NEWSLETTER
A House  Journal of
IEEE Kerala Section
Volume 10 Number 02
April - June 2001

Chairman's Message

Dear Member,

Mr.Ramesh C Dutt  suggested that IEEE takes a closer and serious  look at an issue  which I am sure, might already be haunting several of our  members : the availability of faculty and facilities at the large number of new  Engineering Colleges coming up all over our state. After many years of pursuing a closed-door policy in  Technical Education, the Kerala Government has suddenly sanctioned  a large number of Engineering colleges. One tends to wonder if the  issue of competent faculty and other resources has been given due  consideration by the decision makers. Perhaps there are areas where IEEE  could be of help. We may present to the Government, our concerns and  suggestions. IEEE looks forward to the views of the distinguished members in  this regard and their valuable suggestions. Please do communicate with me at  k.g.kumar@ieee.org . Once we get the views of the members, we will ask for  an interface with the Government’s Higher Education department and discuss  ways as to how IEEE could involve.

 On another note, this year’s Seminar is planned for Aug 18 at  Travancore Hall in Technopark Campus, on a topic of  great current relevance, “Embedded Systems”. Mr. VJ  Jayakumar and Mr.PM Sasi are doing an excellent work to ensure its success. I request all members to actively participate in its successful conduct and to give wide publicity to the event. The details are available in this  newsletter.

 I am happy to inform you that the Gold Chapter of the Kerala  Section had a very enthusiastic start on 28th June with a half day Seminar  at Technopark on the topic; “Systems Thinking”. The event was actively  participated and let us hope that Ms.Meera and her team would be able to  generate more active interest in IEEE among young engineers.
 
Later this year, the Student Branch or Trivandrum Engineering College is  planning the All Kerala Students Congress in Trivandrum. Ms.Veena Venugopan  and her team is actively working on this. Early next year, we are also  hosting the National Students Congress in Trivandrum, an activity that  demands considerable effort and time from all of us. I request members to  come forward and support Mr.Gopakumar, Chairman, Organising Committee in his  efforts.
 
I thank you and request your continued and active involvement in the  activities of the Section.

K G satheeshkumar

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Diary of Events

04-04-2001 “Modern Trends in Energy Conversation”, P.S.Chandramohan, Prof. College of Engineering, Trivandrum.
11-04-2001 “Development of Inland Water Transport in Kerala”, B.G.Sreedevi, Head, Engineering Division NATPAC.
18-04-2001 “Road-digging Pittfalls”, M.N.Prasad FIE, Retd. Chairman, Railway Board.
26-04-2001 “Creativity in Educational Reform”, N.N.Panicker, Tatstat. 
28-04-2001 The third meeting of the Executive Committee of IEEE Kerala Section.
02-05-2001 “Presentation Techniques”, B.S.Warrier, former Jt.Director of Technical Education.
09-05-2001 “Sustainable Development, Globalisation and the Engineering Profession”, P.Sivasankaran.
16-05-2001 “Trends in the U.P.S Technology in the New Millennium”, P.K.Sreekanth.
17-05-2001 World Telecom Day – “Internet : challenges, opportunities and prospects”, K.R.Srivathsan.
23-05-2001 “US Economic Slowdown – Impact on Indian IT Sector”, a round table discussion – Moderator: N.T.Nair.
30-05-2001 “Creativity”, NN Panicker, Tatstat Corporation.
05-06-2001 “Word Environment Day”, Celebration at Priyadarsini Auditorium, Science and Technology Museum, PMG Junction,Trivandrum.
06-06-2001 “Most Roads in Kerala and One Road in Nepal”, S.S.Kaimal, Former Technical Advisor to UN and Chief Engineer, C.P.W.D.
13-06-2001 “Tetra–A Digital Mobile Radio Standard”, S.Sukesan, Joint Director, ER & DCI(T).
20-06-2001 “Re-entry and Recovery for Space Technology”, A.Subramanian, Group Director, AFMG, VSSC.
27-06-2001 “Creativity”, N.N.Panicker, Tatstat Corporation.
28-06-2001 “System Thinking – A Brainware”, a seminar organised by GOLD, IEEE Kerala Section at Technopark, Trivandrum. 
29-06-2001 The fourth meeting of the Executive Committee of IEEE Kerala Section.
 

