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The Data Keel of Applied AI

21 October, 2025

Written by Christian D. Grahn

Just as a ship’s keel ensures balance and direction, standards like ISO 8000, OREDA, UNSPSC & ECLASS, STANAGs, GS1 Standards and NORSOK stabilize the data foundation beneath AI. Without them, intelligent systems drift off course.

Why Standards Are the Key to Trustworthy AI

Artificial intelligence is changing how industries operate – from predicting failures in offshore equipment to optimizing spare-part inventories and even personalizing retail experiences. But here’s the catch: AI is only as good as the data it consumes.

If data is inconsistent, unstructured, or poorly classified, even the most advanced AI will produce unreliable results. That’s why standards are essential. They create the foundation of trust, interoperability, and explainability that AI needs to deliver real value.

The Standards Behind Reliable AI

At Keel Solution, we work with organizations where engineering, asset management, and supply chain performance depend on trustworthy data. The most important frameworks include:

ISO 8000 – Defines what “high-quality data” means (accuracy, completeness, traceability).
ISO 22745 – Creates consistent item/service descriptions using open dictionaries.
ISO 14224 – Structures reliability and maintenance data (basis for OREDA).
ISO 15926 – Integrates lifecycle data for process plants.
ISO 55000 – Guides asset management strategy.
UNSPSC & ECLASS – Classify products and services for global interoperability.
GS1 Standards – GTIN, GLN, and GDSN for supply chain and retail.
OREDA – Offshore reliability data aligned with ISO 14224.
NORSOK – Offshore standards that build on ISO frameworks.
NATO Standards (STANAGs) – Ensure interoperability of data, logistics, and maintenance systems across allied defence operations.

These standards ensure that when AI models process data, the inputs are consistent, comparable, and reliable.

Where Standards Meet AI

Data Quality: AI-powered cleansing and enrichment depend on ISO 8000.
Classification: Machine learning can map items into UNSPSC or ECLASS codes.
Interoperability: ISO 22745, GS1, and NATO STANAGs make AI solutions usable across multiple organizations and systems.
Reliability & Safety: OREDA + ISO 14224 feed predictive maintenance models.
Lifecycle Intelligence: ISO 15926 + ISO 55000 enable AI-driven asset insights.
Trust & Explainability: Standards provide traceability for AI decision-making.
SCADA & Intelligent Equipment: Standards allow data from SCADA systems, sensors, and smart assets to be structured in ways that make billions of real-time datasets usable in LLMs and advanced AI models.
ERP Integration: Standards embedded in SAP, IFS, and other ERP systems ensure that AI and digital transformation strategies become embedded into the operational backbone of organizations.
Knowledge Graphs & LLMs: Standards create controlled vocabularies that feed into knowledge graphs, which – when paired with LLMs – unlock reasoning, context, and enterprise-wide decision-making.

Real-World Examples

Manufacturing & MRO: ISO 8000 + ECLASS → AI cleans spare-part data, removes duplicates, optimizes stock.
Energy & Offshore: OREDA + ISO 14224 → AI predicts failures, recommends interventions, boosts safety.
Retail: GS1 GTINs → AI links purchases with standardized product data for precise recommendations.
Procurement & Supply Chain: UNSPSC → AI auto-classifies spend data, highlights cost-saving opportunities and improves supplier comparisons.
Engineering: ISO 15926 integrates CAD/PLM data for lifecycle analysis.
Offshore: NORSOK standards ensure AI harmonizes platform data for predictive safety analytics.
Defence: NATO STANAGs → AI enables shared logistics, predictive maintenance, and situational awareness across allied forces.
Life Sciences: GS1 + ISO standards ensure product traceability, regulatory compliance, and AI-driven insights in drug development and patient safety.
Industrial Data at Scale: SCADA + standards → billions of equipment signals transformed into AI-ready datasets for predictive analytics and LLM-powered decision support.

How Keel Solution Helps

At Keel Solution, we’ve been working with what is now called AI for nearly two decades. With 18 years of experience in semantic machine intelligence, we were applying structured data, controlled vocabularies, and knowledge frameworks long before “AI” became today’s buzzword.

We help organizations bridge the gap between standards, ERP systems, and applied AI by:

Implementing data quality frameworks (ISO 8000).
Building consistent classifications (UNSPSC, ECLASS, ISO 22745).
Structuring maintenance & reliability data (ISO 14224, OREDA).
Integrating engineering & lifecycle data (ISO 15926, ISO 55000).
Harmonizing offshore operations with NORSOK.
Enabling defence interoperability with NATO STANAGs.
Unlocking SCADA & sensor data for use in AI, LLMs, and knowledge graphs.
Embedding all of this within ERP platforms like SAP and IFS → making digital transformation real.

By combining deep knowledge of international standards with decades of experience in semantic machine intelligence, Keel ensures that your data doesn’t just sit in silos – it becomes a trusted asset that fuels AI and digital transformation.

The Bottom Line

AI brings intelligence, but standards bring trust.
By aligning with frameworks like ISO 8000, ISO 22745, GS1, UNSPSC, ECLASS, OREDA, NORSOK, and NATO STANAGs – and by pairing structured ERP, SCADA, and sensor data with these frameworks – organizations can unlock the true potential of AI.

At Keel Solution, our 18 years of pioneering work in semantic machine intelligence give us a unique foundation to help organizations build AI-driven digital transformations – across energy, defence, life sciences, and beyond.

What’s your take – are standards the missing piece for unlocking AI in your industry?

Contact Keel to standardize, structure, and activate your data for intelligent operations.

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