ISO/IEC JTC 1 Information Technology

ISO/IEC JTC 1 N 5348

DATE: 1998-05-14

REPLACES JTC 1 N 5180

DOC TYPE: Other document (Defined)

TITLE: Revised Version of JTC 1 N 5180, JTC 1 Policy on Electronic Document Distribution Using the World Wide Web

SOURCE: Clyde Camp, Document Editor

PROJECT:

STATUS: This document is circulated to JTC 1 National Bodies for review and consideration at the June 1998 JTC 1 Plenary meeting in Sendai.

ACTION ID: ACT

DUE DATE:

DISTRIBUTION: P and L Members

MEDIUM:

DISKETTE NO.:

NO. OF PAGES: 10

Secretariat, ISO/IEC JTC 1, American National Standards Institute, 11 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036; Telephone: 1 212 642 4932; Facsimile: 1 212 398 0023; Email: lrajchel@ansi.org

ISO/IEC JTC 1 N 5348 1998-05-14 Author: IT Implementation adhoc Last Updated: 05/13/98 10:41:20

JTC 1 Policy on 
Electronic Document Distribution 
Using the World Wide Web

1 Scope
Users and implementers of this policy should be aware of the philosophy change between diskette-based distribution and web-based distribution. Previously (with diskette distribution) users received documents with no action on their part. With web-based distribution, users are notified that new documents are available and they must then actively access or download them on their own initiative.

This document shall be used in conjunction with the ISO/IEC JTC 1 Directives (current edition) and in a manner that is consistent with the policies and procedures of the ISO Central Secretariat and the IEC Central Office. National laws and current ISO/IEC policies regarding copyright and intellectual property rights shall be respected.

This document should be used in conjunction with Tips and Techniques Guide for JTC 1 Web-based Distribution which provides important implementation guidelines for web authors and administrators.

Users of diskette and e-mail distribution mechanisms should refer to JTC 1 Policy on Electronic Document Distribution using diskettes and e-mail.

Related Documentation for Electronic Document Distribution:

• Strategy Recommendations from ISO/IEC JTC 1 ad hoc on IT Implementation Strategy
• Electronic Document Tips and Techniques Guide
• Tips and Techniques Guide for JTC 1 Web-based Distribution
• Transition Plan for IT Implementation
• IT Implementation timeline
• ISO ITSIG Guide

2 Medium
JTC 1 and SC documents shall be made available using the facilities of the World Wide Web (Web). The preferred distribution mechanism is via http protocol software (commonly referred to as web browsers). For the purposes of efficiency, ftp capability may be provided as an additional distribution mechanism at the discretion of the individual Secretariats.
 

3 Virus Checking
It is the responsibility of the webmaster and the Secretariat to use well maintained anti-virus software to verify that files are virus-free. End users also share the responsibility for an overall virus-free environment and are strongly encouraged to utilize up-to-date anti-virus software capable of scanning and verifying documents accessed via the Web.

It is the responsibility of any party, including the end user, to alert the Secretariat if it detects a virus in a distributed document. This will at least assist in minimizing the spread of the infestation.

4 Document Preparation and Distribution
An Executive Summary or abstract shall accompany all standards as early as possible during development. Such a summary will especially be of value for the machine readable standards.

4.1 Document Formats
The choice of the document format shall be a function of the type of document being distributed (i.e., revisable or non-revisable text). The following document formats are acceptable:

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) version 2.0 or 3.2
• Plain DOS Text file, encoded in ISO/IEC 8859-1
• Microsoft Word^TM Version 2.0 - 6.0

  
  Notes:

  1. This refers to the document format, NOT the version of Word used to create the document. Word 6.0 documents may be created with Word 7.0 (Part of the Office '95 suite)  by using "save-as" instead of "save" For example, Word 6.0/95 documents may be created with Word 97 (Part of the Office '97 suite) by using "save-as" instead of save".
  2. Word version 2.0 is no longer an acceptable format to submit to ISO for printed  publications.
• WordPerfect^TM Version 5.1 - 7.0
• Portable Document Format (PDF^TM) version 3.0

  
  Note: PDF is recommended only where there is a requirement for a non-revisable form of the document, e.g. circulation of FDIS text, or when PDF is the only choice as a result of the document development tool being used.

