Quality of semantic standards

Little scientific literature addresses the issue of quality of semantic standards, albeit a problem with high economic and social impact. Our problem survey, including 34 semantic Standard Setting Organizations (SSOs), gives evidence that quality of standards can be improved, but for improvement a quality measurement instrument is needed. 81% of the survey respondents is interested in using such instrument. It can be expected that improved quality of semantic standards will lead to improved interoperability and improved economic welfare and social life.\ud Our main research question is: What are the characteristics of an instrument to measure quality of semantic standards that will aid standard developers in improving their standards?\ud \ud Based on design science methodology this research developed such an instrument, called iQMSS (instrument for Quality Model of Semantic Standards). The iQMSS involves three types of artifacts: artifacts related to the Quality Model of Semantic Standards (QMSS), the Semantic Standard Model (SSM), and the instrumentalization. On the highest abstraction level SMO (Software Measurement Ontology) from the software engineering domain was selected and used for the creation of both QMSS and SSM with consistent concepts and definitions. The extensive research process included coverage of both scientific studies and practical experiences, and led to the highly customizable final version of the iQMSS, in line with the gathered requirements. \ud \ud The main artifact QMSS consists of in total 100 quality aspects structured within three hierarchical trees; product quality (intrinsic), process quality (the organization of the standard), and quality in practice (application of the standard).\ud The SSM is applied upfront to gather knowledge about the standard, create overview and understanding about what we are able to measure in practice for a specific standard. The main concepts within the model are the standards’ context, its content, its development and maintenance processes, and its application. On the lowest level it contains 33 aspects of a semantic standard. \ud The glue between the artifacts is the usage model, which describes how the iQMSS should be applied including four roles. !e end result after each application is the analysis report which provides the basis for a standards’ improvement project. \ud \ud But does the iQMSS aid standard developers in improving their standards? Our validation cases, in the temporary staffing and education domains, suggest that the iQMSS identifies improvement suggestions. Based on the validation workshops we held in both the United States and the Netherlands, we believe that the iQMSS will be used in practice as aid for standards developers

Quality measurement of semantic standards

Quality of semantic standards is unadressed in current research while there is an explicit need from standard developers. The business importance is evident since quality of standards will have impact on its diffusion and achieved interoperability in practice. An instrument to measure the quality of semantic standards is designed to contribute to the knowledge domain, standards developers and might ultimo lead to improved interoperability. This instrument is iteratively designed with multiple case studies. This paper describes the rationale and research design, just as current status and future plans

Sturen op Open Standaarden : een handreiking voor overheidsorganisaties

Het gebruik van open standaarden draagt bij aan het vermogen van overheden, bedrijven en burgers om elektronisch gegevens uit te wisselen en samen te werken. Bovendien zorgt het voor een verminderde afhankelijkheid van leveranciers. Daarom heeft de overheid, o.a. via het Forum Standaardisatie en het programma Nederland Open in Verbinding, het gebruik van open standaarden tot norm verheven. De adoptie van open standaarden blijkt niet zo eenvoudig. Dit komt onder andere omdat er binnen organisaties nog veel bestaande systemen en lopende ontwikkelingen zijn die gebruik maken van gesloten standaarden. Naast stimulering van buitenaf is het daarom van belang dat organisaties zelf aan de slag gaan met de adoptie van open standaarden en de implementatie en het gebruik daarvan in hun specifieke systemen en processen. Organisaties moeten ook zelf kunnen sturen op open standaarden. Daartoe is deze handreiking ontwikkeld

Beheer- en OntwikkelModel voor Open Standaarden (BOMOS) versie 2 - Deel 1: De basis. Deel 2: De verdieping

BOMOS is gedreven op een eenvoudige gedachte: beschikbaar maken wat al bestaat maar niet algemeen bekend is. Enerzijds gaat dat om instrumenten (bv. literatuur of tools), anderzijds om de hedendaagse praktijk in standaardisatie. Met name op dat laatste zijn we zeer trots, en was niet mogelijk geweest zonder de enthousiasme bijdrages van de BOMOS werkgroep. Deze personen, zie de colofon voor alle namen, hebben er voor gezorgd dat de ervaringen van veel semantische standaardisatie-initiatieven in Nederland verwerkt zijn in BOMOS. Daarmee is het niet een theoretische verhandeling over standaardisatie geworden, maar laat het juist ook de praktische kant zien. Met daarbij een kijkje in de keuken bij vele semantische standaarden

BOMOD : management and development model for open data

2014 was a pivotal year in the evolution of open data. For the first time, most governments participated in open data initiatives, making Open Data a world-wide known and accepted concept. In practice, however, both public and private organizations are struggling to recognize and realize the potential value of open data. How will open data impact my current business model? Is my data reliable enough to build services that make a difference? How do I deal with private and sensitive information? To help answer these questions, TNO has developed the “Beheer en Ontwikkel Model Open Data” (BOMOD). This framework can help you overcome the barriers that you might encounter when publishing data by providing a clear overview of the activities you should take into account when developing and managing open data. These activities are presented in a maturity model which allows you to easily identify the most essential activities for your specific situation. For each activity, BOMOD provides hands-on guidelines and practical tools to successfully manage and govern your process of publishing data

Applying legal principles to stimulate open standards: The role of forums and consortia

In this paper it is argued that openness in standards raises its quality level. This study is done not only from a technical business administration point of view but also from a legal perspective. It is shown that applying legal principles, in particular the principles of Good Governance can stimulate openness in standards. With these it appears that the distinction between official SDOs and other forums and consortia is irrelevant in achieving openness. The setting of this study is illustrated by two practical standardization cases in which openness plays an important role. The results are applied to the important standardization challenge in the upcoming world of Smart Grids

Strategies for using international domain standards within a national context: The case of the Dutch temporary staffing industry

This paper will discuss strategies for using international domain standards within a national context. The various strategies are illustrated by means of a case study of the temporary staffing industry. © 2009 ITU