JUNE 07, 2011: The Hardware Design Group of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has obtained an R&D contract from M/s.ARDEE HI-TECH PVT LTD., Visakhapatanam for the design and development of a XRT Control System for Coal Sorting Machine. The MoA was signed on May 28, 2011 by Dr. G.V. Ramana, Managing Director, ARDEE Hi-Tech, Vishakhaptanam and Shri. R. Ravindra Kumar, Sr Director, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram. The contract value is Rs. 65.30 lakhs, with a delivery schedule of twelve months.

The objective of the project is to obtain coal beneficiation at the mining site, employing the dry separation technique for sorting coal, involving less water usage and better environmental friendliness.

The new System will use X-ray Transmission (XRT) imaging with a dual energy x-ray line scan sensor, which generates images of the particles on the coal conveyor. A Master Control unit will receive the high and low energy values of the particles from the X-ray sensor at 5MB/s. Using high-speed real-time image processing techniques, the shape, density and position of the moving coal particles will be determined, and the ash content computed.

An array of 1024 solenoids will be activated through pneumatic cylinders within a period of 100 milliseconds to eject the rejected high-ash coal particles. The hardware will be designed as an FPGA-based embedded system integrating the IP cores developed by the Group, along with control firmware and application software.

APRIL 26, 2011: C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram Control and Instrumentation group participated in the Hannover Messe 2011 held     during 4-8 April in Germany. The following products developed under ASTeC (Automation Systems Technology Centre) mission programme were demonstrated in the Hannover Messe Industrial Automation area.
                                                                      
•         Industrial Wireless Sensor Node (iWise)
•         Industrial Wireless Base Station (iWase)
•         Industrial System Monitoring Autonomous Remote      Terminal (iSMART)
•          Industrial Controller (iCON)
•          Industrial Low Power Controller (iLOC)
•          Industrial Gateway (iGate)
•          Industrial Range Open SCADA Software (iROSE)
•          Industrial Colour Sensor System (iCoss)
•          Industrial Real Time Expert System Shell (iRESS)
•          Industrial Simulation Platform (iSIMP)

Hannover Messe is the world’s largest Industrial Automation exhibition. This year’s Hannover Messe, is the best in 10 years and attracted more than 2,30,000 visitors.

Mr V.Muralidharan, Associate Director and HoD CIG; Mrs Lancy Thomas Associate Direcor ; Mr KV Sathees Kumar, Joint Director and Mr Jerry Daniel Deputy Director participated in the exhibition and explained the working of the  Systems to the visitors. Number of Foreign Companies has shown keen interest in our products

MARCH 25, 2011: As part of the BOSS Resource Centre activities, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram and IT @ School jointly organized two workshops cum demo named “FOSS Forward with BOSS” at The Windsor castle, Kottayam and Asoka Inn Thrissur on during March 10 and 22, 2011 respectively. The workshop saw an active participation from about 185 senior officials from over 80 government departments and other agencies.

Smt. Mini Antony IAS, District Collector, Kottayam inaugurated the workshop on March 10, 2011. Shri. Anvar Sadath, Executive Director, IT @ School presided over the function and presented a case study on the FOSS implementation in Schools.

Shri. P.G.Thomas IAS, District Collector, Thrissur delivered the keynote address at Thrissur on March 22, 2011. 

Smt Selina H, BOSS Resource Center Coordinator, Thiruvananthapuram spoke on the various aspects of FOSS like degrees of freedom, licensing, development models and business models and an overview of BOSS.
Shri. Vinod H, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram explained about installation and other utilities. Shri Radhakrishnan M.V, IT @ School Master Trainer, volunteered to explain about IT @ School activity and Edubuntu as per the request of audience. The workshop generated a lot of enthusiasm and the participants showed keen involvement in discussing on the deployment, training and support for BOSS. The interactions were highly active and positive.

MARCH 15, 2011: The Hardware Design Group of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has been awarded a development contract for ‘Advanced Unified Electronic Controller’ from Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), Mysore.
This is based on the successful development and ToT of a Unified Electronic Controller (UEC) for BEML's 85- and 100-Tonne Dumper Trucks for off-road applications. The UEC, developed by the Group in 1999, is still being used in BEML's mainstream BH-85 and BH-100 production Dumpers, including their export models.
The objective of this project is to design and develop an Advanced Unified Electronic Controller which will control the Automatic Transmission System, On-board Weighing System, Hoist Control System, and Equipment Health Monitoring System to achieve a higher level of efficiency and performance of these trucks.
A CAN bus interface will interconnect the various Electronic Control Modules and will be compatible with the industry-standard J1939 protocol. The contract value is Rs. 1.59 crores, with delivery by May 2012. Sri.Biju C Oommen, Associate Director was responsible for securing this prestigious contract R&D order.

BEML manufactures a wide range of dumper trucks of different payload capacities, ranging from 35 to 120 Tonnes.

MARCH 09, 2011: The Medical Informatics Group of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has successfully designed and implemented the Mobile Tele-ophthalmology Unit, christened “SUNAYANAM”. This follows the success of the SANJEEVINI Telemedicine Van for Cancer detection and treatment implemented by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram earlier.

