ISO/IEC 20924:2021

Internet of Things (IoT) - Vocabulary

ISO/IEC 20924:2021 is available as ISO/IEC 20924:2021 RLV which contains the International Standard and its Redline version, showing all changes of the technical content compared to the previous edition.
ISO/IEC 20924:2021 (E) provides a definition of Internet of Things along with a set of terms and definitions. This document is a terminology foundation for the Internet of Things.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 15-Mar-2021
• ICS: 35.020 - Information technology (IT) in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 41 - Internet of Things and Digital Twin
• Drafting Committee: WG 3 - ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 41/WG 3

Relations

• Revises: ISO/IEC 20924:2018 - Internet of Things (IoT) - Vocabulary
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revised: ISO/IEC 20924:2024 - Internet of Things (IoT) and digital twin - Vocabulary
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

ISO/IEC 20924
Edition 2.0 2021-03
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Internet of things (IoT) – Vocabulary

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about
ISO/IEC copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address
below or your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Central Office Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

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The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
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containing more than 22 000 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and
and French, with equivalent terms in 18 additional languages.
once a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
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If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].
ISO/IEC 20924
Edition 2.0 2021-03
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Internet of things (IoT) – Vocabulary

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 35.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-9499-4

– 2 – ISO/IEC 20924:2021 © ISO/IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Terms and definitions . 4
3.1 General terms . 4
3.2 Internet of Things specific terms . 8
Bibliography . 10

INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) –
VOCABULARY
FOREWORD
1) ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established
by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical
committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-
governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC and ISO on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an
international consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation
from all interested IEC and ISO National bodies.
3) IEC and ISO documents have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC and
ISO National bodies in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of
IEC and ISO documents is accurate, IEC and ISO cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are
used or for any misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC and ISO National bodies undertake to apply IEC and
ISO documents transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any
divergence between any IEC and ISO document and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be
clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC and ISO do not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC and ISO marks of conformity. IEC and ISO are not
responsible for any services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this document.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC and ISO or their directors, employees, servants or agents including individual
experts and members of its technical committees and IEC and ISO National bodies for any personal injury,
property damage or other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including
legal fees) and expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this ISO/IEC document or any
other IEC and ISO documents.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this document. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this document.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this ISO/IEC document may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC and ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard ISO/IEC 20924 has been prepared by subcommittee 41: Internet of
Things and related technologies, of ISO/IEC joint technical committee 1: Information
technology.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2018. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
a) addition of new terms (safety, wearable device, data acquisition functional system,
transport interoperability, etc) which are used in other ISO/IEC IoT related standards;
b) update of some definitions (data, data store, discovery service, etc.) to align with current
usage in other IoT standards.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
JTC1-SC41/195/FDIS JTC1-SC41/209/RVD

Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

– 4 – ISO/IEC 20924:2021 © ISO/IEC 2021
INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) –
VOCABULARY
1 Scope
This document provides a definition of Internet of Things along with a set of terms and
definitions. This document is a terminology foundation for the Internet of Things.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1 General terms
3.1.1
address
value that can be used to identify an endpoint, which can designate the originating
source or destination of data being transmitted
3.1.2
application
software designed to fulfil a particular purpose
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 24713-2:2008, 4.1, modified – "program or piece of" has been removed
from the beginning of the definition.]
3.1.3
architecture
set of fundamental concepts or properties of a system in its environment embodied
in its elements, relationships, and in the principles of its design and evolution
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011, 3.2, modified – "set of" has been added to the
beginning of the definition.]
3.1.4
asset
entity that has value and is either owned by or under the custody of an individual, an
organization, a government, or other groups

3.1.5
availability
property of being accessible and usable upon demand by an authorized entity
Note 1 to entry: IoT systems can include both human users and service components as "authorized entities".
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 27000:2018, 3.7]
3.1.6
characteristic
abstraction of a property of an entity or of a set of entities
[SOURCE: ISO 18104:2014, 3.1.4]
3.1.7
cloud computing
paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or
virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17788:2014, 3.2.5]
3.1.8
cloud service
one or more capabilities offered via cloud computing invoked using a defined interface
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17788:2014, 3.2.8]
3.1.9
cloud service provider
party which makes cloud services available
[SOUR
...

ISO/IEC 20924
Edition 2.0 2021-03
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Internet of things (IoT) – Vocabulary

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from

either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about
ISO/IEC copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address

below or your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Central Office Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC online collection - oc.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced have access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 000 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and
and French, with equivalent terms in 18 additional languages.
once a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc

If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].
ISO/IEC 20924
Edition 2.0 2021-03
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Internet of things (IoT) – Vocabulary

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 35.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-9588-5

– 2 – ISO/IEC 20924:2021 RLV © ISO/IEC 2021

CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3

1 Scope . 5

2 Normative references . 5

3 Terms and definitions . 5

3.1 General terms . 5

3.2 Internet of Things specific terms . 9

Bibliography . 12

INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) –
VOCABULARY
FOREWORD
1) ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical

Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of

ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established
by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical

committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-

governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.