Forthcoming Events

04-07-2001 “Design Management”, M.K.Abdul Majeed, Visiting Scientist, VSSC.
11-07-2001 “GSM and its applications”, K.V.Balasubramonian, Director, RTTC, Trivandrum.
18-07-2001 “Concrete – a living material”, P.A.Muhammed Basheer, 
The Queen’s University of Belfast, UK.
01-08-2001 “Medical Electronics – Redefining Health Care”, Koruthu P Varughese, SCT Medical Centre, Trivandrum.
04-08-2001 The fifth meeting of the Executive Committee of IEEE Kerala Section.
16-08-2001 Executive meeting of  IEEE India Council at New Delhi.
18-08-2001 “EMBESY 2001”, Annual Seminar of IEEE Kerala Section at Technopark, Trivandrum. 
19 to 22-08-2001 TENCON 2001 at Superstar Virgo, Singapore, organised by IEEE Singapore Section.
07,08-09-2001 SPAC at TKM College of Engineering, Kollam.
15,16-09-2001 All Kerala Student Congress at College of Engg.,Trivandrum.
November 2001 “Industrial Automation”, a National Conference organised by CEDT, Calicut. 
01 to  03-11-2001 IEEE ACE 2001 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
22-11-2001 “Microprocessor Based Protection Relays”, Mohindar S Sachdev, organised by PES of IEEE Kerala Section under distinguished lecture programme.
23,24-11-2001 “Multimedia Communication and Signal Processing”, a symposium organised by IEEE Bangalore Section.
11,12-12-2001 “HIS’2001”- An international Workshop on Hybrid Intelligent Systems at Adelaide, South Australia.
2002 All India Students Congress (AISC-2002) of IEEE India hosted by IEEE
Kerala Section.

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Students Corner

Students Congress

All Kerala Student Congress is proposed to held on 15th and 16th September ,
the venue being College of Engineering, Trivandrum 

The Kerala Congress would be a two-day event

First day 

Paper presentation after the inauguration 
Students from various engineering colleges, members and non-members of  IEEE will be allowed to participate
A maximum of 20 papers would be selected 
Exhibition -There will be an exhibition covering the projects done by students from different colleges  
The best project from the exhibit would be awarded
Software design contest 
Other creative competitions
 
Second day 

Morning session- talks by professionals 
Afternoon session - prize distribution followed by the congress meeting - two members from each college has to address on that occasion (the Chairperson and one other member of the college)
Video and Audio Cassettes on various professional subjects could be played during the Student Congress

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Section Activities

Report on technical talks

DATA WAREHOUSING & MINING

A talk on “Data Warehousing, Data Mining & Knowledge Management” by K.Parthasarathy was held on 22-11-2000. In the New Economy, the business competition and internet revolution have increased the importance and relevance of data in an organisation. The role of organisational data has moved from information processing to business intelligence. Extraction of knowledge from data has become a key strategy for analysing behavior. In this talk, he introduced the key technologies of data mining, data warehousing and knowledge management. Various strategies and techniques adopted for implementation were discussed highlighting the proliferation of the of the new technology.  

CREATIVITY OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA  

Creativity of the Bhagavad Gita'' was a talk of general interest, by N.N.Panicker arranged on 29-11-2000 in continuation with his series of talk on ‘Creativity’ in every month. Stating ‘Creativity is the expression of our essence’, he continued that ‘it is recognised by the newness and novelty of the output and it is valued for its use or potential use. By these criteria, the Bhagavad Gita is highly creative’. Then he discussed the creativity of Gita in the context of modern management. He concluded by narrating the scene, how the wavering Arjuna was counselled by Sree Krishna, and transformed him into a man with a firm mind with confidence to face and perform the job at hand. The talk was in a very simple and lucid style and was very much attracted to the audience.  

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT   

K.N.Ramachandran presented a talk on “The quality culture of World Class Software Development”, on 01-12-2000. He explained that in a competitive free world governed by the rules Supply & Demand, there is a strong focus on the quality of products and services offered for consumption. He continued that ‘in fact, quality becomes synonymous with Customer Satisfaction. Through the last several decades, the principles of practice of Quality Assurance and Control (QC & QA) has evolved into a quality culture adopted by all successful business operations. Though software products are somewhat tenuous to characterize and quantify the requirements of qualilty and performance persist with undiminished emphasis’. 

He concluded the presentation with the opinion that ‘a highly structured and disciplined quality culture is necessary in order to compete successfully in the World Class Software Industry’.  

ISO 9000 FOR SOFTWARE 

On 06-12-2000 S.Chidambara Iyer delivered on the topic “ISO 9000 for Software Development Process”. Narrating the current scenario on the IT field, Iyer pointed out that now the software development has become the highest foreign exchange earner for our country as also for body shopping. The high potential of  Software Development can be harnessed and maintained only if high value is placed in quality of products and services. The road to high quality starts with maintenance of consistency in quality of products being designed, produced and marketed by an entrepreneur. ISO-9000 certification aims at inculcating a commitment in companies to assure consistency in quality. As a first step in quality assurance, therefore software companies would do well to work towards ISO-9000 certification. Along with the efforts for ISO-certification software companies can also work towards higher levels of capability maturing standards. Simultaneously, emphasis should be placed in product verification and validation. These three streams of efforts can ultimately lead to the achievement of TQM in software development.  

