IEEE
An IEEE Communications Resource Designed for Telecom Engineers
by Danielle Novello, IEEE Associate Marketing Manager (edited by Alan J. Weissberger)
IEEE DiscoveryPoint for Communications is a machine-learning-powered, all-in-one platform specifically designed for engineers in the telecommunications industry.
Engineers designing communications products need access to the most up-to-date information—the latest research, lists of parts and components, and technical standards to help ensure that their design will work correctly and integrate seamlessly with other elements in the system. However, tracking down resources across multiple websites can be very time-consuming, the material might not be relevant or the sources could be questionable.
The IEEE DiscoveryPoint for Communications platform aims to solve those problems by providing one-stop access to searchable, curated content from trusted sources on just about any telecommunications topic. The platform library contains:
- More than 1.4 million full-text research documents.
- 14,000 technical standards.
- 7,500 online courses.
- 1,300 ebook titles.
- 18.4 million parts and components data from manufacturers and distributors.
- 1,300 industry and product news sources, blogs, and white papers.
The documents in our library are sourced from reputable publishers, including AT&T, the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, River Publishers, and John Wiley & Sons, Inc, ensuring the highest quality and reliability of the content.
IEEE standards are also included in the library. The IEEE Standards Association has developed more than 900 communications related standards, including the popular IEEE 802.11 WiFi and IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards.
With a single query users can find answers to technical questions by referencing relevant content from multiple high-quality sources, including full-text IEEE publications and standards. IEEE DiscoveryPoint returns only the most applicable information to user search queries and then organizes the results in resource-specific channels, making it easier to browse different content types cohesively. It can also help accelerate project workflow with time-saving tools such as custom dashboards, alerts, saved searches, bookmarks, and collaboration tools to work through projects in less time and avoid duplicative queries.
“There’s nothing on the market right now that fully supports the design engineer’s workflow and delivers all the information needed in one place,” says Mark Barragry, senior product manager for corporate markets at IEEE Global Products and Marketing.
In designing IEEE DiscoveryPoint, Barragry comments, “We reconstructed the work process of a product design engineer and put together a set of resources that meet all the information needs they would have during a standard product-development cycle.” Barragry adds that design engineers who tested the platform before launch said they liked that it came from IEEE, a trusted source.
The subscription-based product’s intuitive search engine saves users time by zeroing in on key concepts related to the topic they’re searching for. To get started, the user types a word, phrase, concept, the name of an author or company, or another term into the search bar. The search engine’s ranking algorithm analyzes the documents’ full text and metadata to find relevant material.
The results are organized into curated channels and categorized by resource types, such as research papers, standards, books, or industry news. For each search result, a machine-learning feature examines the document and generates a short summary of key points highlighted in the document. This solution allows time-strapped engineers to find relevant information more efficiently.
In one testimonial about IEEE DiscoveryPoint, a director of technology development said, “I really appreciated the thought that went into this product. It’s an unmet need for people like me.”
Subscription prices depend on the size of the organization and the number of engineers and technical professionals using it. Contact us to learn more.
References:
https://discoverypoint.ieee.org/
https://innovate.ieee.org/introducing-ieee-discoverypoint-for-communications/
Practical Applications of IEEE DiscoveryPoint for Communications (IDPC)
IEEE President’s Priorities and Strategic Direction for 2024
by Tom Coughlin, 2024 IEEE President; edited & augmented by Alan J Weissberger, IEEE Techblog Content Manager
Let’s examine each of these issues and initiatives for IEEE this year:
1. IEEE has a lot of college student members but, like many other professional organizations, the majority of these student members don’t continue as full IEEE members. One reason is the much higher cost – $218/yr for full IEEE membership vs. $32/yr for IEEE student membership. This is a big financial burden as many college graduates carry student loans after graduation. Another reason is they don’t see much if any value in being an IEEE member. We need to change that perception by revitalizing IEEE such that is relevant to young members careers in both industry and academia.
In order for the IEEE to remain vital and relevant we need to convert more of our student members to full IEEE members and then engage and retain them. One thought is to encourage them to volunteer at the section, chapter, or global level.
I am creating a special task force in the IEEE to address this problem and do surveys, focus groups and pilot programs to find ways that we can attract and retain our younger members.
2. IEEE needs to create stronger ties and provide greater value to industry and to those engineers and scientists who work in industry. This goal is closely related to the first goal since most of our student members end up working in industry.
