Proposed Updates to ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2005 

UTF8, GPS, Tracking Subcommittee 

Scott Hills, Aware, Inc. 

Rob Mungovan, Aware, Inc. 

Dale Hapeman, DOD-BFC 

Tony Misslin, Identix 

Bonny Scheier, Sabre 

Ralph Lessman, Smiths-Heimann 

UTF-8 for User Defined Fields 

Change to Section 6.1 File Format 

The second paragraph restricts text or character data in Type 2 and Type 9 through Type 

16 records to 7-bit ASCII code. This should be modified to allow 8-bit UTF-8 characters 

in all user defined fields within these records. 

Proposed wording change to paragraph 2: 

After the first sentence: 

“The text or character data in Type-2, and Type-9 through Type-16 records will normally 

be recorded using 7-bit ASCII code in variable length fields with specified upper limits 

on the size of the fields.” 

... Add this... 

“Eight bit UTF-8 characters shall be allowed to support international character sets for all 

user defined fields in all record types. By definition this excludes record types 1, 3, 4, 5, 

6 and 8.” 

The third paragraph should be changed to suggest UTF-8 as the preferred way of storing 

data that cannot be represented in 7-bit ASCII. 

Proposed wording change to paragraph 3: 

After the first sentence: 

“For data interchange between non-English speaking agencies, character sets other than 

7-bit ASCII may be used in textual fields contained in Type-2 and Type-9 through Type16 records.” 

... Add this... 

“UTF-8 is the preferred method of storing textual data that cannot be represented as 7 bit 

ASCII.” 
Change to Section 7.2.3 International character sets 

... at the very end of this section add this text... 

“Usage of UTF-8 is allowed as an alternative to the technique that requires the usage of 

the ASCII “STX” and “ETX” characters to signify the beginning or end of of 

international characters. UTF-8 is only allowed to be used for user defined fields, for 

example, record type 2, and the UDF fields (200-998) of record types 10, 13, 14, and 

15.” 

... and add this text... 

“Even though there is no overlap within the character sets used with UTF-8, UTF-8 

should be registered in the type 1 record within the DCS field 1.15 (Directory of 

Character Sets). “ 

Rationale: 

NIST ITL-2000 reads “...The DCS is an ordered list of 3 information items containing an 

identifying code, the name of an international character set, and its version.” 

Because UTF-8 supports the full range of character sets, but the terminals (UNIX or 

Windows based workstations) have only the fonts for a subset of all character sets 

installed, the used character set should also be registered at the DCS field. 

Change to Section 8.1.15: Directory of character sets(DCS) 

After the second sentence:“This field shall contain one or more subfields, each with three 

information items. The first information item is the three-character identifier for the 

character set index number that references an associated character set throughout the 

transaction file. The second information item shall be the common name for the character 

set associated with that index number, the optional third information item is the specific 

version of the character set used.” 

... add this text... 

”In the case of the use of UTF-8, the third optional information item can be used to hold 

the specific version of the character set used with UTF-8, so that the human terminal can 

be switched to the right font family. 

Example

1.015:003<US>UTF-8<US>Chinese BIG5<GS>” 
 

Change to Table 4, page 16 

Add a new character set index. 

003, UTF-8, 8-bit (addition) 

004-127, reserved for ANSI/NIST future use (modification)