REVIVE AND RENEW TRIVANDRUM CITY 

Thomas Poulose presented a talk on 13-12-2000 on “It is still not too late to revive and renew Trivandrum City”. Trivandrum was and is still one of the most beautiful cities in the country because of its topography, with its ancient buildings of architectural importance and salubrious climate. Even though a Master Plan for the perspective development of the city was prepared in 1966 for the period 1966-86 and sanctioned in 1971, not much has been achieved resulting in lack of satisfactory transportation facilities and many basic infrastructure. There has been lack of political will and public involvement for  the implementation of the Master Plan. The economic backbone of the city still continues to be the service sector, in the absence of industrial development. Nevertheless land use zoning and building lines prescribed in the Master Plan have been more or less observed albeit with many exception. The Master Plan is now being revised up to a future period of 2020. 

In the conclusion of his speech, Poulose has mentioned that there is still scope for reviving the glory of the city and renew it as a charming and beautiful city. “What is lacking is political will and people’s desire to regain the glory of the city with some inevitable sacrifices on their part. Paucity of funds, though highlighted as a reason for non development is actually a smoke screen for political inaction and people’s disinterest”, he added.  

ADVANCED COMPOSITES  

Advanced Composites for Space Applications” was the topic presented by P.N.Subramaniam, VSSC, on 10-12-2000. Composites are made by Physical bonding without chemical reactions. The different types of composites are glass, Carbon, Ceramics, Silica etc. For space application, the composites should have the properties of light weight and high strength. Composites are used in satellite applications like Solar Panels, fixed reflectors etc. Machining is a great challenge in composite fabrication. One of the non-destructive testing method adopted for testing composites is X-ray radiography. 

VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY  

On 03-01-2001 B.Narayanan Nair presented the topic “Virtual University” before the audience  in the wednesday ‘technical talk’ programme arranged by the professional bodies in Trivandrum. He explained the need for continuing education and training and stressed that it is widely recognized as the key in raising the intellectual capital of individuals and firms. Traditional institutions like Universities and professional training centres have only a limited capacity to meet that need. The knowledge acquisition process is changing from teaching to learning and from classrom learning to learning on demand. Virtual university provides a framework for distance education and need-based training programs from a range of world-class providers. Nair continued that “the concept of Virtual University started with Correspondence Courses, progressed through Distance Learning and has now reached the level of e-learning. The advances made in the field of computers, software including Artificial Intelligence, multimedia,  networking technologies and the proliferation of Internet has made e-learning within the reach of common man even in developing countries with manifold benefits especially high quality education to all. The technologies have matured to a level where any Universities offer e-Learning, online test and evaluation and all other functions provided by the University over the Internet. This has resulted in the establishment of Virtual University”. He concluded with the statement that the major shortcomings are with regard to the poor natural language understanding capabilities of computers and development of certain inter-personal skills. 

PERIYAR BASIN AND MULLAPERIYAR DAM  

A talk on Periyar Basin and Mullaperiyar Dam by T.R.Krishnan was held on 10-01-2001. The subject is much controvertial and a subject of concurrent discussion. Periyar is a perennial river originating from the Sivagiri group of hills in Kerala State and flowing through Kerala State. Its catchment area is 4976 sq.km. out of which, only 114 sq.km at the origin of the river lies in Tamil Nadu. The Mullaperiyar dam built in 1895 by the then Madras Government on a lease from the Travancore State enables Tamil Nadu to divert 640 Mm3 of water annually for generation of power and irrigation in Madura district of Tamil Nadu. Idukki dam built by the Kerala State in 1975, 28 km downstream of Mullaperiyar dam has a storage capacity of 1998 Mm3. As the catchment area below Mullaperiyar is only 638 sq.km, the gross annual yield based on average weighted rainfall is only 1350 Mm3 and the net yield is less that 950Mm3. Therefore the Idukki reservoir has attained the full storage depth only twice during the last 25 years.  Considering the pros and cons, Krishnan stated that “if the storage depth of Mullaperiyar dam is increased from 136ft to 152ft, TamilNadu will gain 320 Mm3 of water additionally causing corresponding reduction in the stroage of Idukki reservoir and consequently will affect power generation in Idukki Hydel project. Submergence of additional forest area will result in damage to flora & fauna. The reduction of flow in the downstream of Periyar river will lead to salinity in river water and will thus affect water supply to major towns such as Alwaye and Kochi”. He also added that from seismic consideration, Idukki district is earthquake prone and so it is critically important to undertake a detailed study on floor management in the event of failure of the dam due to earthquake.  

COMPUTERISATION OF KWA

G.Sujatha on 17-01-2001 presented a talk on “Computerisation in Government Organisations - Billing and Collection System of Kerala Water Authority”. With an introduction stating that “in Government Services, automation is called for in departments like, Revenue, Electricity Board, Water Authority, Public Service Commission, etc.”, the spaker narrated how a start has been made for computerisation of billing and is functioning in a small way in KWA. In KWA, there are 465 offices and around 9600 employees. The total consumers in Kerala are 8.5 lakhs out of which 48 % of the rural and 75 % of the urban population are covered by computerisation. The operating system used is unix and ORACLE is selected as RDMBS. The software ensures securities at the operating system level, at the RDBMS level and at the application level. The features include, separate menu for each functional officers, expendability, realibility and online ledger posting. In Kerala, the Water Authority has implemented the computerisation in 70 offices at Trivandrum, 6 offices at Kochi and 2 offices at Calicut. As a conclusion, the speaker stressed on the benefits of the organisation such as monitoring of the collection by different officers, consolidation of reports, preparation of arrears list, substantial increase in revenue collection, etc.  