IEEE has an Industry Engagement Committee and I have asked them to work with the IEEE Student Activities Committee and IEEE Young Professionals to find value in the IEEE for younger people working in industry. In addition, I am personally reaching out to companies to speak with senior technical people about how IEEE is useful now and what else we can do to provide value, particularly for younger people working in industry.
3. IEEE needs to reach out to the broader world to let them know who we are and what we do. Today, most people that have heard of IEEE think of it as ONLY a standards organization, e.g. for IEEE 802.11 WiFi and IEEE 802.3 Ethernet. They don’t realize that IEEE is by far, the largest tech non-profit organization.
We have in our IEEE membership experts in all technologies, who can provide insights and guidance for public policy, convene meetings and create new and valuable standards.
IEEE is by far the most cited source for prior art in patents worldwide, it has created documents and standards on ethical design of intelligent and autonomous systems (AI) and our volunteers write, review and publish much of the worlds technical literature and put on conferences on every conceivable technical topic.
IEEE also creates future directions committees on emerging technologies, pursue technical megatrends and create and publish technology roadmaps on semiconductor and other important technologies.
4. IEEE needs to invest in new products and services. In particular, applying AI and other computer algorithms to IEEE content that will enable new ways to find, understand and advance technologies that can serve our members and our customers.
In 2024, IEEE will start an Ad hoc committee, working with relevant groups outside of the IEEE, on educating future generations of workers who will be using new tools such as AI, working in outer space and in virtual environments and who will work for many organizations and technologies during their career.
IEEE should be able to leverage technical tools to help people learn in the best way for them and to provide lower costs for continuous education which can enable those from underserved communities to participate in and benefit from technical education.
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2024 IEEE Key Topics of Focus Overview:
- Provides a roadmap for the year in terms of areas of focus and provides year over year continuity.
- Discussed and adopted on an annual basis by the IEEE Board of Directors at the January meeting.
- A living document that evolves throughout the year and is updated for every Board meeting as progress is reported.
Tom’s Closing Comments:
I know the time will go by fast in my one year term as IEEE President. I look forward to meeting more of our members in more places and having the chance to understand and support these members. I also hope that I can help create stronger ties to those who work in industry and keep more of our younger members and provide greater value to the world. Most of all I will support the IEEE’s mission to advance technology for the benefit of humanity!
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References:
IEEE President Elect: IEEE Overview, 2024 Priorities and Strategic Plan
IEEE President Elect: IEEE Overview, 2024 Priorities and Strategic Plan
by Tom Coughlin, IEEE President Elect (edited by Alan J Weissberger)
IEEE at a Glance:
- 420,000 members in 190+ countries
- Sponsors 2,000+ conferences in 96 countries annually
- 5 million+ documents in the IEEE Xplore® digital library, with 15 million+ downloads each month
- Publishes approximately 200 transactions, journals, and magazines; IEEE is 3 out of the top 5 publications on AI, Automation and Control Systems, and Computer Science HW and SW
- Leader in tech patents granted
- 1,076 active standards (including IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 WiFi)
- 900+ standards under development
- 46 Societies and Technical Councils
- IEEE members have won 21 Nobel Prizes
- Lots of volunteer opportunities!
Technical Expertise that is Broad and Deep:
IEEE is the most-cited publisher in new patents from top patenting organizations!
A study of the top 50 patenting organizations ranks IEEE #1 again:
- Nearly 3x more citations than any other publisher
- Patent referencing to IEEE increased 864% since 1997
- Analyzed by discipline, IEEE is the #1 most referenced publisher in AI, Blockchain, Computing, Cybersecurity, IoT, Power Systems, Semiconductors, Telecom and more
- The importance of sci-tech literature in patents is rising IEEE research is increasingly valuable to innovators
IEEE Priorities for 2024:
- Increasing outreach to younger IEEE members
- Increase engagement with industry groups
- Increasing our outreach to the broader public
- Make investments in new products and services
- Improve the communications and coordination between standards activities and the technical societies
Strengthening IEEE’s Value to Industry:
This will require serious work at the local section level as well as by various IEEE Organizational Units. Goals and objectives:
- Get members from industry involved in your local section leadership
- Work with your local companies
- Participate in local trade shows (exhibits, talks)
- Recognize local companies for their activities
- Getting IEEE engaged with industry is an important element in retaining and attracting younger members (one of our 2024 IEEE Priorities)
- IEEE organizational units must be part of this effort!
Note: IEEE will need to create a new strategic plan out to 2030.