IEEE Conformity Assessment Program ICAP An Overview

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IEEE Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP) An
Overview

• Rudi Schubert
• Director ICAP
• r.schubert_at_ieee.org
• 732-562-5595

Prepared for CS-SAB Meeting March 20, 2009
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Program Background

• IEEEs role in the standards lifecycle has
  historically ended with writing, refining and
  publishing standards
• Many IEEE standards have very successful related
  testing activities, but typically without formal
  relationship to IEEE
• Conformity assessment activity is widespread and
  growing, with few centralized resources for
  industry professionals
• The ICAP initiative has been initiated by the
  IEEE to provide industry conformity support

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Mission Statement

• The IEEE Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP)
  will be the focal point for industry technology
  professionals and organizations involved with
  product conformity to IEEE standards and related
  industry specifications, advancing and
  accelerating market adoption of conforming and
  interoperable products

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ICAP Pillars for Success - 1

• Identify and develop conformity programs aligned
  with specific IEEE Standards
• ICAP collaborates with IEEE standards working
  groups and other interest groups in accelerating
  implementation of IEEE standards
• ICAP/ISTO provides a turn-key approach for rapid
  initiation of conformity programs
• ICAP facilitates collaboration with independent
  test labs and/or product supplier labs, as best
  suited for the technology under test --- IEEE is
  NOT planning to build its own labs

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ICAP Pillars for Success - 2

• Establish IEEE as the premier organization
  supporting the conformity community
• Developing forums/working groups that bring
  together conformity engineers for interchange on
  key issues
• Providing learning opportunities for conformity
  personnel, such as conferences and workshops
• Building bridges between conformity participants
  with standards participants to establish
  testable language in standards

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ICAP Activities Services

• Technical and logistical support services to
  industry groups interested in developing
  technology specific testing conformance
  programs
• Technical and logistical support services to
  industry groups executing interoperability
  demonstrations of specific technologies related
  to IEEE standards such as
• Testing round robins or private interoperability
  events requiring a neutral party host for
  protection of intellectual property,
• Public interoperability demonstrations such as
  those held at trade shows and industry events

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ICAP Activities Services (contd)

• Creation and support of an ICAP website,
  providing a home base for industry groups
  involved with conformity programs associated with
  IEEE standards
• Workshops and seminars associated with industry
  conformity programs and processes, as well as
  more technically specific workshops associated
  with conformance to selected IEEE standards.
• Additional services as identified by users

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The ICAP Website

• The ICAP website (www.ieee-isto.org/icap) is the
  externally facing storefront for the ICAP
  program
• General ICAP information will be provided on the
  site for users
• Specific ICAP programs will be described and the
  ICAP website will provide links to any program
  specific sites (optionally these may also be
  sub-pages of the ICAP home page)

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ICAP Differentiators

• The IEEE brand name provides a powerful
  recognition factor when associated with a newly
  formed industry consortium
• The IEEE Conformity Assessment Program is backed
  by the commitment of IEEE to the conformity
  technical community via its standards and
  educational activities
• The IEEE Industry Standards Technology
  Organization provides a turn key service for
  consortia creation needs legal, financial,
  marketing and program support services and
  infrastructure are in place from the outset
• IEEE standards based conformance programs are
  backed by the involvement of IEEE members who
  created the standard

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Save the Date!

• IEEE Conference on Product Conformance and
  Certification
• June 1-2, 2009 Piscataway, NJ
• Speakers from NIST, WiFi Alliance, WiMax Forum,
  Green Electronics Council, CTIA, Verizon
  Wireless, Intertek, UNH-IOL, OmniAir, ATT, with
  others to be announced

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Questions discussion