CHALLENGES IN HI-TECH FABRICATION

A talk on “Challenges in Hi-tech Fabrication” was held on 24-01-2001 by  V.K.Ramakrishnan. He explained on the fabrication of hardware for launch vehicle applications like selection of appropriate materials with high specific strength, resistance to corrosion, advanced fabrication methods like roll forming, stringent quality and reliability requirements are the technological challenges.  The launch vehicle programme is a time-bound project and as such, management of time schedule is another challenge.  Developing vendors to take up fabircation of aerospace – related hardware with space quality standard is another major challenge.  More than one agency also need to be developed, as single-source-dependence will have severe impact in launch vehicle realisation. The talk was well attended by a good audience including students.

SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE OF INDIA 

On 07-02-2001, V.B.Panicker presented a talk on Scientific Heritage of India. He narrated the topic and stated that the rich scientific heritage of ancient India is unfolded through several writings of the past and findings from excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro.  The knowledge revealed through these can be classified into  the following categories.

1. Concept of Universe, Astronomy, time and space. 2. Mathematics including Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry etc. 3.Physical and chemical services, metallurgy and Engineering sciences. 4. Health Sciences and including Ayurveda, Sidha & Yoga. 5. Botany, Agriculture and Irrigation. 6. Animal Sciences and treatments.

A brief review of these would suggest that India was much ahead of other western civilizations in all fields upto 16th centry A.D and acted as the spring board for the modern sciences.  The wide spread knowledge is spread over several overlapping fields.  Astronomy and Mathematics are inseparable units.  Similarly chemical sciences, health sciences, Botany and vetinary sciences form interrelated areas.

India developed an integrated approach for the concept of time and space.  This is evident by using the same designation for both 12 months an year, 30 days a month, and 12 Rasis for one rotation 30o (Bhagas) for a Rasi.  This rule is extended by naming one Rasi as 2 Horas (Hour), 60 Kala (min) for a Bhaga (degree) and 60 Vikalas (seconds) for a Kala etc.  The naming of week days and their sequence using the names of planets, Lunar month by stars etc were scientific.  Indian scientists belileved that time and space are endless.

In the field of Mathematical sciences, early scientists evaluated  to be nearly 3o 1r ; but Aryabhata evaluated it as 3.1416 (approx.) and Bhaskara suggested an approximate fraction 22/7.  The concept of zero, positive and negative numbers, evolving several number systems including the decimal place value system, naming of powers of 10 etc. were in use in India even from Rig Vedic time.  Basic mathematical operations including summation of series, permutation and combination, solving of linear and quadratic equations, sine tables, etc can be seen in early writings like Aryabhatiya, Brahma Sphuta Sidhanta, Sidhanata Sironomy etc.  Calculations of areas of geometrical figures and their inter conversion were common.

Boudhayana had stated the property of right angled triangles at least 700 years prior to Pythagrous. Indian metallurgy was much advanced in the production of metals and their compounds and alloys.  Several existing monuments testify the quality of technology. Medical system had an integrated approach of  Panch Bhootha Sidhanta and prescribed herbal, chemical and biological  medicines for curing of diseases.  Ayurveda, Sidha and Yoga and gaining world wide acceptance now. “All the writings were in Sanskrit and with the discontinuance of Sanskrit learning, the sciences could not progress. It is worth while to explore the glorious contribution of the past and extend them  by intensive research and development”, as he concluded the presentation.

HIGH POINTS OF 20TH CENTURY SCIENCE

A lecture by P.Radhakrishnan, was arranged on 10-02-2001 on the topic “High points of 20th century science”. 20th century witnessed spectacular inventions and major scientific inventories are Radio Communication, invention of life saving drugs, discovery of genetic code, space exploration, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, Information Technology, etc.  Science do not stand alone.  The benefits of science reaches the human beings through technologies.  In beginning of 20th century, atom was thought to be the smallest particle and now the concept has changed.  In space exploration, beginning with first satellite launch in 1957, today many break through have been achieved.

THE SECOND MILE

Anthony Lobo and S.R.Ganesh, both from TCS, Mumbai, have presented a talk on “The Second Mile” 0n 14-02-2001. According to them, the first mile is “mile of compulsion”, the second mile is “mile of voluntary effort” and will be one of special excellence, and unrequired margin of service.  Every profession should adopt a code of ethics.  The role of a code of ethics is “Professional knowledge and skills”. They discussed on the areas like, Professional certification, Code of ethics a mediator, Professional application of core body of knowledge and skills and Social benefit.

