Information Society Technologies
Workprogramme
Abbreviations:
IST |
Information Society Technologies; |
ICT |
Information and Communication Technologies; |
IS |
Information Society; |
R&D |
Research and Development. |
Key Action I - SYSTEMS AND SERVICES
FOR THE CITIZEN
Key Action II - NEW METHODS OF
WORK AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
Key Action III - MULTIMEDIA
CONTENT AND TOOLS
Key Action IV - ESSENTIAL
TECHNOLOGIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES
FET. "FUTURE AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES"
RN "RESEARCH NETWORKING"
CP CROSS-PROGRAMME THEMES
Key Action I - SYSTEMS AND SERVICES
FOR THE CITIZEN
Action Line
I.1 RTD Spanning Key Action I
I.1.1 New models for providing services to citizens
To develop and analyse scenarios (including the regulatory
and ethical aspects) and new models for public service
provision, with appropriate mixes of on-line service,
telepresence and direct human contact, and to quantify
benefits in terms of wider accessibility (both geographically
and to social groups), transparency, lower cost, higher
quality or the availability of a wider range of services. The
scope covers notably the areas of: social and health
services, business support and taxation services,
environment/transport, statistics and emergency services, and
is expected to be validated via work in the Action Line on
"Integrated applications platforms" (CPA.1) related to
the re-engineering of public service provision (particularly
in administrations), innovative regional development or
Trans-European Networks initiatives. Where appropriate, the
work should support the enlargement of the European Union and
its adaptation to Economic and Monetary Union. Take up
actions should include industrial co-operation to provide
common validation platforms for advanced services.
I.2 Health
I.2.1 Clinical, biological and imaging support systems
for health professionals
To develop innovative medical systems for prevention,
non-invasive diagnosis and therapy and demonstrate benefits
based on measurable indicators. These new systems will build
on new generation devices based on micro- and
nano-technologies, advanced medical imaging using pattern
recognition, virtual reality based tools for medical
diagnosis and education, and mobile and fixed secure systems
for accessing health data. Work is expected to focus on
technologies for integration of existing and new information
systems for timely access to health data, and on innovative
interfaces for improved user acceptance. The RTD work is to
be complemented by actions promoting large-scale
implementation and use of standardised electronic health
records.
I.2.2 New generation tele-medicine services
To demonstrate by 2003 a set of new generation
telemedicine services for tele-consultation, emergency, and
provision of tele-care at the point of need. The work should
focus on the development and validation of new technologies
for telemedicine applications; including specific aspects of
tele-robotics, personal digital assistants, advanced
interfaces, mobile networks including satellites. Emphasis
should be on interoperability with the health information
infrastructure and the use of standardised protocols. RTD is
expected to provide tools for distributed health care
services and to support access to care 24 hours a day across
borders, including for people in remote and isolated areas.
The potential benefits should be demonstrated through
cost-effectiveness assessments.
I.2.3 Personal health systems
To develop and demonstrate affordable systems and services
for personal health status support to enable citizens to take
a more active role during prevention, care and
rehabilitation. The focus is on personal health systems that
communicate with the rest of the health information
infrastructure. It will build on the development of advanced
bio-sensors, transducers and microsystems, integrated with
communication facilities for secure data exchange with
professional networks, and interfaces with electronic health
records. The results are expected to help the development of
personal health services, to support the EU policy on health
promotion, and to contribute to the emergence of personal
health appliances and service industries.
I.3 Persons with special needs, including the disabled and
the elderly
I.3.1 Systems and services for independent living
To develop and validate new tools, systems and services
for personal care, mobility and communication, which will
enable improved access to a wider range of care services, and
greater participation in social and community activities for
people with reduced mobility and impaired functions because
of disability of age, including extending employment and
learning opportunities. Within this Action Line,
design-for-all tools and methods are to be applied to provide
a focus on affordability, universality of access,
adaptability and ease of personalisation. Particular
improvements are needed in user modelling so that systems and
user interfaces can be easily personalised to the individual,
the tasks being undertaken and the environment.
I.4 Administrations
I.4.1 On-line support to democratic processes (Exploratory
Action)
To explore innovative consultation, access and voting
systems to support increased and equal participation in
democratic processes, reduce costs and increase transparency
in a user-friendly way. The systems are expected to
facilitate contact with elected representatives and the
understanding of proceedings of democratic institutions in
simple low-cost ways. They are also expected to be applicable
at local, regional, national or European level; to
incorporate adequate safeguards for privacy and
authentication and the handling of votes; to be simple to
use, accessible and affordable to all electors and
candidates. The work should be relevant also for new Member
States.
I.5 Environment
I.5.1 Intelligent environmental monitoring and
management
To develop and demonstrate at local, urban, regional and
trans-boundary level systems and tools for coherent
international environment monitoring and management. The work
is expected to involve integration of diverse networked
information sources including, as appropriate,
high-resolution remote sensing, geographic information,
advanced data mining and decision support systems. It is also
expected to involve development of intelligent sensors,
detectors, models and networks for monitoring of slow chronic
changes, as well as pollution, and the assessment of new
business models for value-added environmental information
services. RTD is expected to contribute to European and
global standards for environmental data exchange and to the
preservation of natural resources. It should also support
environmental planning and early warning.
