17 International Standardised
Profiles and Related Documents
17.1 International
Standardised Profiles (ISP)
An ISP (see Form G24) is an internationally agreed-to, harmonised
document which identifies a standard or group of standards, together
with options and parameters, necessary to accomplish a function or set
of functions (see ISO/IEC TR 10000-1).
An ISP includes the specification of one or more Profiles. Each
Profile is a set of one or more base standards, and, where applicable,
the identification of chosen classes, subsets, options and parameters
of those base standards, necessary for accomplishing a particular
function.
Profiles define combinations of base standards for the purpose of:
- Identifying the base standards, together with appropriate
classes, subsets, options and parameters, which are necessary to
accomplish identified functions for purposes such as interoperability;
- Providing a system of referencing the various uses of base
standards which is meaningful to both users and suppliers;
- Providing a means to enhance the availability for procurement of
consistent implementations of functionally defined groups of base
standards, which are expected to be the major components of real
application systems;
- Promoting uniformity in the development of conformance tests for
systems that implement the functions associated with the Profiles.
17.2
Taxonomy of Profiles
17.2.1
The Taxonomy is
the structure and classification within
which Profiles will fit. It gives a first-level specification of
Profiles, including any determined technical constraints due to their
position in the structure, it classifies them and it specifies a number
of relationships between them.
17.2.2
The process of
drafting and approving ISPs requires a
technical framework within which to operate. ISPs will, in
general, be written, evaluated and used by experts in specific areas of
standardisation. There is therefore a prima facie case for
identifying classes of Profiles which correspond to these main areas of
expertise. It is also the case that the subcommittee structure of
ISO/IEC JTC 1 provides some clear pointers to where the boundaries
between classes of Profiles should be made. These conceptual
boundaries often coincide with real boundaries within implementations
of real systems.
17.2.3
Having defined
such classes, there is then a need to make
further subdivisions, related to the inherent real-world divisions of
functionality which are supported by the base standards
concerned. These sub-classes correspond to functional elements
which are meaningful to both users and suppliers; they correspond to
points where choices are made, such as whether or not to use/offer a
particular subset of an application service, or which communications
sub-network environment is to be accessed.
17.2.4
The Taxonomy
therefore provides a structure within which
these choices can be made and recorded, and the embodiment of the
Taxonomy is the structured identifier system. ISO/IEC TR 10000
provides the detail of this system.
17.3
ISP Preparation and Adoption
17.3.1
The procedure for
developing and publishing an ISP shall
be as described in 12.
Processing is the same as for a standard
except for the terminology. At Stage 3, the document is called a
proposed draft international standardised profile ( PDISP) or final
proposed draft international profile (FPDISP). At Stage 4, the
document is called a final draft international standardised profile
(FDISP).
17.3.2
Organisations
outside of JTC 1 that would like to submit a
draft document for adoption as an ISP are invited to apply for
recognition as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) Submitter (see
14 and Annex M).
17.4
Explanatory Reports
An explanatory report shall be prepared by the originator of a PDISP
and shall be submitted with the PDISP. In addition to general
information about the PDISP, it contains sections covering the base
standards referenced, registration requirements, relationship to other
publications, profile purpose, PDISP development process, ISP content
and format and other pertinent information.