SOFTWARE IN POWER ELECTRONICS

Madhu Mangal gave a presentation on “Software in Power Electronics” on 21-02-2001. The Software parts consists of machine level code generation, assembly language programming and high level language programming.  Power Electronics consist of areas like AC-DC Conversions, DC-DC Conversions, UPS system, frequency control, motor generator controls etc.  In normal case, a system designated for a particular application will contain fixed value components and they cannot be changed in real-time.  With software, it would be possible to have real-time control, and simulation studies are possible without creating physical streams.

CREATIVITY IN COPING WITH CALAMITY

Creativity in Coping with Calamity” by  N.N.Panicker was the topic for the weekly lecture programme on 28-02-2001. Quoting the recent natural calamities, Panicker stated that a sudden misfortune may bring great damage or loss in the course of life of an individual of or a nation.  To deal with such problems and attempt to overcome the difficulties, we need to develop the skill and expertise for disaster management.  Creativity can greatly help in coping with calamity.  What is needed is a leadership vision marked by preparedness, long-term perspective, holistic balance and an innovative approach.  Instead, impulsive responses and management of disasters can spawn greater disasters as experience shows.

He continued by stating that, “Be prepared” is the motto for crisis management.  The creative response for coping with calamities is to be aware about the consequences and to assimilate skills for automatic response.  Mental flexibility and physical agility should be developed in facing calamities.  Practising creative problem solving will help in coping with the various problems arising out of calamities.

ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Wellington T. Nevis gave a presentation on 14-03-2001 on “Oral Communication Skills”. A speech is a voyage with a purpose.  To develop skills of public speaking, practice iis very important.  The mind and tongue should be operated synchronously.  The pause can be used as a very effective weapon in public speaking.  A fascinating introduction and a fitting conclusion are vital ingredients of an effective speech.

SMART CARDS

Smart Cards” was  the topic for the presentation by G.Gopakumar on 21-03-2001. Smart Card is a device that looks and feels like a credit card but acts like a computer.  Unlike the archetypal credit card and their magnetic strips, smart cards have an actual processor built right in and can be written into an infinite number of times.  A smart card has storage and processing capability and is programmable.  Applicatins and data can be downloaded onto it for an infinite number of  uses.  It can be  used to verify a User’s Identitiy to Log on to computer network; allow a physician to scan a patient’s medical records and history;  permit a hurried traveller to buy a new set of lugguage, and in theory could replace many of the ever growing assortment of identification, travel, credit and access cards that are a seemingly  inescapable part of modern life.  With this astounding technology, a single card can perform useful functions, simplify many day-to-day tasks and lighten the load of one’s wallet or purse.

MODERN TRENDS IN ENERGY CONSERVATION

The talk on 04-04-2001 was by P.S. Chandramohan on "Modern Trends in Energy Conservation. Stating 'as the commercial energy resources are becoming scarce and costly', he emphasised on the role of energy engineers/managers is gaining more importance. Efficient utilization of energy resources helps the nation to prosper within its available share of energy. Proper energy management enables industries to improve production, reduce production cost and thereby increase profit.

He continued that  a  number of technological options are available to achieve energy efficiency in all walks of life. Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) was demonstrated successfully in the USA. High Temperature Super Conductivity (HTSC) is Superconductivity above 20k application in the power sector is in the developmental stage. He concluded by stating that  by proper energy management, 15 to 20 percent savings can be achieved in Indian industries and make these industries more competitive.

CORRUPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON SURVIVAL OF DEMOCRACY

On 07-04-2001 the presentation was by C.M Radhakrishnana Nair (M.D, Asianet Satcom Ltd.). He rarrated the current trends on corruption and defined it as  pecuniary advantages of a public servant by abuse of his official position. Corruption can be coercive or collusive. In coercive corruption, the legitimate rights of a person are denied first and then get advantages while granting it later. The corruption involved in the case of police officials, revenue officials etc. come in this category. Collusive corruption is an abstract thing and in this both the giver and taker are beneficiaries.

The reasons for increase in corruption are  Prevalence of blackmoney and funding of elections, Criminalisation of elections, Degradation of values, Unnecessary expansion of govt functions, Attitude of the fourth estate, Poor quality of politicians and Lack of transparency of governmental dealings. The official secrecy act, enacted in 1923, needs to be revised.
He opined that corruption can be reduced only by strong public reaction. We are fortunate to have gained independence as a result of the sacrifices of our predecessors. It is our duty to consolidate this freedom. We should shoulder our responsibilities properly. We should not act like passengers in a boat which is damaged in the mistream by one of the occupants, who claims that as he has paid for it, he has the right to do it.

