Information Standards and Their Use: Implications for Design Patterns
Abstract
Long before systems engineers began to design computer networks and to integrate databases, there were standards. In fact, the history of standards in fields such as medicine and commerce is measured in centuries. (Bowker and Star, 1999) Later, during the industrial revolution, standards were applied to manufactured goods and we are reminded of the success of such standards when we have a part replaced on our car or when we plug an electrical device into a wall socket. More recently, the worlds of computer systems engineering and standards have become intertwined. When standards and systems engineering meet, systems engineers are faced with two challenges. First and most obviously, computers, networks, computer programs, and the systems built from them are all manufactured goods. And as such, they are subject to standardization in the same way as other manufactured goods. The challenge for computer and software engineers comes when they are asked to participate in standards efforts. Typically, the act of interacting with other engineers from other organizations and collaborating with them in order to produce standards requires a different set of skills than are needed for effective computer programming and systems engineering. This raises a question that is not typically addressed in their education and training: How are effective standards created?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 16, 2010
- Accession Number
- AD1108593
Entities
People
- Dave Mann
- Joann Brooks
Organizations
- MITRE Corporation