2005-07-11

Coded character sets (JTC 1/SC 2)

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is seeking experts in different historic and minority language scripts to contribute to the development of standards for this area and to participate in the working group on Coded character sets (JTC 1/SC 2).

ISO, in cooperation with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and jointly with the technical committee ISO/IEC/JTC 1, has been standardizing coded character sets for representing textual data in the information technology and communications area for a number of years.  ISO/IEC 10646 is the most recent of these standards and is currently the only standard capable of efficiently representing text written in all the scripts used by various languages from around the world.

The official language requirements of the Canadian federal government as well as those at the provincial and territorial levels are accommodated by this standard, including the Canadian Aboriginal Syllabary which represents many of the languages used by our native peoples.  Ongoing developments to this standard are to include several minority languages and archaic scripts that are used in scholarly works.

Another standard recently transferred to the JTC 1/SC 2 is ISO/IEC 14651 which deals with providing a default ordering for the characters in ISO/IEC 10646 and permitting cultural and linguistic preferences.

The SCC is looking for technical experts from various organizations that have a stake in the implementation of this technology to participate in the review and drafting of standards.

Benefits of Participation:

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      Membership in the Canadian committee
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      Mailings of draft standards for information and comment
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      Participation in sub-committees
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      Ability to submit initiatives through the Standards Council of Canada
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      Attendance at select events and committee meetings

What is Expected?

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      Possess technical knowledge and/or experience related to the subject matter.
    * Active participation, commitment and a willingness to undertake committee work and to prepare required reports and meeting documents in an electronic environment.
    * Ability and willingness to meet and respect deadlines and follow SCC procedures, directives and the committee terms of reference.
    * Represent stakeholder groups and views. Consult with constituency and bring their concerns to the table.

Individuals are invited to submit their Curriculum Vitae (CV) along with a statement outlining their interests and ability to contribute to the work of the JTC 1/SC 2 to the SCC by August 15, 2005.

Questions should be directed to Roz Waddell, Program Officer JTC 1 by telephone at 613-238-3222 ext. 451 or by email at [email protected].