Monthly Roundup: Generalities, Terminology, Standardization, Documentation Standards from May 2025

Looking back at May 2025, the Generalities, Terminology, Standardization, Documentation field demonstrated its crucial role in underpinning a wide range of technical sectors. This period saw the release of five standards, each contributing to greater terminological clarity, process harmonization, and data interoperability. For professionals working in quality management, compliance, engineering, research, and procurement, understanding these developments is essential to maintaining relevant and effective documentation and supporting organizational competence.

Monthly Overview: May 2025

May 2025 represented a significant step forward in the refinement and advancement of terminology and documentation practices. Notable themes emerged from this month's publications—such as the pursuit of precision in scientific language, new methodologies for evaluating societal impacts, and increased attention to semantic interoperability in digital resources. Compared to prior months, the focus shifted more toward areas where terminology supports not only hardware or procedural innovation but also assessment, analytics, and knowledge management in cultural and technology domains.

The publication cadence also reflected the growing demand for standards that bridge physical apparatus (e.g., light microscopes), organizational operations (impact measurement for museums), and complex information resource management (semantic annotation frameworks for measurable quantitative data). This suggests a sector pivoting towards more integrated and interoperable practices, aiming to address contemporary challenges in documentation, reporting, and automated information processing.

Standards Published This Month

ISO 10934:2025 – Vocabulary for Light Microscopy

Microscopes – Vocabulary for light microscopy

This second edition of ISO 10934 provides comprehensive and standardized terms and definitions for the field of light microscopy, extending to advanced imaging techniques. As a cornerstone reference for professionals in optics, manufacturing, quality assurance, and scientific research, it enables clear and universal communication concerning microscopy components, imaging artifacts, and sophisticated configurations.

The 2025 revision has introduced numerous new terms relevant to both traditional and advanced modalities—like airy beam, Bessel beam, spatially coherent illumination, microlens, light sheet fluorescence microscopy, and digital sensor types (e.g., sCMOS, CCD, EMCCD). Previous entries have also been revised for editorial consistency and technical accuracy.

Key requirements include:

• Updated and expanded vocabulary for classic and modern light microscopy concepts
• Definitions covering optical phenomena, digital imaging, advanced hardware, and evaluation methodologies
• Harmonization with terminology from related optics standards (such as ISO 19012-1 and -2)

This standard is intended for:

• Optical engineers and system designers
• Laboratory managers and research scientists
• Quality and procurement personnel specifying optical instrumentation It plays a crucial role in procurement, equipment comparison, compliance, and troubleshooting. By aligning terminology, it strengthens interoperability across international supply chains, technical documentation, and academic publications.

Key highlights:

• Major additions of digital imaging and advanced technique terms
• Clarified and updated classical definitions (e.g., aberrations, objective types)
• Supports both hardware procurement and advanced research applications

Access the full standard:View ISO 10934:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 16687:2025 – Impact Assessment for Museums

Impact assessment for museums

ISO 16687:2025 delineates a suite of methodologies for measuring and assessing the societal, cultural, economic, and educational influence of museums. This standard reflects an increasing maturity in the management of cultural assets, emphasizing transparency and evidence-based reporting to stakeholders, funding bodies, and the wider public.

Structured around a variety of assessment techniques, the standard provides guidance for:

• Inferred evidence (e.g., statistical indicators, satisfaction surveys, media coverage)
• Observed evidence (e.g., direct observations, citation analysis, focused tests)
• Solicited evidence (e.g., impact surveys, interviews, focus groups, combined/qualitative approaches)

While it excludes the discussion of quality indicators for museums (referencing ISO 21246), ISO 16687 highlights the nuances and challenges of measuring intangible outcomes—such as long-term social resonance or nuanced shifts in visitor perception. Notably, its frameworks are adaptable to museums of all sizes and specializations, though the choice of methods should reflect each institution’s context.

This standard is relevant for:

• Museum administrators and curators
• Cultural heritage managers
• Policy makers and grant assessors
• Researchers in cultural studies and public service evaluation Its introduction signals a broader push for accountability, value demonstration, and the leveraging of data-driven policy in the cultural sector.

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative assessment methods
• Guidance on presenting results to diverse stakeholders
• Emphasis on adaptability and transparency in evaluation

Access the full standard:View ISO 16687:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 24617-15:2025 – Semantic Annotation Framework (SemAF): Measurable Quantitative Information Extraction (MQIE)

Language resource management – Semantic annotation framework (SemAF) – Part 15: Measurable quantitative information extraction (MQIE)

ISO 24617-15:2025 marks a technical milestone by formalizing a scheme for Measurable Quantitative Information Extraction (MQIE) within digital language resources. Developed under the umbrella of the ISO 24617 series, this new part addresses the critical gap in natural language processing (NLP), information retrieval (IR), and data interoperability—where extracting, standardizing, and analyzing measurable quantities (e.g., numbers with units, temporal durations, spatial measures) is foundational for intelligent systems and automated workflows.

