Current Status and Issues of IT standardization Policy

(Progress report on Standardization Policy in the Previous year)

by

Dr. Kyaw Thein

(Vice-President-MCF)

(Paper read in the 13th AFSIT-October 29-30-1999-Yangon)

 

 

1.       Introduction:

Striving for development of a nation clearly depends on the crucial role of modern technology.  It is specially true in the field of Information Technology IT which is developing and progressing almost day by day and that has proved its essential role in the momentum for socio-economic growth.  It has become very important to select needed information efficiently from a flood of information of borderless information society.  Consequently standardization is globally and internally demanded as a principal role for obtaining necessary information effectively and finely.  IT standardization becomes very significant in helping of setting-up specification/ guidelines for ensuring good quality o products and for entering global information society (GIS) so as efficient use of IT provides excellent services to everyone.

The State Peace and Development Council SPDC is trying to develop the country and it believes that it has to rely on the country’s internal resources.  As a prerequisite for adding momentum to the nation’s modernization and development efforts for a healthy and well-educated population, Myanmar has designated “the uplifting of health and education standard of the entire nation” as one f its national objectives.  It considers IT as an agent of transformation of every facet of human life which will bring out a knowledge society.  Thus Computer Science Development Law was inaugurated in 20 September 1996 and Myanmar Computer Science Development Council was soon formed with the Secretary-1 of State Peace and Development Council as the chairman of the council.  The formation of MCF Myanmar Computer Federation was emphasized then.

In this paper, we present current status of IT standardization policy an d its issues as experienced by Myanmar in the previous year, counting on hardware, software, IT training quality and encoding the national character set on International Standard Organization ISO.

 

 

2.       Basic Policy and Current Status of IT Standardization

The Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF) was formed in 15 Oct 1998 basing upon the three national associations, namely: - MCSA – Myanmar Computer Scientist Association, MCIA – Myanmar Computer Industry Association and MCEA – Myanmar Computer Entrepreneurs Association.  Since formed, MCF has tried hard emphasizing on the development of knowledge and skills and the attainment of modern technology among students, youth and details so as IT plays as a driving force for national development.

 

For IT Standardization Policy, relevant accounts are taken in

(1)    Hardware environment,

(2)    Software environment (including the tailored and bespoken software),

(3)    IT education (including private training centers) and

(4)    Encoding Myanmar character set as a standard (including keyboard layout standardization).

 

MCF has formed an IT standardization subcommittee under MCSA, and at the same time, as encoding Myanmar character set is an immediate demand to be encoded in ISO 10646, the Myanmar Computer Science Development Council (where the secretary-1 of State Peace and Development Council as the chairman of the Council) has formed MITSC- Myanmar IT Standardization Committee- specially for that Myanmar character set.

 

 

2 (a) Hardware environment:

              Myanmar, being not a Hardware component producing country, has not laid down IT Standardization Policy yet.  The Science and Technology Development Law only conducts standardization and specification of weights and measures, equipment and machinery, raw materials and finished goods [STDL-Chap VI-art-9 (g)].

              Actually, IT is a very fast changing technology of making products obsolete in a very short span of time.  In fact, the time a standard is formulated, the technology becomes obsolete and the industry has to adopt latest technology – leaving the resulted standard o no use at all.  Consequently, international and advanced standards are directly adopted as Myanmar National Standards (and it is time, money and effort saving method too) for the technology where no indigenous development taken place (such as Hardware, Computer Networks and Communication products, etc.)

 

2 (b) Software environment:

              Local computer companies import up-to-date SW packages which are eventually used in private inventories and also in government offices.  There are tailored and bespoken packages written by local computer scientists and standardization becomes a big demand, not only for the Intellectual Property Rights, but also for interchange usage of the software among inventories (like- banking, Customs, Point of Sale software, etc).  Not much has been done for Intellectual Property Right for such tailored or bespoken packages yet, but as the local scientist and programmers are working together, there arise no major issues on software environment.

              Myanmar Computer Federation is trying to emphasize on promoting the intellectual property right under the guidance of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

 

 

2 (c) IT Education Examination and Certificates:

             Computer education started in 1971 when UCC the Universities’ Computing Center was established for use by post-grad researchers of universities.  Nowadays, there are many computer training institutions.  There are 2 Universities of Computer Studies (one in Yangon and one in Mandalay) and many private training centers.  The two universities are providing very adequate, comprehensive and advanced degrees and certificates.  For training centers, (Some of them also conduct basis and higher international diplomas where certificates are relevantly offered by the internationally recognized organizations), they are practicing in their own ways, depending on the duration or on software packages.  Control for the certificate’s quality, is in a very uncertain condition to make an evaluation for them.  MCSA is introducing a standard examination to offer MCSA Certificate.  It should be encouraged MCSA can offer advanced certificates, diplomas and even degree in future.

