Subject: SC 24 and SC 29 Joint Business Plan

From: Steve Carson <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 10:37:41 -0600

Here is the text for a 'joint" business plan with SC 29 that I have written
and have suggested that the two committees jointly submit to JTC 1 for the
Sendai Plenary the first week of June 1998. JTC 1 has tasked the SCs that
work in the same technical direction to produce such joint plans.

Please give me any feedback that you have on this plan as soon as possible
as SC 29 is now reviewing it and I expect we will submit it early next week.

---

SC 24 and SC 29 Joint Business Plan

Background

During its recent re-engineering efforts, JTC 1 decided group subcommittees
whose areas of work might be somehow related into common "Technical
Directions."  SC 24 (Computer Graphics and Image Processing) and SC 29
(Coding of Audio, Picture, and Multimedia and Hypermedia Information) were
grouped in a Technical Direction entitled "Multimedia & Representation"
with the following description:

Presentation of, interchange of, and interaction with information, including:

- computer graphics;

- multimedia, including coding of hypermedia and multimedia and coded
representation of picture and audio information;

- image processing; and

- interactive techniques.

JTC 1 asked SC 24 and SC 29 to cooperate under what is called "Method B"
where members of a Technical Direction will: operate as separate SCs within
a common Technical Direction, encourage dialogue between the grouped SCs,
use the existing tools for collaboration, feel free to meet independently,
and action the SC chairs to provide joint reports (such as business plans,
plenary reports, etc.)

Potential for co-operation

The areas of work of SC 24 and SC 29 have little overlap. SC 24 specializes
in functional and interface specifications in the areas of computer
graphics, multimedia, image processing, and interactive techniques while SC
29 specializes coding of hypermedia and multimedia and coded representation
of picture and audio information, especially in those coded representations
commonly called "compression techniques." 

The current areas where some coordination has occurred are:

1.	SC 24 uses compressed representations developed by SC 29 (notably JPEG)
by normative reference within a few of its standards including ISO/IEC 8632
(CGM), ISO/IEC 14772-1 (VRML) and ISO/IEC 12087-5 (BIIF).

2.	SC 29 provides special coded representations for functional
specifications developed by SC 24. At present the only example of this is
the use of some portions of ISO/IEC 14772-1 (VRML) with CD 14496-1 (MPEG-4).

Co-operation techniques

SC 29 and SC 24 officers have agreed to use the following techniques to
maximize he potential for interaction between the technical experts
involved in the work of each committee:

1.	Co-located meetings

We are exploring the possibility of the two SC's meeting separately but in
the same location in December 1999. Due to commitments that have already
been made by meeting hosts this is the earliest opportunity for co-locating
the plenary meetings of the two SCs. By co-locating meetings in this manner
the opportunities for liaison and cross-attendance at meetings will be
maximized. In this regard it is useful to note that no experts currently
regularly attend both SC 29 and SC 24 meetings with the exception of
individual liaison officers.

2.	Comments on selected ballots

Recently SC 24 was invited by SC 29 to provide comments on the first CD
ballot of 14496-1 (MPEG-4) regarding the references to VRML made by MPEG-4
Systems. The comments were processed by SC 29 as part of the comment
resolution process and the process was generally viewed as useful by
experts in both committees.  

SC 24 plans to invite SC 29 comment on both the PNG FCD ballot (expected to
be initiated within the next few months) and on ballots for the additional
Parts and Amendments to VRML.

3.	Imaging and Graphics Business Team

Both SC 24 and SC 29 plan to participate in JTC 1's Imaging and Graphics
Business Team which is expected to initiate its work in late May or early
June 1998.  This will provide an open forum where potential future work can
be discussed and planned and where the experts of the two committees can
become better acquainted.

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Steve Carson                 phone:   +1-505-521-7399
GSC Associates Inc.          fax:     +1-505-521-9321
5272 Redman Road             e-mail:  [email-masked]
Las Cruces, NM 88011 USA
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