A Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) is a publicly announced standardization developed by the United States federal government for use in computer systems^[1] by all non-military government agencies and by government contractors, when properly invoked and tailored on a contract. Many FIPS pronouncements are modified versions of standards used in the technical communities, such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

  Standard publications

Many FIPS pronouncements were developed by the U.S. government to standardize codes. For instance, standards for encoding data, e.g., country codes, but more significantly some encryption standards, such as the Data Encryption Standard (FIPS 46-3) and the Advanced Encryption Standard (FIPS 197) In 1994, NOAA began broadcasting coded signals called FIPS (Federal Information Processing System) codes along with their standard weather broadcasts from local stations. These codes identify the type of emergency and the specific geographic area, such as a county, affected by the emergency.

  Withdrawal of geographic codes

Some examples of FIPS Codes for geographical areas include FIPS 10-4 for country codes or region codes and FIPS 5-2 for state codes. These codes were similar to or comparable with, but not the same as, ISO 3166, or the NUTS standard of the European Union. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which oversees the database, has withdrawn several geographic codes.^[2]

In 2006, the NIST withdrew the FIPS 55-3 database. This database included 5-digit numeric place codes for cities, towns, and villages, or other centers of population in the United States. The codes were assigned alphabetically to places within each state, and as a result changed frequently in order to maintain the alphabetical sorting. NIST replaced these codes with the more permanent GNIS Feature ID, maintained by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The GNIS database is the official geographic names repository database for the United States, and is designated the only source of geographic names and locative attributes for use by the agencies of the Federal Government.^[3]

In 2008, NIST eliminated several other FIPS code standards, including those for countries (FIPS 10-4), U.S. states (FIPS 5-2), and counties (FIPS 6-4).^[2][4] Most codes have been replaced by new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Codes. Some of the codes maintain the previous numerical system, particularly for states.^[5]

The U.S. Census Bureau used FIPS place codes database to identify legal and statistical entities for county subdivisions, places, and American Indian areas, Alaska Native areas, or Hawaiian home lands when they needed to present census data for these areas.^[6] In response to the NIST decision, the Census Bureau is in the process of transitioning over to the GNIS Feature ID, which will be completed after the 2010 Census. Until then, previously issued FIPS place codes, renamed "Census Code," will continue to be used, with the Census bureau assigning new codes as needed for their internal use during the transition.^[5][7]

  See also

• FIPS 140 Security requirements for cryptography modules
• FIPS 201 Personal Identity Verification for Federal Employees and Contractors
• List of FIPS state codes
• List of FIPS region codes
• Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)

  References

  External links

• NIST FIPS homepage
• NIST Computer Security Division