I.5.2 Environment risk and emergency management
To develop and demonstrate new tools and integrated
systems for consistent emergency management, supporting the
entire cycle from prevention, mitigation and post-crisis
follow-up for both natural and man-made risks. The work,
which is focused on floods, forest fires, landslides and
industrial accidents, is expected to involve development and
use of intelligent, mobile and networked sensors for
real-time data collection, remote sensing, high performance
vision systems combined with risk assessment models and
real-time GIS. The systems should include tools for
nowcasting command and control and the integration of data
from low-cost satellite, fixed and mobile communication
networks; they should include the provision of early warning
and information to the citizen. The RTD is expected to
contribute to establish and enhance European standards for
generic emergency management tools, including such for
industrial plant monitoring.
I.6 Transport and Tourism
I.6.1 Intelligent infrastructure and mobility
management
To develop intelligent infrastructures for data
collection, processing, exchange and distribution in all
transport modes to support traffic and demand management,
collective and individual transport, and fleet and freight
operations for the whole logistics chain. These objectives
include the development of surveillance, positioning, traffic
control, communication/reporting, telepayment and guidance
systems (including GNSS-1 and 2) and the enhancement and
adaptation of terrestrial and satellite communication,
positioning and observation infrastructures. For
surveillance, technology developments may include image
processing, tracking and tracing, monitoring and sensors, and
position-fixing techniques, both space- and ground-based. For
processing, work should focus on the development of new
traffic control systems with advanced interfaces, and
simulation, prediction and decision-support tools, including
systems for managing large-scale events and crises. Mobile
network intelligence and open architectures,
media-independent applications for mobility, terminals and
personal multimedia devices should be adapted and validated
for their optimal use in transport and the provision of
virtual mobility services.
I.6.2 Systems for intelligent vehicles
To develop and validate on-board systems to improve the
safety comfort and more efficient use of vehicles, in
particular obstacle and collision avoidance, human-centred
vision and alertness enhancement and impairment watch,
navigation, routing, traffic and weather information,
maintenance and remote vehicle diagnostics and other
"info-mobility" systems. Human-machine interface
development and integration and aspects related to
verification procedures for their take-up are to be
considered. Priority will be given to systems common to all
modes of transport, the on-board system architecture, and to
systems for road and air vehicles. The work is expected to
contribute to industrial consensus on common standards and
interface protocols as a basis for incorporation of greater
intelligence into all new vehicles by 2005.
I.6.3 Tourism
To develop new components and distributed architectures
for tourism information systems supporting travellers in
their own languages, offering value-added services and
multimedia information on transport, accommodation, events,
culture and leisure, together with booking and payment
facilities. The emphasis is on the use of emerging
technologies and processes enabling the personalisation and
assuring the quality of information, mobile access and on
maximising the marketing channels for all tourism service
suppliers. The work should include benchmarking and knowledge
and best-practice sharing measures.
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Key Action II - NEW METHODS OF WORK
AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
Action Line
II.1 RTD Spanning Key Action II
II.1.1 New perspectives for work and business
To develop, qualify and validate evolution scenarios and
the potential social and economic impacts of new technologies
and services on work and business in the next decade. Work is
to be based on benchmarking, econometric models, new
statistical indicators and technology foresight, to guide RTD
and inform policy development. Work should actively engage
socio-economic and research and development in the technology
development and pilot projects to aid in technology shaping.
Particular emphasis will be placed on economic growth,
employment, social inclusion, health and safety and new
skills requirements. Attention should also be given to
entrepreneurship, equal opportunities, adaptability and to
legal and policy issues related to networked organisational
structures such as virtual enterprises for example with
respect to liability and IPR protection in a global
regulatory framework. Activities should include measures to
raise public awareness and support the policy debate.
II.1.2 Corporate knowledge management
To develop and validate tools for representing, capturing,
accumulating and transferring organisational knowledge in
working environments. The focus is on increasing individual
and organisational adaptability and accelerating learning
from experience distributed in networked organisations and
improving feedback loops. This should include the intangible
corporate knowledge about relationships and
business/organisation practices as well as more formalised
knowledge and skills. The goal is to demonstrate tools and
best practice supporting the variety of work and learning
cultures in the EU, including for under 25 first-time
employees. The work should involve multi-disciplinary
research, technology development and integration and trials
in real work situation, which should serve as showcases for
best practice.
II.2 Flexible, Mobile and Remote Working Methods and Tools
II.2.1 Workplace design
To develop, integrate and evaluate innovative workplace
technologies and concepts in a variety of work situations,
including mobility and dynamic roles, to create more
effective and user-friendly work environments. The focus is
on the research into and integration of leading-edge
technologies and tools for multi-sensory communication,
information access and analysis, including for example
augmented reality tools and wearables, and for individual and
team creativity, giving due consideration to usability,
health and safety, gender issues and the quality of working
life. The work should involve multi-disciplinary research,
technology development and integration and trials in real
work situations, which should serve as showcases for best
practice workplace design.
II.2.2 Shared spaces for collaborative work
To develop and validate reference models, technologies,
architectures, systems and tools that enable teams to work
together across different, possibly mobile, locations and
different time zones. These systems should allow sharing and
managing information both real-time and asynchronously,
supported by appropriate models, simulations and analytical
tools. The work is should involve the linking and integration
of heterogeneous workplaces, and to support both
intra-company as well as inter-organisational working.
II.2.3 Dynamic networked organisations
To develop models, and validate tools and systems for
dynamic networked and virtual organisations, facilitating
co-operation and the inter-operation of business processes
and the management of large scale and complex business
operations. The work is expected to include benchmarking and
evaluation of networked organisation models and the
development of tools and systems for modelling co-operative
planning and scheduling of resources. Work should
specifically address the needs of European SMEs as
participants in global business networks and their
infrastructure requirements, and on new business development.