 

2 (d) Encoding Myanmar Character Set in ISO

              As said above, the Myanmar Computer Science Development Council has assigned a special duty by forming the Myanmar IT Standardizing Committee- MITSC for encoding Myanmar character set in ISO 10646.  There are many Myanmar character fonts- such as (CE-Myanmar, Win-Myanmar, GeoComp, Gandamar, Academy and Shwe&Mya, ICST, so on… for IBM user) and Ava_laser for Macintosh Apple user.  They are using different keyboard layouts in their own way and it makes one difficult to use different fonts at the same time.

              MITSC has made a revised proposal to the ISO/IEC JTC1/SC/WG2 Working Group for encoding Myanmar script on ISO 10646.  The first proposal was made by an Irish in 1993 but the codes do not meet the sorting sequence of the Myanmar Orthography recommended by the most authorized organization- Myanmar Language Commission.  They said revised proposal was discussed in the ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 meeting held on 21-29 September 1998 in London, and it succeed an accepting resolution:-

 

“Resolution M35.14 (PDAM-26 on Myanmar): WG2 accepts the disposition of comments in document N1883R2, and instructs its project editor to prepare the final disposition of comments and the final text of FPDAM-26 with assistance from the contributing editor, and forward these documents to SC2 secretariat for further processing with unchanged target dates.”

              The meeting also has agreed to locate the entire Myanmar Block to the position U+1000 to U+109F as the number of characters required in the future to enable for Myanmar minority Languages (Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon and Shan).

 

              Myanmar amendment on ISO/IEC 10646-1 (AMD-26) was resolved to proceed to final ballot in the ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 meeting in Fukuoka (Japan) held from 9-16 March 1999, and now it was accepted as an ISO/IEC standard.  It can be said that the two said meetings has resulted the required creation of Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Myanmar Character Set, and we hope that the encoding will be carried out in the coming Microsoft NT (Version 6.0) Platform.  There still left for MITSC to carry the standardization of the Myanmar character set as

(1)    to construct a global information infrastructure GII

(2)    to standardize and localize the Myanmar Set and

(3)    to create a global information Network so as information transfer can be done between Myanmar and other international bodies.

 

The details of the encoding Myanmar character set has been discussed by Colonel Khin Maung Lwin in his paper presented in MLIT4 held in Yangon two days ago, 26-27 Oct 1999.

 

 

3.       Issues of IT Standardization in Myanmar

1.       MCF has been formed just one year ago.  The IT Standardization was not much done as mentioned above.  But it is quite a satisfactory that encoding Myanmar character set is successfully resolved in ISO 10646.

2.       There still left for Myanmar Computer Federation

a.       to construct a global information infrastructure GII

b.       to standardize and localize the Myanmar Set and

c.       to create a global information Network so as information transfer can be done between Myanmar and other international bodies.

3.       MCF has to compromise with the inventors of the Myanmar Character fonts for the unification of the Keyboard layout.

4.       As it is a very difficult situation to standardize training certificates of different computer training centers, MCSA should be encouraged to promote the MCSA Exam Certificate in a very near future, and for Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas leading up to a preferable Degree Course to be run by private centers.

5.       Copy Rights (or Intellectual Property Rights) should be imposed to safeguard the national scientists and technicians for their inventions in (bespoken, tailored) software and hardware.

6.       Due to the rapid development of standardization of information technology in the world, public should be given the awareness of the existing standards to be adopted.  We should pay close attention to the standards in the scope of interface, processing and security of information so as to give an impetus to developing Myanmar computer communication, software, coding techniques as well as other related fields.

 

 

Conclusion:

              Myanmar Computer Federation was formed only one year ago (15 Oct 1998) and not much has been done in standardizing IT.  But it is a satisfactory that MCF could participate up to a certain level in encoding Myanmar Character Set in ISO 10646 and trying to carry out the remaining standardization processes such as localization, globalization and GIS global information system.  It is sure that Myanmar IT family will try their best for IT Standardization.