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Commentary

International Efforts Priority for EDIA

Catherine A. K A C H U R I K For the past 17 years, my involvement with the

Director of International & Government Relations, EDIA standards process has given me the opportunity to participate in the evolution of the information

Keywords: EDI; Electronic Data Interchange; Electronic Data technology industry. That dynamic process began Interchange Association; ISO; OSI; Open System with the ideal of the United States serving as the Interchange. guiding force in technology and standardization

efforts. At that point, the industry was able to "expor t" approved American national standards for virtual adoption in whole by the international community.

With the conception of the Open Systems In- terconnection objectives, it became clear that one simply could not build borders around any nation, whether those borders were made of technological, non-tariff trade barriers, or physical structures.

EDI is going through that same maturization process. President Jerry Dreyer 's (EDIA) 1989 priorities presented to the Board last year listed international efforts as his number two priority in a list of seven. Certainly this is the time to con- centrate on this area, and will continue to receive high priority in the 1990s.

The expanding use of EDI demands recogni- tion for the universality of our actions and inter- actions. In addition, the US is looking at the regional strengths being exhibited by the Pacific Rim nations, the "un i ted" European marketing unit in 1992, the progression of the U.N. stan- dards on EDIFACT, and the International Stan- dardization Organization's decision to develop an EDI conceptual model. All of this activity will impact users for at least the next five years.

Ms. Catherine A. Kachmik, Director Corporate strategic planning cannot ignore 3f International and Government Re- these external influences. If EDI is to be a major lations for the Electonic Data Inter- change Association (EDIA) leads competitive tool, users will need to be aware of EDIA's efforts to provide information international effects on that technology. In ad- to major components of the electronic data interchange (EDI) community, dition, EDI users need to be a part of the input to Previously she served as director of X3 the international community. Our International

...... and X4 secretariat at the Computer and Business Equipment Manufac- Congress held in Vancouver, August 9-11, 1989, turers Associate. assisted decision-makers and strategic planners by

North-Holland bringing a world-wide assortment of EDI experts Computer Standards & Interfaces 10 (1990) 37-38 together to exchange information, express opin-

0920-5489/90/$03.50 © 1990 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland)

38 C.A. Kachurik /International efforts Priority for EDIA

ions and reach a better understanding of the opportunity to meet them and ask questions di- short-term and long-term implications of interna- rectly. tional activities. In addition, in order to better serve its member-

Recently, I participated in the U N / E C E Joint ship, EDIA will provide EDIFACT with a booth Rapporteurs EDIFACT meeting held in Washing- at our December conference to provide opportuni- ton. The week-long session was attended by some ties for interaction with the EDIFACT experts 148 participants from 13 countries and two U.N. and a chance for opinions to be voice. commissions. Forty-eight of those experts were I also attended a U.S. preparatory meeting to non-Americans. As in any international meeting, develop positions and delegation direction for the the host country delegates outnumbered the rest upcoming ISO Special Working Group meeting on of the delegations. Yet, 48 foreign participants is EDI. This activity is the result of a TC154 effort not an insignificant level of interest. It was clear to develop a model for EDI. The work has been to me that the Americans need to have a stronger moved to the I S O / I E C Joint Technical Commit- voice and assume more leadership roles if they are tee 1, Information Technology. This group has to influence the direction of this effort, responsibility for development of generic stan-

Thirty messages were progressed to various dards and has developed the Open Systems Inter- stages of development and will be submitted to connection Reference Model as well as others. the U.N. for approval in the near future. Adop- Although the U.S. supports the development of tion of these messages could vastly affect a com- the model, and clearly states that the "application" pany's current investments, work of EDI is outside the scope of the modeling

We were able to establish dialogue with the effort, it will need to watch the direction of the EDI international leaders, some of whom were at work to ensure that EDI on OSI is unencumbered the Congress in Vancouver, which was a timely in every way.