specialized international organization founded in Geneva in 1947 and concerned with standardization in all technical and nontechnical fields except electrical and electronic engineering (the responsibility of the International Electrotechnical Commission). Its membership extends to more than 100 countries, and each member is the national body “most representative of standardization in its country”—in Western industrial countries usually a private organization, such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the British Standards Institution (BSI), but in most other countries a governmental organization.

Standardization affects units of measurement; alphabetization and transliteration; specifications for parts, materials, surfaces, processes, tools, methods of testing, and machines; and even the form in which specifications are presented. Upon request, the ISO establishes international technical committees to investigate and resolve specific issues of standardization. Because of technological evolution, ISO standards are optimally reviewed for possible revision every five years.