It is expected to contribute to business-led consensus
building, for example on codes of practice, the legal
framework and interoperability, including in the Global
Business Dialogue, and to world-best showcases of new
business practice.
II.3 Management Systems for Suppliers and Consumers
II.3.1 Digital design and life-cycle management for
products and services
To develop and validate models, systems and tools enabling
products and services to be designed and developed digitally
and for life-cycle management, including environmental impact
minimisation at the design stage. The focus is on digital
prototyping, simulation and virtual reality support for
distributed design, including requirements capture,
development, production, distribution and maintenance,
including upgrading. Work is expected to involve interaction
between suppliers, products in use, and customers to maximise
value, minimise environmental cost, and facilitate
enhancement and re-use.
II.3.2 New market mediation systems
To develop innovative marketplace concepts and
technologies as well as to pilot and assess various
architectures and tools for virtual marketplaces and business
communities, including mediation systems and tools for
brokerage, to enable new business models, new types of trade
and trade in new types of services. The work covers emerging
technologies for billing, payment, VAT collection,
interactions with administrations, negotiation and brokerage
and mediation and should reflect European diversity in
business organisation and networking, financial services.
II.3.3 Enhanced consumer-supplier relationships
To develop and validate systems and services, and to pilot
showcases to enable a balanced long-term relationship to be
established between customers and a range of suppliers of
goods and services. The focus is on: empowering customers as
partners in the life-cycle management of goods and services,
to facilitate upgrades, maintenance, repair (particularly
under guarantees), trading, customer feedback and
personalisation; the management of personal information and
preferences, including enhanced customer influence on the
provision of product and service information to them; and
consumer protection. The work should contribute to consensus
on interoperability and self-regulation, enabling the tools
to be accessible in all Member States and able to interface
with a wide range of suppliers.
II.4 Information and Network Security and Other Confidence
Building Technologies
II.4.1 Identification and authentication
To develop and validate architectures, protocols,
technologies, tools, systems and services, including the use
of third-party services, allowing for a diversity of
approaches to trust management, to allow identification and
authentication of information in inter-business, retail and
personal relationships, and to prevent unauthorised
collection, recording and disclosure of data. Work is
expected to enable equitable multi-role personal
identification with adequate privacy-enhancing features under
an individual's control. Emphasis is placed on achieving
international compatibility and interoperability, scalability
and reconfigurability, to enable increased, flexible
trans-border work, trade and collaboration.
II.4.2 Secure electronic financial transactions
To develop and validate interoperable systems for secure
electronic financial transactions, notably for use in the
global marketplace and supporting the EURO, applicable in
business-to-business, retail and transactions with public
administrations. The work is expected to cover billing,
payment, accounting and record keeping, as well as anonymous,
small and micro payments. The focus is on scalability and
interoperability between systems and on risk-management. The
work is expected to include high-reliability and tamper-proof
component development, including innovative smart-card and
personal token systems.
II.4.3 Digital object transfer
To develop, validate and pilot the components,
architectures, tools, systems and services to support the
transfer of digital objects and their management as assets.
The focus is on providing best practice examples and
validating business models on a large scale, which apply
European strengths in innovative technologies and systems
with a view to promoting widespread take-up amongst
businesses. Attention should be given to global consensus on
interoperable electronics rights management systems, social,
cultural, economic and legal impact assessment, and
experimenting with advanced technologies for digital object
rights and usage identification, including anonymity support
and their integration into new business models.
Key Action III - MULTIMEDIA
CONTENT AND TOOLS
Action Line
III.1 RTD Spanning Key Action III
III.1.1 Social and business models for multimedia
content
To identify the key social, economic, organisational and
behavioural changes stimulated by the widespread introduction
of new IST in the content, creative and information
industries as well as the education and cultural sectors. To
quantify the current and potential future impact on growth
and employment, on education and training approaches, on
linguistic and cultural diversity, on our cultural/knowledge
heritage. This should include new metrics and quality control
criteria for valuing information assets, new business models
for multimedia content services and disintermediated
communication, effective use and management of information,
as well as the identification of key areas for new business
and trade development.
III.2 Interactive publishing, digital content and cultural
heritage
III.2.1 Authoring and design systems
To promote more creativity and better design of European
multimedia content in key application areas (knowledge,
business and lifestyle publishing). To improve multimedia
authoring and design systems for handling radically new
combinations of highly visual and interactive media forms,
including 3-D, virtual reality, and broadband content.
Expected benefits to be demonstrated include greater
usability, functionality and productivity, as well as
cross-media integration and new multi-platform publishing and
broadcast applications. New production processes and systems,
new work flow procedures like real-time tele-collaboration
and new applications should be validated, with the active
involvement of all actors concerned from production to
distribution and use.
III.2.2 Content management and personalisation
To validate and demonstrate access, delivery and
personalisation of heterogeneous assets in large distributed,
and multi-owner collections in key application areas
(knowledge, business and lifestyle publishing). This includes
the development and integration of automated content
packaging and presentation systems, Web-based services,
unified interfaces across different information resources,
new business models and dynamic transaction systems between
collaborating content owners. The work is expected to
contribute to open standards for interoperability and access
management guidelines, including for consumer protection and
privacy.
