[Stoves] Summary of TC285 activities

tmiles at trmiles.com tmiles at trmiles.com
Sun Dec 10 10:37:38 CST 2017


Tami,

 

Thank you very much for preparing this. It is helpful to understand the ISO process and who is involved. 

 

Other links and documents are here:  https://www.iso.org/committee/4857971.html

 

Tom 

 

From: Stoves [mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Bond, Tami C
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2017 8:40 AM
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Subject: [Stoves] Summary of TC285 activities

 

Hello Stovers,  

 

A couple of days ago, I sent a message to a small group that included Ron Larson and Nikhil Desai to explain some activities in TC 285. I authorized them to provide that message to the Stoves list if they so desired. I am disappointed to find that Ron quoted my message out of context in discussion of the “char-deducted metric.” I did not intend my message to support or critique any such discussion. My message to them is now reproduced in its entirety below. 

 

Regards

Tami

 

- - - - - -

 

Small clarifications— bearing in mind that I do not know the context from which the discussion comes.  

 

If a paper used the phrase “the ISO standardized Water Boiling Test, ISO 2014”, this citation was incorrect. There is no such thing. Papers do not always communicate citations correctly. I wish the engineering and science communities had cite-checking, like law journals, but we do not. 

 

If anyone is concerned about what an ISO product might be, a list of all official products is available on the ISO browsing platform: www.iso.org/obp <http://www.iso.org/obp> 

A negative, in my view, is that the text of the standards themselves is not publicly available and can be accessed only for a fee.

 

TC-285 is an ISO technical committee that contains a few working groups. Most of the work is done in the working groups. It is probably more effective to critique a product specifically, rather than the entire TC285, which encompasses multiple endeavors. 

 

The working groups in TC 285 are (my shorthand here— all have more formal names)

WG1: Conceptual Framework (completing a publication on harmonized terms & definitions; next working on a paper to provide a framework for evaluation)

WG2: Laboratory Protocols (this group is author of the draft lab standard protocol; next working on a more contextualized test method)

WG3: Field Testing (responding to comments on a draft document regarding field testing)

WG4: Social Impact (preparing a draft standard or communication)

 

Task groups also exist, for fuels and communications.

 

There is a current draft in Working Group 2 regarding controlled laboratory testing (it has a formal name that I can’t remember). Its product is under revision after responding to comments from national standard bodies, and has not been published yet. Some of its features have received some of the same criticisms as were provided on the WBT that is in wide public use, yet other contents are different, as happens through discussion. 

 

Many people are members of WG2 and not the others, or other groups and not WG2. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to cast stones at the whole TC 285 for a particular issue with a product. The best thing to do is comment on a product itself through one’s national standards body, or get involved with the product itself, or work on a subsequent or parallel product, or write technical papers that can be taken up into the consideration of future products. 

 

Sally Seitz works for ANSI, which holds the current secretariat. She is involved in logistical and procedural matters. It is the Secretariat’s job to ensure that proper procedure is followed. At plenary meetings, there is also a representative from ISO.

Neeraja Penumetcha also assists with logistics, as well as contributing technical content in (at least) the Fuels task group.

Both of these people provide helpful guidance to people who are not so familiar with procedural matters.

 

All the members are volunteers, although I believe the secretariat is supported. Some individuals may be formally supported by their organizations to engage in the work. Others, like me, use their own time and pay their own way to attend meetings. Standards work is not something people do if they are seeking appreciation or wealth.

 

Ron or Nikhil, you are welcome to communicate this to the Stoves list, if it helps clear anything up. I have meant to write a message like this for a while, but have not taken the time until now. 

 

Tami

 

 

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