what is the international organization for standardization iso 
the international organization for standardization iso is an international nongovernmental organization made up of national standards bodies the iso develops and publishes a wide range of proprietary industrial and commercial standards and is comprised of representatives from various national standards organizations understanding the international organization for standardization iso the international organization for standardization was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in geneva switzerland the organization began in the 1920s as the international federation of the national standardizing associations isa after being suspended during world war ii the united nations standards coordinating committee unscc proposed a new global standards body and the international organization for standardization was formed 1the iso works in 167 countries members of the organization are the foremost standards organizations in their countries there is only one member per country while individuals and companies cannot become members of iso there are various ways that industry experts can collaborate with the iso 2members of iso meet annually at a general assembly to discuss the strategic objectives of the organization in addition there is a 20 person council with rotating membership that provides guidance and governance for the organization 3meaning of isothe organization s abbreviated name iso is not an acronym it derives from the ancient greek word sos meaning equal or equivalent because the organization would have different acronyms in different languages the founders of the organization decided to call it by the short form iso 4activities of the international organization for standardization iso iso develops and publishes standards for a vast range of products materials and processes currently the organization has over 24 362 standards which are included in the iso standards catalog which is broken down into various segments such as healthcare technology railway engineering jewelry clothing metallurgy weapons paint civil engineering agriculture and aircraft in addition to producing standards iso also publishes technical reports technical specifications publicly available specifications technical corrigenda and guides 5the iso plays an important role in facilitating world trade by providing common standards among different countries these standards are intended to ensure that products and services are safe reliable and of good quality for the end user and consumer these standards ensure that certified products conform to the minimum standards set internationally in some cases iso is used to describe the product that conforms to an iso standard as a result of the ubiquity of these standards for example the speed of film or the sensitivity of a photographic film to light is referred to by its iso number iso 6 iso 2240 and iso 5800 6who approves iso international standards the iso standards are internationally agreed upon by experts in the related fields these are people who know what their industries need individuals such as manufacturers sellers buyers customers trade associations users or regulators 7