INLAND WATER TRANSPORT  DEVELOPMENT IN KERALA

On 11-04-2001 B.G Sreedevi gave a presentation on "Inland Water Transport Development in Kerala" giving and introduction to various transportation facilities available  in our State and gave a comparative study on it. Even though Inland water Transport has the advantage of cheaper cost and least atmospheric pollution, its importance was reduced due to the development of the much faster modes such as road and rail. But road and rail have been utilized to their limits and revival of the waterways which is an already available facility can play a major role to decongest the roads. This can be made possible by developing the existing waterways and diverting a portion of the cargo through them. Inland waterways Authority of India (IWAI) provides the funds required to develop the waterways. Out of the 3 declared waterways in the country, the third one (NW 3) is in Kerala; the Kollam - Kottapuram section of the West Coast Canal along with Udyogamandal and Champakara Canals (209 km). The developmental works such as widening, deepening, terminal facilities, navigational aids, bank protection etc. for NW 3 are going on. But several hurdles are on its way to slow down the development. Efforts from all concerned agencies and departments are required to achieve the goal. Techno-Economic Feasibility Study of extending NW 3 up to Kollam in the South and Kasargod in the North is complete and the viability of the same is established. She concluded with the suggetion that the possibility of extending to interstate ie. up to Kolachal in Tamilnadu is also being explored.

ROAD-DIGGING PITFALLS

A talk on "Road-Digging Pitfalls" by M.N. Prasad was arranged on 10-04-2001. Our urban roads are frequently being dug into by various agencies for the laying of underground cables, water pipes and connections, sewerage systems, etc. or for repair to existing ones. Such works not only cause obstruction to traffic during execution, but also leave chronic trouble spots which continue to pose safety hazards for months together.

The problem has been diagnosed as mainly due to the failure of the digging agencies to ensure that the dug earth, while being backfilled in the trenches, is compacted properly. As a result, the affected spots keep subsiding under traffic, as well as due to rains, even after the top surface has been repaired by the road authority repeatedly. It is common knowledge that most soils increase in bulk in the loose states of work done in the city have established conclusively that, where the backfilling is done with compaction, the road surface once restored, stands up well under traffic.

" The engineering community, as well as the public in general must become aware about the need for greater care in execution of road-digging works by the concerned agencies, mainly the KWA, Telephones and KSEB, as well as better co-ordination between them and the road authority in the planning of such works", he concluded.

PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

B.S.Warrier gave a talk on “Presentation Techniques” on 02-05-2001. For a good presentation, the speaker should possess a thorough knowledge of the topic, good communication skills and language and clarity of thought.  The audience composition, should be kept in mind by  the speaker.  The talk may be divided into various parts such as introduction, the body, summary and conclusion.  There should be some time earmarked for questions from the audience.  In introduction, the attention of the audience should be secured and goodwill established.  The body  of the talk should be delivered logically and chronologically in simple language ensuring clarity.   Establishing eye contact and using appropriate body language are useful aids in a successful presentation.  Effective use of audio visual aids have their own usefulness.  The conclusion could be better done with an exhortation for action based on the contents of the lecture.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, GLOBALISATION AND THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION

A talk on “Sustainable Development, globalisation and the Engineering Profession” by P.Sivasankaran was arranged on 09-05-2001. Sustainable development and globalisation are not supportive of each other as globalisation aims at profit making without concern for environmental  preservation.  There should be a mass awareness campaign about the benefits of energy conservation and sustainable development.  Political parties should be persuaded to adopt an agenda aimed at sustainable development such as  giving overriding priority to education, humanisation of development, enabling medium and small industries to face the challenges  of globalisation, Integrating rural development, Effective utilisation of all cultivable land, Abolishing  child labour, Introducing comprehensive land reforms, Constituting suitable regulatory authorities before introducing privatisation etc.

TRENDS IN THE U.P.S TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEW MILLENIUM

On 16-05-2001 a talk on “Trends in the U.P.S Technology in the New Millenium” by P.K.Sreekanth was arranged. Seventy  percent of all computer errors are caused by power supply requirements.  Power quality is affected by bad distribution, power interruptions, power failures, spikes, harmonics etc.  Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) may be off line or on line.  Off-line UPS is sleeping in normal mode whereas on line UPS is always active and so constantly regulates output voltage.  Critical requirements of UPS are availability, reliability, scalability, manageability and serviceability.   APC Symmetra power array is a break through in power protection for  multiple servers, and business applications. “Symmetra” is a UPS which occupies less space and is maintenance-free.  APC silicon online UPS has high efficiency, has 200 % overload capacity, is compact and provides for advanced battery management.  It can work with less energy consumption and so is cost effective.  It is the most widely used UPS in the world.

INTERNET: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS

On World Telecom Day (17-05-2001) a talk by K.R.Srivathsan was arranged on “Internet : Challenges, opportunities and Prospects”. Information Technology (IT) facilitated services can generate 75 percent of the new jobs in the IT sector.  IT facilitation will be there in every activity of worldly life.  IT has to progress a long way and the exciting development in the coming days will be in the hardware, materials sector and information system.  IT facilitation can break down barriers and ensure empowerment in lower levels and accountability at higher levels.  IT enabled services in education and health care sectors can bring in efficiency in the present system.  IT can improve class room education and learning environment in the country. Internet era offers seamless communication, and the challenges are to derive maximum benefit and effective use from the Internet.  Commerce to e-commerce and governance to e-governance are the need of the hour.

