Standards Production Needs a Structured Digital Foundation
Austrian Standards produces around 60 of its own standards each year and implements approximately 1,050 CEN documents. The Create! platform, developed together with EBCONT over many years, supports national standardization processes and metadata management.
Growing requirements for automation and digital products called for a modernization of the existing system landscape. The goal was an XML-first architecture that replaces legacy systems and integrates external systems. Structured content would provide the foundation for automated workflows and further uses of the standards.
A Connected Workflow Turns PDFs into Structured Standards
EBCONT supports Austrian Standards as a systems integrator. SiteFusion CMS and the Fonto XML Editor form the core of the new architecture.
The implemented workflow starts with existing PDF content. Samosa automatically creates German-language XML drafts from these documents. The drafts then move through SiteFusion for quality assurance and process management before becoming available in Create! for standards production.
Camunda automates the processes defined in BPMN 2.0. The technical setup includes XML, DITA, and NISO-STS. Typefi and InDesign support largely automated PDF production.
This connects the structured preparation of existing content with subsequent processing and production.
AI Services Support Content Production and Discovery
The solution integrates AI services for metadata creation and tagging. Intelligent search and automated alt-text generation also support content discovery and accessibility.
The infrastructure runs on-premises on Kubernetes. This deployment supports Austrian Standards’ high requirements for data sovereignty.
Machine-Readable Standards Provide a Foundation for New Digital Offerings
SMART Standards gives Austrian Standards the technical foundation to further develop its standards production. The workflow from PDF through Samosa and SiteFusion to Create! is already implemented, providing a basis for additional digital offerings.
Connecting ONE for digital products and new business models is planned as a next step. Multichannel publishing and additional digital services are future opportunities enabled by the structured content.
Erich Zeisl, Head of Production at Austrian Standards, describes the value of the project:
“With SMART Standards, we make standards machine-readable, more efficient to produce, and the foundation for new digital services.”
Looking to automate your content production and make content available for new digital offerings? Contact Jürgen Ritschka-Kohl to discuss the next steps for your organization.