What is an Open Standard?

The definition of open standards varies depending on the organization / body that is using or developing open standards but there is some general consensus. Open standards can be thought of consisting of 2 parts - the process of its creation (the standards development process / SDP), and the output (the standard itself).

Canadian Definition

The Government of Canada defines open standards based on 4 policy definitions from other jurisdictions: France, Quebec, the EU, and the UK. According to the Open First Whitepaper, Canada defines Open Standards as:

Inspired by the four policy documents, the following criteria define open standards:

• process for the standard’s development is open and transparent to all interested parties and cannot be controlled by any single person or entity with any vested interests;
• platform independent, vendor neutral and usable for multiple implementations;
• specifications and supporting material are freely available with limited restrictions;
• supported by the community and demonstrate independence or approved through due process by rough consensus among participants.

At this time, based on our literature scan, Canada has not produced any open standards.

W3C Definition

The W3C creates open standards for interoperability of technology over the web. The W3C definition differentiates from the Canadian definition by elaborating on the process of creating the standard, as well as the standard as an output.

Using the W3C process as a model, we define the following set of requirements that a provider of technical specification must follow to qualify for the adjective Open Standard.

• transparency (due process is public, and all technical discussions, meeting minutes, are archived and referencable in decision making)
• relevance (new standardization is started upon due analysis of the market needs, including requirements phase, e.g. accessibility, multi-linguism)
• openness (anybody can participate, and everybody does: industry, individual, public, government bodies, academia, on a worldwide scale)
• impartiality and consensus (guaranteed fairness by the process and the neutral hosting of the W3C organization, with equal weight for each participant)
• availability (free access to the standard text, both during development and at final stage, translations, and clear IPR rules for implementation, allowing open source development in the case of Internet/Web technologies)
• maintenance (ongoing process for testing, errata, revision, permanent access)

It’s notable that the W3C definition for open standards includes an open and accessible process.

Open Standards Development Process

The process of creating an open standard varies between SDOs. For example JEDEC and W3C both create open standards, but their processes are very different.

• JEDEC’s process is closed - restricted to members only, with no public access to any proceedings or documentation aside from the standards produced.
• W3C’s process is more open - where there are opportunities for the public and non-members to provide input on the standards development process. For example, the Technical Architecture Group, which stewards web standards, maintains a public mailing list.

Given these differences in approaches, it is important note that open standards can be produced using a SDP of varying degrees of openess.

This can create confusion as the keyword “open” in “open standards development process” can refer to the standard, the process, or both.

“Open Process for Standards Development”

The term “open process for standards development” is an attempt to avoid this confusion by making clear that “open” refers to a standards development process that is open access, and open to participation.

The now archived OpenStand principles for open process for standards development that includes broad consensus, transparency, and open access. These principles exist to encourage the creation and adoption of standards that are global and open. Five inaugural signatories of the the OpenStand approach include the IETF, W3C, IAB, IEEE, and the Internet Society.

The W3C incorporates OpenStand principles into their processes (see the W3C process document ). For example, reports, publications, and other deliverables are archived and accessible to ensure “access across disabilities, across country borders, and across time” is an example of transparency and open access.