The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) was hosted by the IEEE Turkey Section focused on two great events – the IEEE Standards Summit in Istanbul, and the Electronic Communications Standards Summit in Ankara.

IEEE Standards Association

Technology is part of our life, from our smartphones and the way we communicate, through our refrigerator and its ability to get connected with other machines inside our home, or even our car which is connected nowadays to the internet and everyone is able to “stay online” even when travelling. Technology is being applied in many and different kind of areas, such as communications, energy, medicine and more. In order for all these different type of technologies to be able to work nicely with each other, they are applying different kinds of technical standards.

But what is a technical standard?
A technical standard is an established norm or requirement in regard to technical systems. It is usually a formal document that establishes uniform engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes and practices. – https://en.wikipedia.org

IEEE Standards Association plays a very important role in our live, since it helps all these different kind of technologies to better collaborate. Specifically “ IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) is a leading consensus building organization that nurtures, develops and advances global technologies, through IEEE. We bring together a broad range of individuals and organizations from a wide range of technical and geographic points of origin to facilitate standards development and standards related collaboration. With collaborative thought leaders in more than 160 countries, we promote innovation, enable the creation and expansion of international markets and help protect health and public safety. Collectively, our work drives the functionality, capabilities and interoperability of a wide range of products and services that transform the way people live, work, and communicate. “

If you’re wondering how this actually affects your daily routine, well right now you’re using the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard, in order to get online and read this article. This standard is widely known as the WiFi.

Many IEEE Standards are being used in our everyday life:

  • IEEE 802.15.1™, adapted from portions of the Bluetooth™ wireless specifications, is for wireless PANs in notebook computers, PDAs, cell phones and other portable handheld devices
  • IEEE 1725™ standard, for rechargeable batteries for cellular telephones, addresses the quality and reliability of rechargeable lithium ion and lithium ion polymer batteries for cellular telephone applications
  • IEEE 1394™ standard, commonly called Firewire®, targets the serial buses that connect computer systems and peripherals

IEEE Standards Summit

The IEEE Standards Summit held in İstanbul Medipol University and co-sponsored by the IEEE Standards Association and IEEE Turkey Section. The Summit was organized by Tunçer Baykaş, the IEEE Turkey Section Treasurer and Secretary, with Moria S.Patterson and David Law from IEEE SA.

The Summit covered a variety of topics, such as Communication, Biomedical, and Energy presented by more than 20 speakers. Dr.Dorothy Stanley the Chair of IEEE 802.11 WG, and Dr. Herman Brand the IEEE Europe Standard Affairs Director were among the speakers.

The summit started with Mr.Baykaş’s speech, welcoming and thanking all speakers and sponsors. Then, Professor Murat Uysal, the Chair of IEEE Turkey Section, presented the IEEE Turkey Section activities and their aim. He drew attention to the “IEEE Turkey Awards” and “Graduation Projects Competition” organized by the section for the last 2 years.

Standard Works in IEEE and Turkey

Dr.Dorothy Stanley, IEEE 802.11 WG Chair, Dr. Herman Brand the IEEE Europe Standard Affairs Director , but also academicians and representatives of companies in Turkey had presentations about different kind of projects and standards.

Communication, Biomedical, and Energy standards were discussed in the summit. Turkish companies and the institutes such as AIRTIES, ASELSAN, TUBITAK and TREDAŞ and the  company representatives shared their knowledge and experiences about IEEE standards in their projects. TSE Standardization Chair Akif Sesli presented Turkish Standards Institute and the activities with the convergence of Turkish Standards and IEEE Staproject. Parallel sessions were also, organized in order to target relevant topics to its audiences such as communication, energy, and healthcare. In that way, the participants had an opportunity to focus and ask their questions in the informative sessions.

Turkey YP AG and Student Branches

Onur Karmış, the Vice Chair of IEEE Young Professionals (YP) AG Turkey, presented the YP Turkey events and projects. IEEE YP Turkey Team has organized and participated at a lot of events to share their experiences with students and young professionals. In addition, IEEE P825 – Transactive Energy (TE) works described. Moreover, the energy sector and the smart grid related subjects were discussed during the session.

Asım Köroğlu presented IEEE Turkey Section Student Branches and the related activities. He said “ IEEE Turkey Section Student Branches so active and crowded. We have about 2500 members and 100 Student Branches in Universities”. Lots of award and recognition received by IEEE Turkey Volunteers is indicated. Asım has mentioned of the specific project called “Elif Gizem Akkaya Science and Technology Project Exhibition” organized by IEEE Turkey Section Student Branches, supported by IEEE Turkey Section. The aim of the project is to organize technical training with high school students as an honorary action of their friend called Elif.

Electronic Communications Standards Summit

IEEE Standards Association Summit continued after a day with the Electronic Communication Standards Summit, which was held in the capital of Turkey, Ankara. This event organized and sponsored by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) of Turkey. The summit started with speech comes from Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, the chair of BTK. Then Dr.Dorothy Stanley had a speech about IEEE 802.11 WG, where she mentioned many pieces of information about IEEE and IEEE 802.11 WG for participation.

Before the end of the summit, the committee visited the Ministry of Health and Turkey Standards Institute in order to increase engagements between the IEEE and the authorities in Turkey.

This two-days long IEEE Association Standards Summit treated notable speakers from the industry. While electronics, communication technologies, and associated standards were presented and argued.