• Rich Text Format (RTF)

  
  Note: RTF is to be used only as a last resort, acceptable if none of the other formats can be produced. It is NOT a preferred file format.

Annex E lists recommended formats for many different types of documents. For all documents intended to be viewed on the web (including administrative documents such as agendas, SoVs, DoCs, meeting notices, etc), HTML is the preferred format.

It is recognized that in certain cases, standards documents may be prepared which utilize other formats to provide both human and machine readable content in the same document or standard. Specific JTC 1 approval to use such formats, in a normative manner, should be sought by the appropriate SC and such approval, if granted, does not remove the need to provide a copy of the human readable content for distribution in one of the formats above.

By itself, the use of one of the above file formats will not necessarily enable electronic documents to be successfully processed by a recipient. Guidance on avoiding problems and maximising the possibility of successful processing by the recipient of a document is contained in the Tips and Techniques Guide for JTC 1 Web-based Distribution. This guide should also be consulted for information on minimizing problems associated with the selection of fonts and the use of international versions of software and languages.

For those documents whose final intended use is to be printed, Annex A defines the common areas for both North American paper (8 1/2" x 11") and A4 paper.

4.1.1 Considerations for Upgrading Document Formats

Considerable problems can occur when changing application software versions. Secretariats should take the following into account when considering upgrading their applications:

• New Release Introduction - At least 6-months notice shall be given prior to moving to a new release for a particular document format. Consideration prior to making this change should include:
  • Impact on users
  • Stabilityof the application software
  • availability of national versions
  • How the newest software will benefit the user and secretariat
• Approval Mechanism
  • Rapporteur group makes recommendation including time and date of introduction
  • JTC 1 NB approval
• Migration policy
  • Dual support for at least 6-months shall be provided by the secretariat

4.2 Graphics and other Non-Textual Data
Graphics embedded in web-based revisable documents should be either GIF or JPEG formats. If a more robust graphics package is required the final graphic must be editable by the graphics application of the accepted word processing packages. In any case, the use of the PDF document format will allow for readibility of the integrated document regardless of complexity.

For continuity and readability, graphics should be located at the appropriate location in the document, however they may be appended to the back of the document as alternative.

It is acknowledged that some documents, such as those prepared in Table and Tree Combined Notation (TTCN) are of value only when they are in machine readable format. As the document formats listed in Section 4.1 will provide no useable version of the standard, those formats can be considered inappropriate in such situations.

4.3 Document Structure
Non-standards documents should be in single column format which is more readable via electronic media.

Standards documents should conform to either of the following (as appropriate) concerning the rules for the presentation of ISs:

• ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3 - Drafting and presentation of International Standards
• ISO IEC JTC 1 Directives, Annex K - Guide for ITU-T and ISO/IEC JTC 1 Cooperation

Committees shall make use of the ISO/IEC forms supplied by the JTC 1 Secretariat and which are obtainable from JTC 1 Web and ftp sites.

Project editors are encouraged to make use of the templates provided by the ISO Central Secretariat, the IEC Central Office or the ITU-T Technical Standards Bureau as appropriate.

Annex G is the overall Web Server Policy covering web page structure, web server content and web server maintenance.

4.4 Document Server Navigation Structure / Document Distribution
Each SC should define their navigational structure for document distribution. Only SC documents should be posted to the SC level web pages. All parent JTC 1 documents should be located on the JTC 1 web pages but can be referenced (e.g. linked to) by the SCs as needed. The home page URL (Universal Resource Locator) is http://www.jtc1.org/. Links to all SC home pages should be via the JTC 1 home page and vice versa.

Documents that are specified as "defined access" (Def in Annex D) on the JTC 1 web site may be copied to between JTC 1 and SC web sites in order to simplify distribution without the need for multiple passwords.

4.4.1 Directory Naming Schema
Knowledge of directory structure is not needed for navigation of the Web and its implementation is left to the discretion of the individual secretariats. The Tips and Techniques Guide for JTC 1 Web-based Distribution document contains additional information which may aid the secretariat.

4.4.2 File Naming Schema
Files should be named according to the following criteria:

1. Each file name shall have no more than eight characters mnemonic.
2. If a document replaces an earlier document a new number shall be assigned

   
   (i.e., "n 346 Revised" is not permitted.)