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Editorial

Technology is changing day by day and to keep in pace with it is the most denoting challenge of the new era. Moreover, today IT is the dominant technology that defines and decides the way people live. The influence of ‘e’ is a common phenomenon every where, such as e-commerce, e-business, e-learning, e-society, e-culture, etc. 
 
Despite this, the current trend is towards the convergence of IT, Telecom and Networking industries.  As a matter of fact, the innovation brings forth a vibrant work force that is inevitable in IT enabled areas – a product of the merger of Communication and Computer technologies. Studies show that the coming years will harvest lakhs of new jobs in this sector. Technology and developments in technology became the prime movers of changes and growth in not only India but in the entire world also. It changes the way we work and the way we live.

Computer literacy is a slogan of the day for all. And now for creating a new culture using the available resource more efficiently and to change the image of the State in different levels, Government of Kerala has evoked the policy in Technical Education, which paves the way to accelerate education in high-tech areas.

This will give a hope for the career opportunities, rather a good sign for the young generation to trace the best venue and inspiration for learning computer/IT related areas. Even though the need for the hour is to popularise the tremendous scope, all sections of the society have taken this message with natural consensus. Students, unemployed youths, housewives and even others who are already employed are showing keen interest and doing parallel training/studies in this area.

Obviously, it is the versatility of the computers today that prompted the students to embark on a career in IT irrespective of their subject or branch of study in their formal education. For the young generation and those who have high aspirations in the field had to acquire necessary knowledge by learning from various institutes.  Fortunately many institutes are mushrooming in large scale which are claiming themselves as  ‘the best’, and we are finding it difficult to choose the right one, is the prevailing IT education scenario in our State. This trend is common not only for computer literacy but even for a specialised training as in web technology, e-commerce, etc., also.

Invariably going for computer literacy is a lifestyle thing. An e-culture of the day!  This is a hopeful sign towards changes in the e-literacy society with an undaunted spirit.  Ultimately, we could define culture, as ‘e-culture’ which is vital for every society in the new millennium. 
“Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so”, may be so, as we see. Only way is to seize the opportunity and go ahead faster with dynamism.

K Gopalan Nair

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Is Kaizen the Answer?

Kaizen is a Japanese concept that includes total quality control, continuous process improvement, error-free production, and just-in-time delivery. Kaizen targets the “Three Evil Ms” - Muda, Mura, and Muri. Muda is the Japanese word for waste, not adding value, seen as the biggest threat to being competitive. Mura is the inconsistent or irregular use of a person or machine. Muri is the placing of excessive demands on workers or production equipment.
While “management by walking around” gained U.S. recognition in the 1980s, the Japanese focused on gemba - the place where the work gets done, where the value is added to complete the process of development, production or selling. Just-in-time parts delivery cut down on muda in inventory, and helped focus attention on other problems in production, such as uneven assembly times at various work stations, resulting in mura - slack time for one worker waiting for another worker to complete a task.

The concept’s father is Masaaki Imai, who published a book, Kaizen: The key to Japan’s Competitive Success, (1986, McGraw-Hill). Imai highlighted the futility of managers meeting in a conference room to solve a problem in the plant, on the assembly line, in the R&D lab, or interacting with customers. “How can they know what is happening? To understand a problem in gemba, you must go to gemba.”

Imai founded the Kaizen Institute (www.kaizen-institute.com) to promote the concept. It encourages a five-day event, called gemba kaizen, to implement kaizen improvement programs that include cleanliness and order in work areas. “They [top management] have to see how much muda [waste] they have in their plants and also how much opportunity they have. They have to see it to believe,” lmai says.

George F.McClure
(Collected by N.T.Nair from ‘IEEE-USA News & Views’ March 2001).
 

 

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GOLD NEWS

IEEE Graduates Of the Last Decade 
Kerala Section

Seminar on
SYSTEMS THINKING - A BRAINWARE
A Report

The activities of IEEE GOLD Kerala Section kick-started on 28 June 2001 with an inaugural seminar on Systems Thinking. The occasion was graced by the presence of Chief Guest Rajiv Vasudevan, CEO Technopark, K G Satheesh Kumar, Chairman IEEE Kerala Section, and other Executive Committee members of IEEE Kerala Section.   R Narayanan Vice Chairman, IEEE Kerala Section and  S. Neethi, Senior faculty, Tata Consultancy Services, were the speakers. 

Meera S. Chairperson, GOLD, gave the welcome address. The Travancore Hall at Technopark, Trivandrum was packed with an elite audience. The young professionals, most of them from the IT Industry were welcomed into the world of learning, sharing and growing through the IEEE forum. Meera congratulated the participants for supporting the ‘peer to peer communication’ cause proposed by IEEE GOLD.

S. Gopakumar, EC member, in charge of student activities, IEEE Kerala Section introduced the audience to IEEE, its motto, aims and functions in general and to the activities of IEEE Kerala Section. He also presented the aims and objectives of GOLD.  