III.2.3 Access to scientific and cultural heritage
To improve access by citizens and professionals to
Europe's fast-growing science and culture knowledge base,
through developing advanced functionalities and systems for
large-scale distributed collections of cultural and
scientific multi-media resources. The technological focus is
on rich representations of the resources, powerful immersive
features such as 3-D visualisation, real-time object
manipulation and group interactivity, whether for multimedia
retrieval, virtual galleries, mass media events or
audio-visual distribution. Work is expected to develop new
mixed-economy models for exploitation, repackaging and
re-use. Work should also address interoperable access to
distributed resources, whether through cross-domain resource
discovery, interfaces or new architectures and related
standards.
III.2.4 Digital preservation of cultural heritage
To address new ways of representing and managing different
kinds of digital cultural objects from different media
sources, with special attention given to surrogates of
fragile physical objects. The work should focus on the
sustainable development of valuable digital repositories in
Europe's libraries, museums and archives. It should address
the technical and organisational problems surrounding the
viability of scaleable digital repositories, e.g. through
testbed creation for: long-term preservation; managing
content in distributed heterogeneous collections (e.g.
provenance, authenticity, identification and links).
Particular attention should be paid to the issue of long-term
accessibility and to affordability and acceptability factors.
III.3 Education and training
III.3.1 Open platforms and tools for individualised
learning
To enable an education and training centre, company or
service provider, to implement and maintain integrated
learning systems. The RTD should address the development of
re-usable components and a suite of modular building blocks
and tools on the basis of an underlying open infrastructure
supporting a wide range of flexible learning activities. This
should encompass all functionality needed to develop, manage
and deliver courses and benefits should be sought in terms of
cost-effectiveness, learning gains, quality of service and
scalability. The learning support tools should be based on
sound pedagogical models and implement current best practices
in the domain. The work is expected to be validated in more
than one learning setting and specific discipline. It should
contribute to on-going standardisation activities in open
learning architecture and learning objects re-usability.
III.3.2 The flexible university
To integrate and demonstrate emerging technologies for the
flexible university of the future, emphasising the EU
dimension and providing advanced facilities to enable
students to follow a personalised mix of courses, and to
interact with teachers and each other in new ways. The work
should promote higher-quality re-useable learning material;
greater choice for students; more consistent
quality-management and cheaper on-line access to university
education. To facilitate EU-wide implementation, the research
should also address university teaching re-engineering,
social and pedagogic requirements and cost-benefits. The work
should help to set technical and operational standards and to
stimulate academic-industry links.
III.3.3 Advanced training systems
To develop and validate radically new approaches for
improving the future training and re-training of the work
force and citizens in general, building on new cognitive
approaches enabled by emerging technologies. The RTD should
cover intelligent, adaptable learning environments and new
multimedia content supporting the processes applied in real
training situations. It should address equally the
experimentation of the use of corporate knowledge networks
enabling on-the-job training of employees. The focus will be
on the application of simulation and animation, 3-D
visualisation, immersive virtual reality and virtual presence
for collaborative learning, group interaction and personal
tutoring and evaluation. The work is expected to provide
evidence of improved learning processes and associated
benefits, for just-in-time training and lifelong learning in
general, for individuals and corporations.
III.4 Human language technologies
III.4.1 Multilinguality in digital content and services
To develop and demonstrate multilanguage tools and
processes for tele-business, distributed corporate knowledge
management, and online information services, enabling
individuals and workgroups to produce, handle, retrieve and
communicate information in the languages of their choice. The
scope includes powerful language analysis, transfer and
generation tools, including on-line translation and
summarisation aids; technology support for content
localisation and software internationalisation; and
language-sensitive search and presentation agents for text,
speech and metadata. The work covers multilingual language
resources in standard formats and should assess different
take-up approaches, including the transfer of promising
technologies to a broader range of languages.
III.4.2 Natural interactivity
To develop and demonstrate systems to enhance the
naturalness of human-computer interaction through more
cognitive, intuitive interfaces, whether monolingual,
multilingual or multi-modal. The work should integrate robust
and scaleable language technologies into highly interactive
systems, in different application areas. The work encompass
linguistically unconstrained human-machine dialogue, command
and navigation capabilities, and will address systems which
understand messages embodied in speech, language and other
related communicative acts including gesture recognition. It
covers harmonised repositories of language and domain
knowledge, as well as techniques for modelling user behaviour
and acquiring task and application specific knowledge.
III.5 Information access, filtering, analysis and handling
III.5.1 Multi-sensory forms of content
To develop and evaluate architectures, models, tools and
access methods for multi-sensory content. The work should
focus on enhancements to 3-D, virtual objects, hybrid
(real-world and synthetic) objects, object-based content,
intuitive interface development, and immersive animated
content. It is expected to capitalise on European strengths
in design, cultural diversity and audio-visual production
creativity. It should include the integration of new forms of
content with novel delivery mechanisms in new media.
III.5.2 Media representation and access: new models and
standards
To develop new coding and indexing technologies and to
achieve wide industrial consensus on coding standards for
next generation visual, auditory, 3-D and multi-sensory media
and associated metadata, allowing search and retrieval by
content characteristics. The work should focus on modularly
exploitable and combinable generic components and should help
to ease information access by focussing on multimedia content
characteristics other than text based descriptors. It should
demonstrate and validate emerging standards in public
exhibitions and in the provision of experimental rich-content
products and services.
