2025_programme: The work of ISO TC43 SC3 on international standardization in underwater acoustics

• Day: June 17, Tuesday
    Location / Time: A. TERPSIHORI at 14:30-14:50
• Last minutes changes: -
• Session: 20. Underwater acoustic calibration, measurement, and standards
  Organiser(s): Will Slater
  Chairperson(s): Stephen Robinson, Will Slater
• Lecture: The work of ISO TC43 SC3 on international standardization in underwater acoustics [Invited]
  Paper ID: 2345
  Author(s): Stephen Robinson, Michael Ainslie, Alex MacGillivray, Michele Halvorsen
  Presenter: Stephen Robinson
  Abstract: Although the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has had a long history of providing specification standards for airborne sound, until 2011 this was not the case for underwater acoustics. In that year, Technical Committee 43 (TC43) began its first standardization work in this field, which led to the formation of Sub-Committee 3 (SC3) within TC43 with George Frisk as Chair. Prior to this, some standardization had been undertaken within naval institutes for specific applications, and for hydrophone and transducer calibration within TC87 of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). A primary motivation for the ISO work was the need for standard methods for measuring sound in the ocean in support of incipient legislation and regulation as marine noise pollution became a recognised environmental issue. More general motives were the need for an unambiguous language for communication between concerned scientists and engineers (in academia, government, industry, and environmental organizations), and to enable fair comparisons between measurement data from different sources. \nThe scope of ISO TC43 SC3 is very broad, covering standardization in the field of underwater acoustics (including natural, biological, and anthropogenic sound), including methods of measurement and assessment of the generation, propagation and reception of underwater sound and its reflection and scattering in the underwater environment including the seabed, sea surface and biological organisms, and also including all aspects of the effects of underwater sound on the underwater environment and marine life. The work of SC3 is divided into Working Groups (WGs) covering topics such as terminology, bioacoustics, the measurement of key noise sources such as ships and marine construction, measurement of ambient sound, and active sonar calibration with standard targets. This has led to the publication of six seminal standards in the period 2016-2024, with two more key standards due in the summer of 2025. This paper describes the technical content and background of the standards already produced by TC43 SC3, as well as the current work programme which will lead to new standards in the next few years. Some of the key gaps in standardization which remain to be filled are identified, and the means for interested experts to engage with standardization process are explained. \n
• Corresponding author: Mr Stephen Robinson
  Affiliation: National Physical Laboratory
  Country: United Kingdom