3. Documents shall be named using the format YYnXXXXa.sss where:
   • YY is the lowercase originating committee designator (j1 for JTC 1; 07 for SC 7, etc.)
   • nXXXX is the letter "n" followed by a four-digit numeric document number. If a document number is over 9999, nXXXX indicates the last four digits of the document number. Leading zeros shall be prepended for all document numbers less than 1000.
   • .SSS is the lowercase software application identifier according to the following table

     File Extension	Originating Application Program or File Type
     .htm	ASCII text file containing valid HTML tags suitable for direct viewing by a web browser such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer
     .txt	Plain DOS Text file, encoded in ISO/IEC 8859-1
     .doc	Microsoft WordTM format
     .wp	WordPerfectTM format
     .pdf	Portable Document FormatTM  Note: PDF is recommended only where there is a requirement for a non-revisable form of the document, e.g. circulation of FDIS text, or when PDF is the only choice as a result of the document development tool being used.
     .rtf	Rich Text Format  Note: RTF is NOT a preferred file format. It is to be used only as a last resort, acceptable if none of the other formats can be produced.
     .zip	Compressed archive file created by PKZIPTM  Note: The ZIP file type is intended for block distribution, as a single file, of multiple files of the other types.

   • a identifies specific file categories according to the following table:

     c	Cover Sheet	Where possible all document categories should be combined into a single document (or zipped file) with no category letter. The use of categories should be used only for complex documents where no other option exists
     b	Ballot form
     t	Ballot Text
     e	Explanatory Text
     m	multiple file designator	If documents are prepared in multiple files (e.g. cross references, an index, or a table of contents created by combinations of master documents and sub documents), master documents should be named using the format YYnXXXXm.sss where YYnXXXX and .SSS are as defined above and m is the letter m. The author should name subdocuments as meaningfully as possible.
     *	document element	For those instances where the elements of a document are stored in multiple files (e.g. annexes, graphics, etc), the files corresponding to these elements shall be named using the format YYnXXXX*.SSS where YYnXXXX and .SSS are as defined above and where * is the numerical serial number (1-9) of the multiple files of the same format.

      

Annex B of this document provides examples of valid file names.

4.4.3 Document Register Log
On the web site, a master document register log will be maintained in descending order (most recent document first), allowing for character string search of the register. This file will satisfy the requirement of a document register to be issued as per the ISO/IEC JTC 1 Directives.

To enable easier downloading of the register for local use, the register will also be organized in 50 document increments. The document register will contain those elements of the cover sheet deemed to be useful for document identification as defined below. The hyperlinked register will, when selected, provide a copy of the document to those with authorized access.

The secretariat shall ensure that the document register contains the following information. Cover sheets to documents shall contain a formatted version of this information per the JTC 1 Revised Electronic Document Templates Guide.

1. Committee designator ("j1" for JTC 1; "07" for SC 7)
2. Numeric Document number (without the "n" prefix)
3. Backward pointer (i.e., "Replaces N 346")
4. Document type
5. Date document placed on server ("CCYY-MM-DD")
6. Document title (Appropriately descriptive and including the specific technical topic)
7. Due date (if applicable) ("CCYY-MM-DD")
8. Approximate number of pages in document
9. Source
10. Project number
11. Status (brief description)
12. Action identifier
13. Approximate file size in kB (or MB)
14. Language used (as defined in ISO 639-2)
15. Optional field (used for additional references, alternate sequence designators, etc.)
16. Document access level (See Annex D)

4.4.4 Announcement of Document Availability
Notice of newly posted documents to the web shall be announced via an e-mail message to the designated electronic distribution list as described in Section 6.1 of this document. The e-mail message shall contain the following:

1. Committee
2. Date of posting ("CCYY-MM-DD")
3. Sequential issue serial number (i.e., Issue 001)
4. Document numbers found on the issue

   
   (e.g., "N 17, 19, 21"; "N 25-30"; or "Documents in the range of N 100-150")

5. Applicable segment of the document Register Log as defined above.

The Secretariat should work toward posting all new documents together in a "batched mailer" such that a group of documents can be downloaded together. Secretariats are strongly encouraged to provide meeting agendas that are hyperlinked with all posted documents placed in a single folder for download prior to the meeting.

4.4.5 Use of Log File Data
The applicable segment of the Document Register Log included in the announcement shall be provided to the National Bodies for their use. Secretariats shall use this information, formatted according to JTC 1 Revised Electronic Document Templates Guide, to create applicable coversheets.

