Editing Standardization (section)

===International Standards Associations===
By the mid to late 19th century, efforts were being made to standardize electrical measurement. [[William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin|Lord Kelvin]] was an important figure in this process, introducing accurate methods and apparatus for measuring electricity. In 1857, he introduced a series of effective instruments, including the quadrant electrometer, which cover the entire field of electrostatic measurement. He invented the [[current balance]], also known as the ''Kelvin balance'' or ''Ampere balance'' (''SiC''), for the [[accuracy and precision|precise]] specification of the [[ampere]], the [[standardisation|standard]] [[Units of measurement|unit]] of [[electric current]].<ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Lindley|title=Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius, Invention, and Tragedy|page=293|isbn=978-0309096188|publisher=National Academic Press|year=2005}}</ref>

[[R. E. B. Crompton]] became concerned by the large range of different standards and systems used by electrical engineering companies and scientists in the early 20th century. Many companies had entered the market in the 1890s and all chose their own settings for [[volt]]age, [[frequency]], [[Electric current|current]] and even the symbols used on circuit diagrams. Adjacent buildings would have totally incompatible electrical systems simply because they had been fitted out by different companies. Crompton could see the lack of efficiency in this system and began to consider proposals for an international standard for electric engineering.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iec.ch/about/history/articles/colonel_crompton.htm |title=Colonel Crompton |publisher=[[International Electrotechnical Commission]] |work=www.iec.ch |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903145102/http://www.iec.ch/about/history/articles/colonel_crompton.htm |archive-date=September 3, 2010 }}</ref>

In 1904, Crompton represented Britain at the [[International Electrical Congress]], held in connection with [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri|Saint Louis]] as part of a delegation by the [[Institute of Electrical Engineers]]. He presented a paper on standardisation, which was so well received that he was asked to look into the formation of a commission to oversee the process.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=J.|last2=Randell|first2=W.|year=1948|title=Colonel Crompton and the Evolution of the Electrical Industry|publisher=Longman Green}}</ref> By 1906 his work was complete and he drew up a permanent constitution for the [[International Electrotechnical Commission]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Electrochemical Power Sources|first1=Chris K.|last1=Dyer|first2=Patrick T.|last2=Moseley|first3=Zempachi|last3=Ogumi|first4= David A. J.|last4=Rand|first5=Bruno|last5=Scrosati|publisher=Newnes|year=2010|page=540|isbn=9780444527455}}</ref> The body held its first meeting that year in London, with representatives from 14 countries. In honour of his contribution to electrical standardisation, Lord Kelvin was elected as the body's first President.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.iec.ch/about/history/documents/pdf/IEC_Founding_Meeting_Report_1906.pdf | title=Report of Preliminary Meeting | year=1906 | place=London | pages=46–47 (25–26 in PDF) | work=The minutes from our first meeting | publisher=[[International Electrotechnical Commission]] | access-date=23 January 2014 | archive-date=2 May 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502223234/https://www.iec.ch/about/history/documents/pdf/IEC_Founding_Meeting_Report_1906.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Memory plaque of founding ISA in Prague cropped.jpg|thumb|Memorial plaque of founding ISA in [[Prague]]]]
The [[ISO|International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations]] (ISA) was founded in 1926 with a broader remit to enhance international cooperation for all technical standards and specifications. The body was suspended in 1942 during [[World War&nbsp;II]].

After the war, ISA was approached by the recently formed United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) with a proposal to form a new global standards body. In October 1946, ISA and UNSCC delegates from 25 countries met in [[London]] and agreed to join forces to create the new [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO); the new organization officially began operations in February&nbsp;1947.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.iso.org/iso/2012_friendship_among_equals.pdf|title=Friendship among equals - Recollections from ISO's first fifty years|publisher=[[International Organization for Standardization]]|year=1997|isbn=92-67-10260-5|pages=15–18|access-date=26 December 2013|archive-date=26 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026060448/http://www.iso.org/iso/2012_friendship_among_equals.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In general, each country or economy has a single recognized National Standards Body (NSB). Examples include [[ABNT]], [[Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación|AENOR (now called UNE, ''Spanish Association for Standardization'')]], [[Association française de Normalisation|AFNOR]], [[American National Standards Institute|ANSI]], [[BSI Group|BSI]], [[Dirección General de Normas|DGN]], [[DIN]], [[Instituto Argentino de Normalización y Certificación|IRAM]], [[Japanese Industrial Standards Committee|JISC]], [[Korean Agency for Technology and Standards|KATS]], [[South African Bureau of Standards|SABS]], [[Standardization Administration of China|SAC]], [[Standards Council of Canada|SCC]], [[Swedish Standards Institute|SIS]]. An NSB is likely the sole member from that economy in ISO.

NSBs may be either public or private sector organizations, or combinations of the two. For example, the three NSBs of Canada, Mexico and the United States are respectively the Standards Council of Canada ([[Standards Council of Canada|SCC]]), the General Bureau of Standards ({{lang|es|Dirección General de Normas}}, DGN), and the [[American National Standards Institute]] (ANSI). SCC is a Canadian [[Crown Corporation]], DGN is a governmental agency within the Mexican Ministry of Economy, and ANSI and AENOR are a [[501(c)(3)]] non-profit organization with members from both the private and public sectors. The determinants of whether an NSB for a particular economy is a public or private sector body may include the historical and traditional roles that the private sector fills in public affairs in that economy or the development stage of that economy.