4. Current activities

        According to the main aims of the Working Group on Analogue-to-Digital & Digital-to-Analogue Converter  Metrology the current activities are divided in three fields: 

standardisation;

research;

education.

In the following the details concerning the these activities will be illustrated.

4.1 Standardisation Activities

        For what concerns the standardisation activities the EUPAS project (European Project on ADC-based device Standardisation) is the heart of standardisation activities of the Working Group on Analogue-to-Digital & Digital-to-Analogue Converter  Metrology.
        During the round table discussions organised in Tampere in the framework of XIV IMEKO World Congress, the following management and short-term tasks for EUPAS have been agreed: 

Prof. Harald Schumny of PTB (Germany) was proposed as main coordinator of the EUPAS project (C in Fig.), Prof.P.Arpaia was proposed as secretary of the project;

The following coordinators for the single Workgroups (EWGi): 

Prof. P. Marchegay of Université de Bordeaux (France) for "ADC and DAC Specifications" (C1 in Fig.); 

Prof. Konrad Hejn of IPE-PW (Poland)  for "ADC and DAC modelling" (C2 in Fig.); 

Prof. Vladimir Haasz of CTU (Czech Rep.) for "ADC and DAC testing" (C3 in Fig.); 

Prof. F.Cennamo of Università di Napoli (Italy) for "Analog and Digital processing" (C4 in Fig.).

Collect adhesions to single Technical Working Group from researchers of IMEKO TC-4 Working Group on "AD and DA Converter Metrology";

Creation of a special section devoted to EUPAS Project on the international journal "Computer Standards & Interfaces" of Elsevier.

        The activities in this field have been aimed to realize a research network first of all at European level. To this aim some basic ideas are followed:

• continuous exchange of information by establishing personal contacts among all the researchers involved in the field of ADCs and DACs;

• development of common research activity in order to optimize at continental level financial and human resources;

• establishment of stages especially for young researchers in other European laboratories involved in the field of ADCs and DACs;

• organisation of an annual Workshop in order to discuss on the common activities.

        Good results in this field have been obtained in a short time. This indicating the need of an European forum in the field of ADCs and DACs. As a matter of fact in the last years numerous exchanges of researchers have been carried out.
        The results of the common research activities can be found in the most important Journals (IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, Measurement Journal, Computer Standard and Interfaces), and Proceedings of Conferences (IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technical Conference, IMEKO TC4 Workshop on ADC Modelling and Testing) in the field of ADCs and DACs.
        The Workshop on ADC Modelling and Testing is the annual meeting of the researchers involved in the studies of new ADC models and testing methods. The aim of the Workshop is to give a common forum for international recent results and applications in the study of ADCs and DACs. 

• The 1st IMEKO Workshop on ADC Modelling and Testing - Smolenice (SK) May 1996 was a successful event with regard to the high level of the technical papers, the relevant and qualified participation and the friendly atmosphere in technical and social programs. A Special Issue, including selected papers presented to 1st Workshop, has been published on the IMEKO Measurement Journal.

• The 2nd Workshop on ADC Modelling and Testing has been held as a parallel event during XIV IMEKO World Congress in Tampere (Finland) June 1997. The 2nd Workshop was the meeting point for the Research Group on ADCs. To this aim a Round Table on the Project EUPAS- European Project on ADC Standardisation developed by the Research Group on ADC's has been held, too. A Special Issue on the Computer Standard & Interfaces Journal was published.

• The 3rd Workshop has been held as a parallel event during X IMEKO TC4 Symposium in Naples (Italy). The Workshop has been the meeting point for the European Research Group on ADCs. Contributions from other organisations (IEEE, IEC, IEE, ...) operating in the field of ADCs have been presented and a continuous exchange of information has been established. A Special Issue on the Measurement Journal was published.

• The 4th Workshop has been held in Bordeaux (France) in September 1999. It focused on more strong contacts with industries working in the field of ADCs and DACs not only from the production point of view but from the user point of view, too. A Special Issue on the Measurement Journal has been organized.

• The 5th Workshop on ADC Modelling and Testing has been held, as a parallel event during the XVI IMEKO World Congress, in Vienna (Austria) September 2000. This Workshop was supported by the European Commission, as High Level Scientific Conference. The IEEE TC-10 co-sponsored the Workshop. A Special Issue on the Measurement Journal has been organized. 

        New activities are oriented to create better links among researchers involved in (i) DACs modelling and testing, to this aim a Special Issue of Measurement Journal on DAC Modelling and Testing has been organised; and (ii) image digitizers, to this aim in the 5th Workshop a Special Session on Image Digitizers has been included.

        The next border for the activities of the Working Group on Analogue-to-Digital & Digital-to-Analogue Converter Metrology is to carry out common activities in the educational field. 
        This goal can be obtained by means of the participation at the SOCRATES Programme supported by the European Union.
        The participation of the European members of the Working Group at the SOCRATES Programme gives the possibility to exchange information in the educational field, allows the exchange of teachers and students. 
        A first result in this activity is the organisation in the framework of SOCRATES Programme of the Summer School on Data Acquisition System. The main aim of the School is to create a common European knowledge in the field of data acquisition systems. The basic idea is to employ the best teachers for each particular subject and to diffuse in the young engineers their knowledge. The School will give the possibility to compare different teaching activities in the field of data acquisition systems. 
        The School is the result of the collaboration of four European Universities and it is financial supported by the European Union. The first cycle of lessons will be given in September, 2001. The location of the School is the Technical University of Kosice - Slovak Republic. The participants will be graduated and PhD students coming from EU State Members. The number of participants has been fixed, for the current year, equal to 12. In the successive years the School will include more European Universities and Industries.
        Furthermore, a successive step is the realisation of a common subject on data acquisition systems. As a matter of fact, the SOCRATES Programme includes the possibility to finance the development of subjects in which are interested several European Universities.