4.5 Web Site Document Retention and Archiving
Documents shall be retained on the Web Site for two years or two Plenary cycles, whichever is greater. After this, documents may be removed from the Web but shall be available from the secretariat in a format of its choice. Alternatively the out of date documents may be retained in a compressed form. The use of CD ROMs to provide collections of documents on an annual or other basis is encouraged as another mechanism for archival of out of date documents.

5. Compression Utilities
Compression may be used if so agreed by the recipients of the file distribution. Compression should be considered if a file or block of files is more than 500K bytes. When compression is used, it shall be compatible with PKZIP^TM. Refer to Tips and Techniques Guide for JTC 1 Web-based Distribution for how to address directory structures if applicable.

6. Direct Electronic Distribution

6.1 E-mail Lists
Each Secretariat shall establish a list of electronic mail (e-mail) addresses that replicates the committee's formal distribution list as defined in ISO/IEC JTC 1 Directive Section 8.3, together with appropriate committee officers. Any member that does not have an e-mail address may be listed with a facsimile number.

In some instances, and only upon written confirmation of the member, responsibility for receipt and distribution of documents may be delegated to the member's Head of Delegation or other identified expert.

Secretariats may establish a separate distribution list including additional addresses (i.e., individual experts, etc.) for exchange of less formal documents. Registered experts on such mailing lists still require their national body agreement to gain regular access to formal documents.

6.2 Encoding Utilities
At this time, there is no expectation that encoding utilities will be needed for this medium.

6.3 Electronic Balloting
The JTC 1 Secretariat will investigate procedures for electronic responses to letter ballots. The process should take advantage of hyperlinking the letter ballot log to the letter ballots themselves. National bodies should be able to respond directly via the web to submit their letter ballot response. The Secretariat is empowered to make use of IT technology for automatic letter ballot tabulation.

7 Access Control to JTC 1 documents

7.1 Open and restricted documents
ISO, IEC and JTC 1 policies require that while some information be publicly available, other information must be kept private to defined recipients. Document availability is defined in Annex D

7.2 Access control
Privacy arrangements (using password and/or ID protection) shall be incorporated into Web sites where appropriate to meet these policies. When ftp capabilities are provided as an additional distribution mechanism, the same password/ID combinations should work no matter which method is used.

7.3 Password control
Document protection must include regular password changes, notified to designated recipients in a secure manner. Changes should be made once or twice per plenary cycle and at other times if a security breach occurs.

When passwords are about to be changed, an e-mail message containing the new password shall be sent to the distribution list as defined in 6.1. The e-mail notification should be sent sufficiently far in advance of the change so that authorized participants at the national body level will have received notice of the change by the time it is effective. Alternatively, if the responsible secretariat has the capability, an overlap of passwords during the change may be implemented.

Embedded passwords at the document level (e.g. use of passwords within documents) shall not be used. The document shall be freely readable without a password once it has been downloaded. This does not preclude the use of a password in order to be able to download or access the document in the first place.

Annex A 
Text Area for 
A4 and North American Paper Sizes

Symmetrical margins which are more generous than the above minimum margins enhance electronic readability.

* The ISO standardisation process encourages the widest possible dissemination of the working documents needed for preparing standards free of charge within the ISO system to ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to contribute to the development of a standard. In this context, the ISO system should be understood to mean the member bodies of ISO, specifically those who have elected to be P-members of a particular ISO committee (although O-members and non-members are entitled to receive documentation on request), liaison organisations, the delegates accredited by ISO members and liaison organisation to participate in committee meetings, experts appointed to ISO working groups, members of national committees corresponding to an ISO committee and their sponsoring organisations (e.g. trade associations, government departments, etc.). ISO/TC/SC working documents are not intended for free distribution outside the ISO system as defined above. It may be noted that the POCOSA agreement allows the member bodies to sell TC/SC working documents to those outside the system.

As there are different acceptable document formats, the following table of recommended document formats is based on the intended use of the final document.
 

* Complex: Denotes the use of other than simple tables or graphics. Possibly also a function of volume/structure.

This is not a formal list of terms and definitions as found in most standards, but where appropriate, suitable definitions from existing vocabularies are cited.
 

