NMEA receives ANSI accreditation
SEVERNA PARK, Md. — The National Marine Electronics Association has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute as a standards-developing organization, NMEA said in a release Monday.
“The ANSI accreditation means a great deal in terms of the credibility of the NMEA standards to the marine industry on a global scale,” said Steve Spitzer, NMEA’s technical director. “The accreditation demonstrates that the NMEA has matured and has perfected a solid process for developing standards. This means that our processes are in line with ANSI requirements which are recognized worldwide.”
NMEA is best known in standards development for its NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 standards that allow communication and networking of onboard marine electronics worldwide, as well as the NMEA Installation Standards that provide a solid frame of reference for proper and safe installation of electronics on vessels, the organization said.
“There is no question that the ANSI accreditation gives us [NMEA] high standing in the marketplace,” said David Hayden, NMEA’s president and executive director. “It allows us to write and submit standards for certification, knowing that we have developed sound processes that lead to high quality standards that will be readily recognized worldwide. It also tells all of our partners that NMEA is accepted as a highly skilled standards developing organization.
“In order for an organization like NMEA to win ANSI accreditation, it must develop and demonstrate a repeatable development process that is grounded on consensus building from of a group of subject matter experts and industry interests. In winning accreditation, the NMEA has demonstrated that it has the expertise, the process and the consensus-building model that is crucial to standards development as required by ANSI.”
More than 35 manufacturers of marine electronics have certified nearly 100 products to the NMEA 2000 Standard, NMEA reported. The NMEA 2000® Standard offers a means for marine electronics devices to interface and communicate with each other.
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