Key Action IV - ESSENTIAL
TECHNOLOGIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES
Action Line
IV.1 RTD Spanning Key Action IV
IV.1.1 Convergence and integration: scenarios and
analyses
To assess the social, economic and regulatory implications
of both the convergence of communications, broadcasting, and
distributed information access and information processing and
their integration in home, office, mobile and non-traditional
environments. This work is expected to inform policy
development, drawing on scenario analysis and experience from
integrated field demonstrations. To identify open interfaces,
standards and codes of practice to support access to and the
inter-working and inter-management of different
infrastructures and services (hardware and software).
IV.2 Technologies for management of information processing,
communications and networks, including broadband, together with
their implementation, interoperability and application
IV.2.1 Concurrent systems
To develop and assess models, technologies and tools for
the seamless and ubiquitous sharing and interactive use of
applications and resources in geographically dispersed
locations, in the context of heterogeneous hardware, software
and communications architectures and systems, and covering
both the execution and development environments. The focus
will be on both development and execution environments to
support distributed applications. The scope includes
multi-tier architectures and middleware for interoperability,
for interactive access to concurrently shared applications
and services and for the cost-effective pooling of local- or
wide-area-networked systems to build scalable application
serving infrastructures.
IV.2.2 Real-time systems
To develop technologies and tools supporting the design
and implementation of data- and/or compute-intensive
real-time applications, such as online high-volume
information handling, including data acquisition and control
systems, and signal or image processing, including innovative
approaches to signal representation and coding. This covers
both consumer and professional applications. For consumer
applications the focus is on cost-effective, mass-market
embedded systems built by the integration of off-the-shelf
hardware and software components. For professional systems
the focus is on performance and mastering complexity,
including behaviour-based, modular and flexible systems with
built-in self-learning and self-repairing capabilities.
IV.2.3 Network integration, interoperability and
interworking
To develop the next generation network technologies
(including switches, routers, modems and access devices),
with the associated protocols and signalling mechanisms, in
order to enable integration at the transport level of
multiple heterogeneous networks, and component and system
interoperability. To develop new service independent
architectures and systems to ensure all users have affordable
access to nomadic multimedia services and service providers
can easily incorporate new resources and users. The scope
includes networks that will support advanced generic services
with end-to-end Quality of Service, running over fibre,
copper cable, radio, powerlines and broadcast channels. The
work should ensure the interworking of core networks with
local networks (mobile and fixed) and interoperability across
the Internet, wide area, metropolitan area, local area and
home networks.
IV.2.4 Technologies for network management and
service-level interworking
To develop and validate technologies to support network
interworking at the management and service platform levels,
to increase intelligence, capacity, flexibility and
functionality. The work includes methodologies and tools
capable of managing the increased network complexity and
supporting the introduction of new intelligent services. The
target is to develop new open network management and service
architectures, providing a framework for the convergence of
network and broadcast services and technologies in
multi-domain environments. The focus will be to provide
anywhere, anytime communication supporting broadband and
nomadic services. Open interfaces, common standards and codes
of practice are to be developed.
IV.2.5 All-optical and terabit networks
To develop and demonstrate technologies and architectures
for all-optical networks, which will allow end-to-end optical
transmission across core and access networks, with
transparent conversion of information between the optical and
electrical domains. To exploit advances in optical signal
processing, dense wavelength multiplexing, switching and
routing, operation and management which support terabit
capacity and beyond in the core network. The focus is on
development of common design rules, interfaces and component
specifications. The aim is to validate in field
demonstrations the technology for scalable, high capacity
optical networks, and optical packet network nodes providing
orders of magnitude enhancement of current network
performance.
IV.3 Technologies and engineering for software, systems and
services
IV.3.1 Component-based software engineering
To develop and validate the innovative processes, methods
and tools necessary to design, implement and manage
software-intensive systems using a component-based approach.
The focus is on re-use, the incorporation of COTS components
and evolutionary re-configuration. The work should result in
the definition of processes, methods and their supporting
technologies that enable the smooth and auditable integration
of components from multiple independent sources into complex
systems and services, possibly taking advantage of the
"system families" concepts. This work is to be
complemented by technology-transfer and best-practice
initiatives to stimulate both real-life practice improvement
and the take-up of the associated technologies.
IV.3.2 Engineering of intelligent services
To develop and validate processes, open distributed
architectures, methods, components and tools that support
service development and also enable users to dynamically
create their own personalised services. The scope includes
the development of basic service building blocks covering all
aspects of service provision and the creation, development,
provision, composition and management of innovative and
intelligent services across heterogeneous platforms and
networks through the integration of service components. The
emphasis is on the support of service negotiation, trading,
quality assurance and management. Work is to be complemented
by take-up actions.
IV.3.3 Methods and tools for intelligence and knowledge
sharing
To achieve new capabilities, representation paradigms,
models and tools to master complex and multi-disciplinary
data and information (of enormously varying scales) and to
support their transformation into "re-usable", sharable
and exploitable enterprise-wide or domain-wide knowledge
ontologies. The work is expected to involve developing
knowledge-level methods and tools to increase the usability,
capability and intelligence of applications, systems and
networks. Emphasis is placed on creating knowledge mediation
methods, processes and tools that could support, at various
levels of abstraction, wide re-use and sharing of reasoning
and knowledge level ontologies. The scope includes
behaviour-based, learning and self-organising systems.
