ITEA progress and calls for greater co-operation

Project leaders and participants from over 20 ITEA projects met in Berlin mid October for their second symposium. Having set out Europe’s milestones for software intensive systems in a roadmap at the beginning of the year, speakers focussed on challenges in the European software landscape and presented first project results.

The Digital Head End project, for example, developed a new software architecture that allows cable network operators to offer TV broadcasters greater channel flexibility by making the cable fully broadband and interactive. New services, e.g. tele-education on cable or interactive billing and accounting can be realised.

Further R&D projects will involve the automotive industry, as does the EAST-EEA project, bringing together 20 partners from the car manufacturing industry, suppliers and universities. 80% of a car’s functions are driven by ‘smart’ devices and more are on the way. Using the example that software-driven sensors will one day make driving virtually accident-free, Klaus-Dieter Vöhringer, DaimlerChrysler AG board member for research and technology, called for greater co-operation between manufacturers and suppliers in setting the common standards that are needed to enable diverse components to ‘talk’ to each other.

ITEA’s fifth call is expected to go out in January 2002, with a deadline for proposal at the beginning of April. One of the key points is expected to be on Content Capture and Creation, as used for example in the creation of multimedia documents. For further information consult the ITEA website http://www.itea-office.org.