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DIRECTOR  OF  CENTRAL  INTELLIGENCE  DIRECTIVE  NO.  1/75 
DATA  ELEMENT  AND  CODE  STANDARDIZATION  FOR 
INTELLIGENCE  AND  INTELLIGENCE  INFORMATION 
(Effective  14  October  1969) 
Pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  NSCED  No.  1  (New  Series,  Revised  4 
March  1964) ,  paragraph  3.b.  (2) ,  a  policy  promoting  data  elements  and 
code  standards  for  intelligence  and  intelligence  information  is  hereby 
established. 
Definitions 
1.  This  Directive  specifically  applies  to,  but  is  not  necessarily  limited 
to,  National  Intelligence  and  Interdepartmental  Intelligence  as  denned 
in  NSCID  No.  1,  paragraphs  4.a.  and  4.c.  respectively. 
2.  The  definitions  of  data,  element,  data  code,  general  and  program 
standards  are: x 
i 
t 
\ 
a.  A  data  element  is  a  grouping  of  informational  units  which  has  a 
unique  meaning  based  on  a  natural  or  assigned  relationship  and  sub- 
categories (data  items)  of  distinct  units  or  values.  For  example, 
"month"  is  a  data  element  whose  data  items  are  "January",  "Feb- 
ruary", "March",  etc. 
b.  A  data  code  is  a  number,  letter,  symbol  or  any  combination  thereof 
used  to  represent  a  data  element  or  a  data  item. 
c.  Federal  program  standards  are  "for  use  in  particular  related 
programs  concerning  more  than  one  agency.  Examples  are  data 
elements  and  codes  usually  limited  to  use  in  .  .  .  unique  systems.  In 
these  cases,  the  same  source  data  often  are  used  by  several  agencies, 
and  aggregation  and  exchange  of  information  on  a  program  basis  are 
the  rule." 
d.  Federal  general  standards  are  "for  general  use  by  most  agencies 
in  connection  with  an  extensive  number  and  variety  of  related  or 
unrelated  data  systems  and  programs." 
3.  For  the  purpose  of  this  Directive,  intelligence  falls  into  the  federal 
program  standards  area.  Intelligence  standards  fall  within  and  are 
restricted  by  the  foregoing  definitions. 
'Defined In  the  Bureau  of  Budget  Circular  No.  A-86,  30  September  1957.  Subject: 
"Standardization  of  Data  Elements  and  Codes  in  Data  Systems." 
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Policy 
4.  The  policy  established  hereby  is  to  promote  the  use  of  standards  in 
the  exchange  of  intelligence  and  intelligence  information  to  achieve  an 
optimum  level  of  compatibility  among  information  handling  systems 
in  the  USIB  community. 
Responsibility 
5.  The  Intelligence  Information  Handling  Committee  (IHC)2  will 
establish  methods  and  procedures  for  developing  and  mamtaining  data 
elements,  data  codes,  and  related  features  to  be  used  in  the  intelligence 
community.  The  development  of  a  U.S.  Intelligence  Standards  Program 
should: 
a.  Be  within  the  framework  of  the  standards  program  for  the 
executive  branch  of  the  government. 
b.  Be  compatible  with  the  missions,  directives,  and  agreements  under 
which  member  agencies  must  operate. 
c.  Support,  and  be  supported  by  the  data  standardization  programs 
of  member  agencies. 
Consideration  should  be  given  to  the  many  functional  and  economic 
aspects  of  establishing,  promulgating,  and  implementing  standards. 
Richard  Helms 
Director  of  Central  Intelligence 
( 
•DCID  No.  1/4  (New  Series),  effective  4  April  1968.