Need for Common Information Classification Standards

As businesses interacting with businesses through electronic supply and procurement channels (and integrating them into their own internal processes) becomes a norm across the globe a need to maintain standard ways of information organization and use becomes a much sought-after necessity. K-Praxis had earlier featured two non-profit organizations - XBRL and eBXML - that are trying to create XML based standards to interpolate information across various business processes and applications - both internally as well externally (XBRL and ebXML: Framing New Rules for Information Sharing).

But Electronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language (eBXML) and eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) represent attempts to build XML based wrappers around some of the globally well-established information classification codes and standards (e.g., UNSPSC) and in order to understand the "information space" of these standards and codes it is important to list the various classification systems available for use.

Important Information Classification Standards and Codes

Following is a list of some of the standard industry classification systems code and schemas that cover market sectors, products, services, and functions - linked to their respective sites (ordered alphabetically).

• BizCodes
• COFOG - Classifications of the Functions of Government
• CPC - Central Product Classification
• DAML-ONT Ontology
• EAN - European Article Number (Barcode standards)
• eBXML - Electronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language
• ECCMA - Electronic Commerce Code Management Association
• ISO - International Organization for Standardization
• NACE - Nomenclature générale des Activités Economiques dans les Communautés Européenes
• NIGP - National Institute of Govt Purchasing
• NISO- National Information Standards Organization
• PRODCOM - PRODucts of the European COMmunity
• SIC UK - Standard Industrial Classifications
• SIC US - Standard Industrial Classifications
• SOC - Standard Occupational Classification
• STEPml - product identification and classification
• SUO- IEEE Standard Upper Ontology
• Topic Maps - Topic Maps Published Subjects
• UCC Uniform Code Council
• UDEF - Universal Data Element Framework
• UN/EDIFACT - Directories and Code Lists
• UNSPSC - United Nations Standard Product and Services Classification
• Upper Cyc Ontology
• XBRL - eXtensible Business Reporting Language

Judging by this long list, there seems to a huge number of standards and codes to specify various part of your business - and this plethora of standards could be a cause of major worry for anybody who is looking for a solution that gives a wider coverage in terms of integration and interpolarity. Out of these, UNSPSC seems to be a meta-level standard-schema incorporating elements of many other standards and seems to be a safe bet for at least now.

Classification Standards : A New Paradigm to Classify Unstructured Data and create Structured Data

One major advantage in integrating information standards early on is that you will be able to leverage your supply chain, procurement and other business data by classifying and running analytics over this data. Besides, in future with information standards your business can create data which is structured in such a way that it seamlessly interpolates with the outside world and you will able reap the benefits of harvesting it internally. Businesses need to adopt a two pronged strategy to transition their organizations to information-standards-readiness"

• You need to look out for a solution which will help you transform non-standard data (data related to market sectors, products, services, and functions) into a globally accepted information classification standards or schema.
• From a long term perspective, you need to find a way of automatically generating data in standardized and structured format.