The standard establishes:

• A four-strategy extraction model: manual, semi-automated, automated, and hybrid approaches
• Clear requirements for generalizability, independence (from specific domains or languages), completeness, normalization to SI and other standard units, compatibility, assessability, and interpretability
• A structured workflow: preprocessing, element identification (entity, measure, relator), link identification (measure and comparison), measure normalization, verification and filtering
• Interoperability with preceding parts of ISO 24617, allowing integration with existing annotation standards

Primary users include:

• Developers of NLP, IR, and AI systems needing standardized extraction of quantitative information
• Research groups in linguistic resource management
• Organizations handling multilingual, multidisciplinary technical documentation

By bridging diverse application domains, ISO 24617-15 helps ensure accurate, consistent annotation and extraction of quantitative data across scientific, financial, medical, and engineering texts.

Key highlights:

• Formalization of a multi-stage quantitative information extraction scheme
• Strict adherence to normalization and structuring rules
• Foundation for automated compliance with further machine-processing standards

Access the full standard:View ISO 24617-15:2025 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

A close analysis of May 2025’s standards in the Generalities, Terminology, Standardization, Documentation sector reveals several intersecting trends:

• Emphasis on Digital Interoperability: With the release of ISO 24617-15, there is a clear focus on the intersection of language technology and quantitative data analysis. As digital transformation affects documentation and information management, semantic standardization becomes indispensable.
• Alignment with Evidence-Based Practice: Both ISO 16687 and the new microscopy vocabulary (ISO 10934) underscore the movement toward standardized, transparent assessment—be it in societal value or technical capability. This aligns with broader trends in public reporting, benchmarking, and international comparability.
• Expansion of Terminology in Response to Technology: ISO 10934:2025 demonstrates linguistic adaptation to newer devices and analytical methodologies in microscopy, paralleling the proliferation of digital sensor types and computational imaging techniques in scientific labs.
• Cross-Sectoral Applicability: Notably, the standards are relevant across diverse fields—including research labs, museums, AI technology providers, and public service organizations—showing the foundational role of robust standardization in all sectors that rely on precise communication and trustworthy data.
• Ongoing Focus on Accessibility and Usability: Both in language (clearer definitions, harmonized vocabularies) and in process (straightforward assessment and extraction frameworks), these standards strive for accessibility to users of varying expertise, supporting organizations in streamlining their documentation and compliance efforts.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations, swift adoption of these standards is pivotal to maintain technical consistency and regulatory alignment. Key considerations include:

• Review and Update Internal Documentation: Ensure all technical documents, user manuals, and SOPs for microscopy, museum operations, or language resources reflect the latest terminology and methodologies.
• Training and Stakeholder Communication: Engage staff in training sessions to familiarize them with new vocabularies, impact assessment approaches, or annotation workflows to reduce ambiguity and improve reporting quality.
• Process Integration: For those adopting ISO 16687 or ISO 24617-15, integrate recommended frameworks and workflows directly into planning, evaluation, and digital resource management systems.
• Compliance Timeline: While ISO standards typically allow a period for transition, prompt adherence can provide competitive and operational advantages. Early adopters are often better positioned to interface with external partners and regulatory bodies.
• Resources: Leverage official guidance materials, attend informational webinars, and consider specialist consultancy where standards demand high technical or digital sophistication.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from May 2025

May 2025 was notable for standards advancing the clarity, interoperability, and evaluative rigor in the Generalities, Terminology, Standardization, Documentation domain. The revised ISO 10934 brings vocabulary up-to-date for contemporary microscopy; ISO 16687 introduces a structured, transparent approach to evaluating the societal impacts of museums; and ISO 24617-15 establishes a technical foundation for measurable quantitative information extraction, accelerating progress in digital knowledge management and artificial intelligence.

For professionals, compliance with these standards is not merely a requirement—it is a strategic investment in organizational clarity, operational efficiency, and international credibility. Regular review of standards activity, as synthesized in this monthly roundup, is thus essential for informed decision-making, resource planning, and cross-sectoral collaboration.

Explore the full standards on iTeh Standards to ensure your organization remains current, compliant, and competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape:

• ISO 10934:2025 – Microscopes – Vocabulary for light microscopy
• ISO 16687:2025 – Impact assessment for museums
• ISO 24617-15:2025 – Semantic annotation framework (SemAF) – Measurable quantitative information extraction (MQIE)

Keep up-to-date with all ongoing developments at iTeh Standards to support your professional practice and sector leadership.