2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC and ISO on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an

international consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation
from all interested IEC and ISO National bodies.
3) IEC and ISO documents have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC and
ISO National bodies in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of
IEC and ISO documents is accurate, IEC and ISO cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are
used or for any misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC and ISO National bodies undertake to apply IEC and
ISO documents transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any
divergence between any IEC and ISO document and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be
clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC and ISO do not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC and ISO marks of conformity. IEC and ISO are not
responsible for any services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this document.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC and ISO or their directors, employees, servants or agents including individual
experts and members of its technical committees and IEC and ISO National bodies for any personal injury,
property damage or other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including
legal fees) and expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this ISO/IEC document or any
other IEC and ISO documents.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this document. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this document.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this ISO/IEC document may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC and ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This redline version of the official IEC Standard allows the user to identify the changes made to
the previous edition ISO/IEC 20924:2018. A vertical bar appears in the margin wherever a
change has been made. Additions are in green text, deletions are in strikethrough red text.

– 4 – ISO/IEC 20924:2021 RLV © ISO/IEC 2021

International Standard ISO/IEC 20924 has been prepared by subcommittee 41: Internet of

Things and related technologies, of ISO/IEC joint technical committee 1: Information

technology.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2018. This edition

constitutes a technical revision.

This edition includes the following technical changes with respect to the previous edition:

a) addition of new terms (safety, wearable device, data acquisition functional system,

transport interoperability, etc) which are used in other ISO/IEC IoT related standards;

b) update of some definitions (data, data store, discovery service, etc.) to align with current
usage in other IoT standards.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
JTC1-SC41/195/FDIS JTC1-SC41/209/RVD

Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates that it
contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding of its
contents. Users should therefore print this document using a colour printer.

INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) –
VOCABULARY
1 Scope
This document provides a definition of Internet of Things along with a set of terms and
definitions. This document is a terminology foundation for the Internet of Things.

2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1 General terms
3.1.1
address
value that can be used to identify an endpoint, which can designate the originating
source or destination of data being transmitted
3.1.2
application
software designed to fulfil a particular purpose
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 24713-2:2008, 4.1, modified – "program or piece of" has been removed
from the beginning of the definition.]
3.1.3
architecture
set of fundamental concepts or properties of a system in its environment embodied
in its elements, relationships, and in the principles of its design and evolution
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011, 3.2, modified – "set of" has been added to the
beginning of the definition.]
3.1.4
asset
physical entity or digital entity that has value to an individual, an organization or a government
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 27032:2012, 4.6, modified – "anything" has been replaced by "physical
entity or digital entity" at the beginning of the definition.]
entity that has value and is either owned by or under the custody of an individual, an
organization, a government, or other groups

– 6 – ISO/IEC 20924:2021 RLV © ISO/IEC 2021

3.1.5
availability
property of being accessible and usable upon demand by an authorized entity

Note 1 to entry: IoT systems can include both human users and service components as "authorized entities".

[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 27000:2018, 3.7]

3.1.6
characteristic
abstraction of a property of an entity or of a set of entities

[SOURCE: ISO 18104:2014, 3.1.4]
3.1.7
cloud computing
paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or
virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17788:2014, 3.2.5]
3.1.8
cloud service
one or more capabilities offered via cloud computing invoked using a defined interface
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17788:2014, 3.2.8]
3.1.9
cloud service provider
party which makes cloud services available
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17788:2014, 3.2.15]
3.1.10
compliance
characteristic of conformance to rules, such as those defined by a law, a regulation, a
standard, or a policy
3.1.11
component
modular, deployable, and replaceable part of a system that encapsulates implementation and

exposes a set of interfaces
[SOURCE: ISO 14813-5:2010, B.1.31, modified – "that encapsulates implementation and
exposes a set of interfaces" has been deleted from the end of the definition.]
3.1.12
confidentiality
property that information is not made available or disclosed to unauthorized individuals,
entities, or processes
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 27000:2018, 3.10]
3.1.13
data
symbol or symbols represented in a digital and formalized manner suitable for communication,
storage, interpretation or processing

3.1.14
data store
persistent repository for digital information data

Note 1 to entry: A data store can be accessed by a single entity or shared by multiple entities via a network or

other connection.
3.1.15
digital entity
computational element and/or data element

Note 1 to entry: A digital entity can exist as in several forms, including a cloud service or as a service in a data

centre, or as a network element or as an IoT gateway.
3.1.16
discovery service
service to find unknown resources, entities or services based on a specification of the desired
target
Note 1 to entry: A discovery service can be used by a human user or a digital user.
3.1.17
endpoint
component that exposes or uses one or more network interfaces
3.1.18
entity
thing (physical or non-physical) having a distinct existence
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 15459-3:2014, 3.1]
3.1.19
functional component
functional building block needed to engage in an activity, backed by an implementation
Note 1 to entry: See also "component", which is a superset containing all functional components and other types
of component that are deployable.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17789:2014, 3.2.3, modified – Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.1.20
human user
natural person who uses a system

3.1.21
identifier
information that unambiguously distinguishes one entity from other entities in a given identity
context
3.1.22
identity context
environment where an entity can use a set of attributes for identification be sufficiently
identified by a certain set of its attributes and values
3.1.23
information
data that within a certain context has a particular meaning

– 8 – ISO/IEC 20924:2021 RLV © ISO/IEC 2021

3.1.24
interface
shared boundary between two functional components, defined by various characteristics

pertaining to the functions, physical interconnections, signal exchanges, and other

characteristics, as appropriate

[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 13066-1:2011, 2.15, modified – In the definition, "units" has been

replaced by "components"; ", as appropriate" has been deleted from the end of the definition.]

3.1.25
interoperability
ability of two or more systems or applications to exchange information and to
...