Note: This Annex was previously issued and balloted on as JTC 1 N 4572, but as a result of comment resolution has been combined with N 4571. Because of time constraints, it has been inserted en toto into this document. In the event of conflicting requirements between this annex and the main document, the main document shall be considered the primary document. This note is not part of this document.

1. Web Page Structure: The minimal structure of web based pages for JTC 1 and its SCs (jointly referred to simply as committee.) It is not intended to dictate structure or content at the WG level.
2. Web Server Content: The minimal structure/content of JTC 1 and SC web servers
3. Web Server Maintainance: Policy concerning the maintenance of those web pages

It is expected that National Bodies and Committees will utilize this document as they begin their web-server implementation. Additional information is available in Tips and Techniques for JTC 1 Web Pages.

Every JTC 1/SC web page shall contain the following structural elements:
(These elements may appear in any order, however it is highly recommended that the committee retain the same style for all pages within the committee's purview.)

1. Title Block (should have a common "look-and-feel" within the committee)
   1. Title of committee with the ISO/IEC logo.
   2. The page author and date created or last modified (preferably generated automatically)
   3. A version number
   4. Optional use of a common background image may also be employed.
   5. Optional committee logo if desired
2. Body - contains information specific to the committee. The use of forward navigational pointers is highly recommended
3. Web Master information - who to contact for errors, suggestions, etc.
4. Consistent Set of Back Pointers (for example the Parent Committee main page, Committee web-page design guidelines, primary site information, etc. )

Each web server (JTC 1 and SC) shall provide the following, manditory information in the form of web pages which conform to the common look and feel of the Web Page Structure appropriate to the committee.

1. Description of the Organization Structure of the committee
2. Committee Membership (List of P, O, L members and the contact information for liaisons and rapporteurs)
3. Committee Meeting schedule
4. Next meeting information
   1. Agenda
   2. Venue
5. Program of Work
6. A single document register for all committee documents
7. Personnel information on officers and members

Although optional, each secretariat is strongly encouraged to add the following information as appropriate.

1. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page
2. Ballot information
   1. Due dates
   2. Document number of balloted text
   3. Document number of Summary of Voting
3. Procedures (which may simply point to the parent committee's procedures)
4. News and Press releases
5. Links to committee relevant Publications and Standards
6. Links to non-JTC 1 sites shall be done in such a way that it is obvious to the viewer that what is being viewed is NOT under the auspices or control of JTC 1. This is especially important in frame-based sites.

1. Open Access vs Defined Access Documents

   
   The committee shall distinguish between open access vs defined access documents per Annex D

2. Password Protection

   
   The server administrator shall provide appropriate limited access to non-members by use of group level passwords with appropriate notification to users. Non-members attempting to access protected pages shall be automatically replied to with a message stating the criteria for access.

3. Data Integrity
   1. Site shall be backed up automatically
   2. All Documents shall contain authorship and timestamp information as defined in the Web Page Structure Title Block

      
      The original document shall be considered the "source" document. NBs or committees may utilize the source document in a variety of ways:

      1. By simply linking to it or emailing its URL (highly recommended in the event that there is no password involved)
      2. Creating a new document with a unique document number representing a cover letter plus the content of the original document
      3. NB Mirroring of the original document

      In the event of a difference in content between the original and the copy, the content of the original shall take preference. It is therefore up to the administrator of the mirror site or new document to ensure its integrity.

   3. Site shall utilize virus checking - In the event a virus is detected, the files shall be cleaned prior to updating or retransmission and the original sender of the infected file notified of the infection.
4. Document Registration, Retention and Archival
   1. Hierarchy

      
      Structured with a register list every 50^th document

   2. Access

      
      - Each register shall show all Document numbers, title, date, due date
      - Register entries shall be hot-linked to the actual documents
      - Provisions shall be provided to download documents as a package (e.g for documents with enclosures, annexes, drawings, embedded data, etc.)
      - Provision shall be made for providing paper printouts of documents to those with no web access.

   3. On-line Retention

      
      Documents shall be retained for a minimum of two years or two complete plenary cycles, whichever is greater.

   4. Archival

      
      After the retention period, documents may be removed from on-line availability and shall be available from the secretariat in a format at the discretion of the secretariat.

5. Use of Embedded Executable Code (e.g. Java, Active-X, etc) in HTML Documents
   1. Care should be taken to utilize only those constructs which can be viewed using all commonly available browsers.