International Nano-Electrotechnologies Survey Now Available Online
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Technical Committee (TC) 113 Provides Nano World News With Additional Background About its Survey to Establish Priorities for International Standards in Nano-electrotechnologies.
To read more about why you should make certain that your country is well represented in the international efforts to standardize nano-electrotechnologies, please download the Survey brochure here. To take the Survey directly, please go to IEC-NIST Survey.
The international Survey is being conducted by the IEC TC 113 on Nanotechnology Standardization for Electrical and Electronic Products and Systems (Nano-electrotechnologies). Created in 2006, 29 countries are members of the TC 113, including the US, Germany, UK, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan., and Russia.
The IEC TC 113 states that “the Survey is designed to build international consensus among members of the nano-electrotechnologies community on a framework for developing standards and related measurements.” As the study and use of nanotechnologies continue to grow, there is a need for harmonized standards in the electrotechnical industry. The online Survey serves as one mechanism by which TC 113 can best assess the standardization needs of nano-electrotechnologies.
The NIST, the national measurement institute for the US, has been an active participant in the IEC and the efforts to standardize nano-electrotechnologies. “In February 2008, NIST hosted a meeting that included delegates from the OECD, ISO, IEC, IEEE-NTC, and IEEE-SA, and discussed coordination of international standards for nanotechnologies,” notes Dr. Herbert Bennett, NIST Fellow and Executive Advisor, and lead Survey contact.
Dr. Bennett tells NWN, “The Survey asks respondents to rank in priority order taxonomy categories (action items). We will use statistical procedures to determine the global consensus for each of the rankings and to estimate 95% confidence levels for each of the action items in a given ranking. TC 113 then will be able to use the priorities from its Survey as guides for allocating its resources more effectively.”
In addition to seeking Survey responses, the TC 113 is also looking to the nanotechnologies community for continued technical input. “One of the questions in the Survey asks whether the respondent would like to be a technical expert for one of TC 113's Working Groups. That is one way respondents may continue to work with TC 113,” says Dr. Bennett.