IV.3.4 Information management methods
To develop and validate advanced information management
methods and tools for very large-scale (e.g. beyond the
terabyte volume), co-operative, information repositories. The
work is intended to form a bridge between multimedia content
applications and the enabling technologies, generic systems
and open architectures. It should specifically cover
techniques for the storage and management of information in
higher orders of magnitude than presently widely available
and advanced search and retrieval based on novel processing
techniques, taking into account the likely distributed and
heterogeneous nature of such repositories.
IV.4 Real-time and large-scale simulation and visualisation
technologies
IV.4.1 Real-time simulation and visualisation
technologies
To develop and demonstrate large-scale and/or real-time
distributed simulation and visualisation systems for design,
to support control and business processes, for training and
general-interest applications. The work covers basic modules
and tools, as well as integrated environments and bridging
technologies. Support to multi-scale multi-physics
simulations, interoperability and re-usability of software
components on heterogeneous distributed systems, and support
for collaborative work are particular priorities. In addition
to demonstrations and assessments, complementary work is
expected to include both first-user and best-practice
actions.
IV.4.2 Large scale shared virtual and augmented
environments
To develop and demonstrate models, languages and
technologies for shared virtual and augmented environments
and to explore human interaction in them, for both
professional and consumer uses. The scope includes
multi-sensory interaction within both reality-based and
non-real virtual and augmented environments and their
seamless integration with audio-visual representation and
coding techniques. It covers new and improved virtual-reality
modelling languages, virtual-presence concepts such as
telepresence, avatars and autonomous agents, scalability and
interoperability over distributed heterogeneous platforms and
networks, and reducing the cost of access. The technological
work should be complemented by large-scale demonstrators of
new applications and by social and psychological research
addressing both novice and experienced users.
IV.5 Mobile and personal communications and systems
IV.5.1 Re-configurable radio systems & networks
To lay the foundations for allowing the radio network,
including terminals and base stations, to
adaptively/automatically adjust to traffic and user
requirements. Architectures enabling the user to
transparently access customised services over heterogeneous
(terrestrial and satellite) networks operating across
different frequency bands are to be developed and validated.
Particular emphasis will be placed on the design and
development of advanced re-configurable terminals and base
stations, as well as on the appropriate download mechanisms.
IV.5.2 Terrestrial wireless systems and networks
To investigate, develop, test and validate advanced
terrestrial wireless systems and architectures and their
interworking and interoperation in particular with
fixed/broadcasting networks. The range spans broadband
wireless access and distribution systems, but also backbone
wireless alternatives supporting interactive (quasi)
real-time and bandwidth-on-demand services. It covers network
planning, resource management techniques, flow control,
signalling, quality of service focusing on managing
complexity and on wireless-optimised protocols, security,
intelligent roaming and handover schemes, and user/service
profiling, notably for integrated communication and
navigation/positioning systems.
IV.5.3 Integrated satellite systems and services
To develop, trial and validate novel technologies,
architectures and innovative broadband services in the
context of satellite-based communication systems, capable of
providing access to low or high mobility users and
inter-working with other infrastructures. The work ranges
from technology developments to architectures and services
trials and validations exploiting new spectrum frontiers. It
covers spectrum/power efficient access schemes, support of
packet-based services, integration of satellite and
terrestrial networks, global network management, seamless
service provision, and the integration of navigation and
communication systems and services.
IV.5.4 Tools and technologies for wireless
communications
To investigate, develop, integrate and validate the
innovative tools and wireless technologies that are necessary
to facilitate a mass-market take-up of diversified wireless
terminals, networks, services and applications, while
maximising spectral efficiency and allowing in particular for
the exploration of new spectrum frontiers. Such tools and
technologies will address the needs of wireless terrestrial
and satellite systems and networks operating in a broad range
of frequencies. Particular emphasis is placed on the
integration of such technologies in next generation broadband
systems and networks, from cellular to broadband fixed radio
access and broadband wireless local area networks.
IV.6 Interfaces making use of the various senses
IV.6.1 Adaptable multi-sensory interfaces
To demonstrate adaptable multi-modal/multi-sensory
interfaces by the development of systems integrating
combinations of advanced displays, sensors and actuators,
including the development of new technologies to support and
improve the personalisation and usability of information
systems and appliances and portable and/or wearable systems
through new interaction paradigms. The scope includes both
individual and group interaction, image and auditory scene
processing, understanding and synthesis and communication
functionalities for networked appliances to provide new
solutions for consumer and professional environments,
including "noisy" industrial environments. The approach
should aim at affordability, ease of use and accessibility.
IV.7 Peripherals, sub-systems and microsystems
IV.7.1 Peripherals technologies
To develop and demonstrate advanced technologies for
mass-storage, including technologies for low-power, portable
and harsh environment applications.
IV.7.2 Subsystems technologies
To develop technologies for the design, manufacturing and
test of multi-component assemblies comprising active and
passive elements, that constitute the functional blocks of
information processing and communications systems and
networks. The scope covers advanced interconnection,
including opto-electronic interconnection, and packaging
technologies including materials, processes and equipment
together with work on system partitioning methodologies and
test techniques. The emphasis will be on low-cost approaches
to minimal packages and direct attachment and high-density
interconnection substrates. The scope includes the assessment
of advanced equipment for the manufacture of electronics
subsystems, encapsulation and attachment of semiconductor
devices, and services to facilitate the access of users to
advanced subsystem integration technologies.
