of
the development of the procedure standard to discuss how the
requirements in Annex E (see also 18.3) pertain to
the class of objects
to be registered. A draft of the procedure standard shall be
registered for CD ballot at the time of DIS ballot of the technical
standard.
18.5
JTC 1 Registration Authorities
In cases where the implementation of an IS requires the designation of
a JTC 1 registration authority, the rules in Annex
E shall be applied.