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BS ISO IEC 02382 — Information Technology Vocabulary (Learning and Biometrics) Series
Information technology — Vocabulary
BS ISO/IEC 2382-36:2013 · BS ISO/IEC 2382-37:2017
BS ISO/IEC 2382-36:2013 · BS ISO/IEC 2382-37:2017
💻 BS ISO/IEC 2382 is the joint ISO/IEC vocabulary standard for information technology, published in the United Kingdom by BSI. The standard is organised into dozens of parts, each normalising the terms and definitions of a technical domain. This article covers two of those parts in the batch: Part 36: Learning, education and training and Part 37: Biometrics. UK participation for the former was coordinated by Technical Committee IST/43 (Information technology for learning, education and training) and for the latter by IST/44 (Biometrics). Unified, standardised IT terminology is the foundation of software engineering, standards interoperability and cross-language communication.
💡 The value of a terminology standard lies in “one term, one meaning”: whether drafting national standards, writing software requirements or integrating across systems, using ISO/IEC 2382 definitions reduces ambiguity and grounds technical communication in a common language.
1. Background and Positioning of the Standard Series 📌
ISO/IEC 2382 is one of the oldest and broadest foundational vocabulary standards in the IT industry, providing authoritative term definitions for the whole sector. Each part is maintained by its corresponding expert committee: Part 36 serves education informatisation and e-learning, while Part 37 serves the rapidly evolving field of biometric identity verification. Both are published in English-French bilingual form (some editions E/F), reflecting the international character of ISO/IEC standards.
For practitioners, mastering these definitions helps in understanding related technical specifications, participating in standardisation and certification, and citing terms accurately in contracts to avoid disputes caused by unclear definitions.
2. Standard Series Structure and Document List 📋
| Standard | Title | Content Focus |
|---|---|---|
| BS ISO/IEC 2382-36:2013 | Information technology — Vocabulary — Part 36: Learning, education and training | Terms for learning, education and training (including e-learning), second edition |
| BS ISO/IEC 2382-37:2017 | Information technology — Vocabulary — Part 37: Biometrics | Terms for biometrics, grouped into general concepts, systems, data, devices and functioning, second edition |
⚠️ ISO/IEC 2382 is a large multi-part vocabulary system; this batch contains only Parts 36 and 37. When reading and citing, verify the specific part number and never mix terms from different parts.
3. Part 36 — Terms for Learning, Education and Training 🎓
BS ISO/IEC 2382-36:2013 follows the unified entry organisation principles of the ISO/IEC 2382 series: each terminology entry contains the term, abbreviation, definition, examples and related entries, arranged by conceptual classification. The second edition revises and extends the first, covering concepts such as educational technology, e-learning, learning management systems (LMS), content objects, learner models, assessment and certification. The standard defines key terms such as “learner”, “learning object”, “courseware”, “learning resource” and “skills assessment”, providing a common semantic basis for the design and interoperability of education information systems.
In practice, the part helps to align terminology across learning platforms, support understanding of content packaging standards (SCORM-like approaches), and standardise field definitions in educational data exchange.
4. Part 37 — Terms for Biometrics 👤
BS ISO/IEC 2382-37:2017 is the authoritative terminology standard for the biometrics field; the second edition supersedes the first. The standard groups terms into several sets:
- General concept terms: biometrics, biometric characteristic, individual, feature, etc.
- Biometric system terms: enrolment, capture, comparison, identification, verification and other system functions.
- Terms for data in biometric systems: biometric sample, template, feature data, etc.
- Device terms: sensor, capture device, comparison device, etc.
- Functioning terms: concepts describing system operation and performance.
This terminology works alongside standards such as ISO/IEC 30107 (presentation attack detection), ISO/IEC 19794 (biometric data interchange formats) and ISO/IEC 19795 (biometric performance testing), and is the foundation for biometric product development, evaluation and compliance.
5. Engineering and Implementation Practice 🛠️
- 📋 Documentation standardisation: use ISO/IEC 2382 definitions in software requirements, technical proposals and contracts to reduce terminological ambiguity.
- 🔗 System interoperability: when developing education platforms and biometric systems, map data fields according to standard terms to support cross-system integration.
- 🧪 Testing and compliance: reference Part 37 terminology in biometric product evaluation to stay consistent with related test standards.
- 🌐 Multilingual communication: use the bilingual definitions in the standard for international technical exchange and localisation.
🚨 Biometrics involves sensitive personal data; accurate terminology directly affects regulatory compliance and risk assessment. If core concepts such as “identification/verification” or “template/sample” are misused, scheme design and compliance judgements may go wrong.
6. Frequently Asked Questions ❓
Q1: Is ISO/IEC 2382 one standard or many?
It is a large multi-part standard; each part covers a technical domain (e.g. Part 36 education and training, Part 37 biometrics) and can be purchased and cited separately.
It is a large multi-part standard; each part covers a technical domain (e.g. Part 36 education and training, Part 37 biometrics) and can be purchased and cited separately.
Q2: How do “identification” and “verification” differ in Part 37?
Verification is a 1-to-1 confirmation of a claimed identity; identification is a 1-to-many determination of identity. The terminology standard clearly distinguishes the two.
Verification is a 1-to-1 confirmation of a claimed identity; identification is a 1-to-many determination of identity. The terminology standard clearly distinguishes the two.
Q3: What standards are related to the education part?
It relates to learning content exchange (e.g. SCORM), LMS interoperability and educational data exchange; its terms provide the basis for understanding those technologies.
It relates to learning content exchange (e.g. SCORM), LMS interoperability and educational data exchange; its terms provide the basis for understanding those technologies.
Q4: Is it available only in English?
ISO/IEC standards are typically published in English-French, with some editions including other official languages, to support consistent citation in multilingual environments.
ISO/IEC standards are typically published in English-French, with some editions including other official languages, to support consistent citation in multilingual environments.
Q5: What practical use does a terminology standard have for developers?
It provides authoritative definitions that help teams align vocabulary, reduce requirement ambiguity, support documentation and code-comment conventions, and align with international standards.
It provides authoritative definitions that help teams align vocabulary, reduce requirement ambiguity, support documentation and code-comment conventions, and align with international standards.