IV.7.3 Microsystems
To develop and validate multi-function intelligent
microsystems. The work has a strong application focus and
encompasses all industrial sectors. It covers research and
development to enhance the manufacturing and technology base,
design tools, methods and test, packaging, assembly and
integration, and includes applications experiments. It also
covers the assessment of advanced prototype equipment.
Emphasis will be placed on facilitating broader application,
including the provision of access to prototyping and
small-volume manufacture, design and customer support
services, research and development support networks and
first-user actions.
IV.8 Microelectronics
IV.8.1 Microelectronics and opto-electronics design
To develop advanced circuit and system design and test
methodologies and support tools, with a particular focus on
low-power, mixed-signal and RF circuits, hardware/software
co-design and re-usable embeddable functional blocks
implementing a systems-oriented approach. The scope includes
complementary actions providing best-practice initiatives for
circuit and system design and access to advanced
microelectronics and opto-electronics technologies for
prototyping and small-volume manufacture, to CAD tools for
learning and first-users, and to advanced CAD tool support
infrastructures for researchers.
IV.8.2. Application competences
To validate, improve and/or adapt micro-electronics and
opto-electronics technologies for application-specific
requirements by promoting an early involvement of users and
suppliers in the integration of advanced technologies, with
an emphasis on the themes of portability, endurance and
real-time systems. The scope includes a first-user action for
stimulating industrial enterprises to incorporate
micro-electronic or opto-electronic technologies into their
products.
IV.8.3 Processes, equipment and materials
To develop CMOS process modules, equipment and materials,
including optical lithography down to 0.1 micron and below,
interconnect schemes for 0.15 micron and below, and related
advanced process options. The scope includes actions on the
assessment of advanced prototype equipment for the
manufacture of semiconductor components.
IV.8.4 Advanced opto-electronics and microelectronics
To develop advanced solid-state light sources and
detectors together with low-cost opto-electronic devices,
modules and associated materials for high speed routing,
processing and storage. The scope includes complementary
actions providing access to advanced microelectronics
technologies for researchers, and research on semiconductor
technologies making use of advanced materials, such as SiGe
and SiC and alternative approaches to bulk silicone such as
SOI. Also covered is research aimed at determining the
industrial feasibility and impact of novel devices, processes
and materials, including non-optical lithography, that could
impact markets within a 5 to 10 year period.
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FET. "FUTURE AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES"
Action Lines
FET.O Open Domain
FET.O.1 Open domain
To support the bottom-up emergence of novel research
ideas. Open domain proposals fall into two categories. In the
first category the element of risk associated with the work
needs to be quantified or reduced through an assessment or
evaluation. In this case the project may include an
evaluation phase, normally of a one-year maximum duration and
funded with a fixed amount. It is expected that only a small
number of such projects will continue as full-scale projects.
The second category is those proposals where no such
evaluation phase is envisaged, or a previous stand-alone
evaluation phase was successfully undertaken. This Action
Line includes HFSP.
FET.P Proactive Initiatives
FET.P.1 Quantum computing and communications
To develop novel systems and techniques for information
processing, transmission and security by exploiting the
properties of quantum physics. Work should consist of a
balance of experimental and theoretical research, and should
bring together cross-disciplinary expertise in physics,
computer science, technology and potential applications. The
scope covers topics such as the development of quantum logic
gates, error correction, algorithms for solving problems
through quantum parallelism, multi-photon quantum optics,
quantum information networks, photonic quantum communication
over long distances and with high data rates, and the
development of practical quantum cryptography.
FET.P.2 The disappearing computer
To "make the computer disappear" by broadening the
channel between people and information (stored information or
other people) into a quasi-continuum of intuitive forms of
interaction, in which the interface is "everywhere" and
the computer explicitly "nowhere". The starting point of
the "computer-less world" would be human cognition and
behavior. New concepts and paradigms should be explored using
a human-centered focus for R&D on multi-modal
interaction, the distribution of intelligence, every day
companion-devices, interactive artifacts etc. The object is
to move towards a living information space in ways that
support people in their everyday environment whilst fostering
a new form of knowledge-sharing community.
FET.P.3 Advanced algorithms for computing and
communications
To go beyond frontiers of current fundamental systems
performance and functionality by applying advanced
mathematics and new algorithms in the development of
computing and communication systems, techniques and tools.
The focus is on the most significant areas such as:
information theory for new source and channel coding, secure
representation and communication of information, advanced
signal processing (including non-gaussian, non-stationary,
non-linear, non-continuous signal processing), and applied
mathematics (including operations research and advanced
statistical methods).
FET.P.4 Personal bio-information systems
To conceive and develop novel integrated systems that
extend the human senses or improve health and the quality of
life. The systems should be wearable or implantable,
adaptable, and should have "direct" body interfaces
that do not always use the five senses. Such interfaces could
be implemented, for example, through the measurement of
physiological, chemical, and electrical parameters,
electromagnetic fields, or be made directly to the nervous
system, with conscious control where necessary or desirable.
FET.P.5 Universal information ecosystems
In a context where more and more people and organisations
communicate, co-operate, and trade with each other, to
explore means of creating an "universal information
ecosystem" in which every single "knowledge entity"
(whether a person, organisation or entity acting on their
behalf) can be globally, yet selectively, aware of the
opportunities afforded by all others at any point in time. In
such an ecosystem, every "knowledge entity" is capable of
identifying those most appropriate to collaborate with (if
any) and the most effective ways in which to do so. This
includes the dynamic establishment of new organisational
structures. This initiative will explore novel scenarios,
techniques and environments, and combine experimental and
theoretical research, bringing together interdisciplinary
expertise in networking technologies, distributed systems,
software engineering, computational logic, artificial
intelligence, human computer interaction, as well as
economics, organisational theory and social sciences in
general.