The young and dynamic CEO of Technopark, Rajiv Vasudevan was very enthusiastic that such a forum was coming up to bind the young professionals. He expressed the hope that IEEE GOLD would give them guidance in the initial sometimes confused but crucial years of their career and instil a spirit of professionalism. 

In his Introduction to Systems Thinking, R. Narayanan, mentioned that the takeaway from the seminar would be a mental model which is a thought process and a Systems Thinking Language and its notations for structuring the thought process. As 24/7 hour consultants Systems Thinking would help a professional in the process of making quality decisions. He said that Systems Thinking would help its practitioners to avoid pre-empted judgements. He indicated that poor results arise out of domain ignorance and not technology gaps in the solution domain. Systems Thinking aids in avoiding the perception gaps between the client and the consultant.

After a short break for refreshments,  S. Neethi demystified the concepts of Systems Thinking. The history premises and theories of Systems Thinking was simplified to meet the needs of a very heterogeneous audience. Systems Thinking may not give the solution to a problem. It will definitely give a clear understanding about the problem and the interrelations and interdependence between different factors involved in a problem. Traditional Models and Systems Thinking models were juxtaposed to convince the audience that Systems Thinking did more justice to the problem understanding and in the consideration of all stakeholders and their varied needs. The in-built Case Study, which threw light on different archetypal feedback loops, made the talk more interesting. The Case Study enabled participants to see the underlying structure beyond events and trends.  

The quality of interaction from the audience was of a very high order. One representative feed back says: “Now I can understand the dynamics involved in problems – minute ones to international ones and the different strata of a trend or event.” Many people commented that more seminars of a similar nature should be organized.

Many people queued up for collecting the IEEE membership form. The first effort by IEEE GOLD Kerala Section has resulted in considerable interest in the IEEE movement.

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EMBESY 2001

IEEE Kerala section is organizing its annual seminar, EMBESY 2001, on 18th of August 2001 at Technopark, Trivandrum. The theme of the conference is Embedded Systems. 

Embedded systems are devices with computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers or digital signal processors as integral part of the system. Embedded systems find application in every sphere of human life, ranging from manufacturing and process control, construction industry, transport, banking, communications, office systems, mobile devices, medical diagnostics and household items. You can find them in telephone systems, fax machines, copiers, printers, mobile telephones, still and video cameras, automated teller systems, credit card systems, point of sale systems, energy meters, patient monitoring systems, elevators, automobiles, refrigerators, wristwatches and even toasters. 

Embedded systems are on the cutting edge of consumer electronics, poised to revolutionize various technologies by making them “smarter.”  Smart equipments hooked to the Internet and devices communicating with others through wireless means are going to change the human life patterns. Embedded systems are fast reaching into every conceivable aspect of the modern person’s life. Embedded market is larger than PC market and is growing at a faster rate than PC market.

EMBESY 2001 focuses on sharing the knowledge and honing the skills necessary to make embedded designs better, faster, and more reliable. Engineers, developers, and project managers can learn about the latest technologies and discover practical embedded solutions.

The conference will cover topics like Real time system design, Real time operating systems, Trends in digital signal processing, UML for embedded systems, System on Chip, Embedded Linux, Wireless Internet Access devices and TCP/IP for embedded systems.

The delegate fee details
IEEE members   - Rs 750
Non members   - Rs 1000 
IEEE student members   - Rs 250  
Other students    - Rs 400

For details please contact
 V.J.Jayakumar 
Chairman     
vjjayakumar@yahoo.com
Organising Committee - EMBESY-2001
 

Keynote Address
Challenges in Building Tiny Embedded System
by
Krithi Ramamritham
Computer Science & Engineering Department
University of Massachusetts & IIT, Mombay

Papers
New generation Real Time Operating Systems - Shinto Joseph, MD, Orane Technologies, Bangalore.
Paradigms for wireless applications - Ravishankar, Head, Advanced Technology Group, Force Computers, Bangalore.
System - on-chip design - Ravindrakumar, Addl Director and Head of ASIC division, ER & DCI, Trivandrum.
Linux for Embedded Real - Time System - Madan Sendhil, GM, Time Sys India, Coimbatore.
Real time system design - S. Gopakumar, Dy. Head, NSSD, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, Trivandrum.
UML for embedded systems - C. Damodaran, Project Manager, Technology Solutions Group, NeST.
Protection domain in RTOS - Pawan Vashisht, FAE Manager, Mistral solutions Pvt Ltd, Bangalore.
TCP/IP for embedded systems - Satish P, Project Manager, Embedded Systems Group, NeST.
 

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Printed and published by K.Gopalan Nair, T.C.5/1637, Ambalmukku, Peroorkada,
Trivandrum - 695005  on behalf of IEEE, Kerala Section. Typesetting: Akshara Offset,
Trivandrum. Phone: 471174, 473470
Editor: K. Gopalan Nair  E-mail: kgnairs@eth.net phone: 437449