FET.P.6 Nanotechnology information devices
To develop novel systems and devices leading to radically
new alternatives for information processing and storage, with
strong expected advantages compared to ultimate silicon
technology in terms of power consumption, speed, storage,
capacity, cost or functionality, and techniques for the
fabrication of structures with critical dimensions below 100
nm. A better scientific understanding of nano-scale physical,
chemical, and biological phenomena and behaviour is key to
provide motivation for alternative approaches to
nano-fabrication and to information processing hardware.
Practical applications could include novel information
processing elements operating at the atomic scale, as well as
bottom-up nano-fabrication through self-organisation and
self-assembly.
RN "RESEARCH NETWORKING"
Action Line
RN.1.1 Broadband interconnection of national research,
education and training networks, and testbeds
To procure and manage state-of-the-art trans-European
broadband interconnections for national research, education and
training networks, matching the aggregated need of Europe's
academic and industrial researchers and the nationally available
services. This implies upgrading existing capacities to up to
gigabits/s, introducing support for different levels of
'Quality of Service' and improving connectivity to third
countries, and includes monitoring the usage of and establishing
the user requirements for such services. To procure and manage
advanced testbeds and trans-European experimental communications
links to support IST project experimentation.
RN.2.1 Testbeds for advanced networking and application
experiments
To support the use of advanced testbeds for IST RTD project
experimentation for validating next generation communications and
networking and applications and services integrating
high-performance computing and communication, including
"virtual laboratories" and "virtual institutes". The
actions are also expected to: address future computing and
communication needs of researchers; to improve the take-up of
world-best functionalities and systems in European centres of
excellence; and to accelerate the formulation, validation and
adoption of open interfaces, common standards and codes of
practice by manufacturers, network operators, service providers
and users.
CP CROSS-PROGRAMME THEMES
Action Line
CP.A Cross-programme Actions
CP.A.1 Integrated applications platforms
To develop tools and integrate synergetic bundles of
services in a coherent way in specific regions and cities to
demonstrate and quantify their added value to citizens. These
actions will be expected to integrate systems and services
from all four Key Actions, and to serve as showcases for the
information society in Europe. Special emphasis will be given
to innovative integration paradigms and the useful
complementarity between services in a bundle. The integrated
application sites will be expected to be complementary,
interconnected and also a focus for national or regional
information society development.
CP.A.2 New indicators and statistical methods
To develop and demonstrate new methods and tools for the
collection, interchange and fusion of statistical data, for
establishing quality assurance, for processing and analysis,
including knowledge extraction and statistical modelling, for
information dissemination and user-friendly presentation, in
particular via the Internet, so as to produce more timely and
higher-quality information whilst reducing response burdens
and costs. Demonstrations should focus on statistical
indicators related to new work and business, to education and
training, to sustainability and the quality of public
services to support the monitoring of the social and economic
benefits of IST activities, and on promoting advanced
statistical systems for improving the information base of
policy making. The action is expected to assist in increasing
knowledge of the new "immaterial" economic and social
phenomena. It is also expected to support the European
Statistical System, through transfers and best practice, and
provide a co-ordinated approach to the dissemination and
exploitation of emerging statistical analysis techniques.
CP.A.3 Dependability in services and technologies
To develop technologies, methods and tools that will meet
the emerging generic dependability requirements in the
information society, stemming both from the ubiquity and
volume of embedded and networked systems and services as well
as from the global and complex nature of large-scale
information and communication infrastructures, from citizens,
administrations and business in terms of technologies, tools,
systems, applications and services. The work must reflect the
wide scalability and heterogeneity of requirements and
operating environments. There will be an emphasis on risk and
incident management tools. The scope includes
self-monitoring, self-healing infrastructures and services.
CP.A.4 Design-for-all for an inclusive information
society
To apply and demonstrate design-for-all principles in the
development and piloting of mainstream IST-based products and
services to ensure that they better address the needs of the
widest range of user categories. The work should consider
human factors related to the transition from a
computer-centric interaction paradigm to novel interaction
environments, and focus on methods and technologies for the
provision of high-quality interactivity and accessibility
tailored to individual user requirements. It should target
the adoption by 2002 of design-for-all standards for consumer
devices and on-line services. The work should demonstrate the
impact of applying design-for-all principles on the
development of usable and acceptable products, interactive
applications and services in the information society. The
work should be complemented by accompanying measures, notably
for the development of a design corpus containing
recommendations, tools and methods to raise awareness of
universal design and for the establishment and dissemination
of best industry practice.
CP.A.5 Geographic information
To contribute to the establishment of a European
Geographic Information Infrastructure (EGII) based on a
large-scale, heterogeneous and distributed collection of
geo-spatial data and services. Research and development is to
focus on new models, metaphors, concepts and use of
technology, including GNSS, and should promote the general
accessibility, user-friendliness and acceptability of GI.
Work should also cover legal and ownership issues. Technology
testbeds are to be developed, and full-scale demonstrations
undertaken on infrastructural, system integration and
interoperability issues. Trials should concern the robustness
and stability of GI-based systems, the development of new
interface paradigms, the creation of enduring information
environments for real-world problem solving, and the
involvement of large user groups.
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