The van was handed over to the customer organization Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (Govt. of Kerala), Thiruvananthapuram (RIOT) on February 22, 2011; and its deployment was formally inaugurated by Smt. P.K. Sreemathy, Hon. Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Govt. of Kerala. The unit is used for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, which can cause blindness, if not detected and treated early. Using SUNAYANAM, the RIOT will conduct camps at various Primary Health Centres.

Fully funded by Govt. of Kerala under the NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) programme, SUNAYANAM is an autonomous air-conditioned vehicle built on a Tata 1613 Super Milo chassis with its own Generator, UPS, and Water tanks. Once parked at a Camp location, it can operate from the local mains power. It is equipped with the requisite Ophthalmology equipment (Slit Lamp, indirect Ophthalmoscope and Refraction unit). The highlight of the system is the Teleophthalmology Software e-NAYANA developed by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, which manages the patient data and records and enables videoconferencing between the van and the main ophthalmic hospital at RIOT.

Using the facilities of SUNAYANAM, patients from rural areas can attend the camp, be examined by the doctors and have a teleconsultation with specialists at RIOT in real-time along with their medical records. This project has also successfully proved the viability of WiMAX technology for telemedicine applications, with 512 kbps speeds obtained.  

The inauguration was followed by a working report by Dr. P.S. Girija Devi, Director, RIOT and a technical report by Smt. S. Sudhamony, Associate Director, C-DAC.  The Mobile Ophthalmology Unit was entirely designed and built by a team comprising Mr. Arun Kumar K.S., Mr. Dinu D under the leadership of Mr. M.C. Kartha, Project Manager, Medical Informatics.Group, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram.

FEBRUARY 15, 2011: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram signed an MoU with Kerala Police for undertaking the Crime & Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Project (CCTNS) in the State of Kerala.  C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has been selected as the State Project Management Consultant (SPMC) for this three year project sponsored by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Govt. of India and implemented through National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi. The project will be implemented out by the Software Training & Development Centre (STDC) of C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram.

The MoU was signed by Shri Rajan.T.Joseph, Director General, C-DAC and Shri. Jacob Punnoose IPS, Director General of Police, Kerala. Shri. S.Aananthakrishnan IPS, Inspector General, State Crime Records Bureau, Sri. Simon Zachariah, Sr. Director, and Sri. Alexander G, Jt. Director, STDC, C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram were also present on the occasion.

CCTNS aims at creating an integrated System for enhancing the efficiency and enabling effective policing at all levels, down to the Police Station, through e-Governance, along with creation of a nationwide networked infrastructure for evolution of state-of-the-art tracking system for investigation of crime and detection of criminals. CCTNS will also create facilities to provide Police public services like registration of online complaints, ascertaining the status of cases registered, Police verification of individuals, etc.

JUNE 30, 2010: An Indian Patent, bearing Patent No.239258, has been granted to C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram and DIT for an invention "A method for synchronizing heterogenous road traffic and the system thereof" by the Patent Office, Govt. of India in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Act, 1970.

This is for the CoSiCoSt (Composite Signal Control Strategy) technique used in the Area Traffic Control System (ATCS) developed by C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram.The patent was granted for a period of 20 years from the 8th day August 2005. The patent application was filed by the team working on ATCS in the Control & Instrumentation Group, C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram

May 04, 2010: Sanjeevani, the mobile telemedicine unit, designed and built by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Dr. G. Madhavan Nair, former Chairman of ISRO at Malabar Cancer Care Society, Kannur on April 25, 2010.

The inauguration session in the evening was preceded by a National Seminar on “Cost Effective Cancer Control”, which was inaugurated by Ms. P.K Sreemathy, Hon. Minister of Health, Govt of Kerala. Mr. Rajan T Joseph, Director General, C-DAC gave the keynote address. Dr.W.R Reddy, Secretary (Forests), Govt. of Kerala and former Collector of Kannur, Sri George Arakal, Head-Corporate HRD, C-DAC and Mr. B.S Bedi also spoke on the occasion.

Dr. Krishan Nair, Founder Director of RCC, Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. M.C Kartha, Project Manager, Thiruvananthapuram, D. Babu Mathew, Retd. Professor of Oncology, RCC, Thiruvananthapuram and Dr. Usharani, Gynec-Oncologist, RCC, Hyderabad presented papers on various aspects of Cost Effective Cancer Control.

Sri K Sudhakaran, MP of Kannur, Dr. Krishnan Nair, Founder Director of RCC, Trivandrum, Dr. Babu Mathew, Retd. Professor of Oncology, RCC, Thiruvananthapuram, Col. Davidson Kolath, Commanding Officer of Territorial Army Unit at Kannur, RDO of Kannur, Mr. BS Bedi, Advisor of C-DAC were present during the inauguration.

Dr. Madhavan Nair was highly impressed by Sanjeevani and remarked that one of his dreams has come true with the availability of such a sophisticated unit for cancer control among the rural population. Ms. Elizabeth Thomas, Jt. Director, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram spoke on the contribution of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram in cancer control and Mr. M.C. Kartha introduced Sanjeevani in the meeting.

Mr. G. Alexander, Joint Director, Mr. K.V. Johnny, Sr. Technical Officer, Mr. C.S. Suresh, Sr. Project Engineer, Mr. Dinu D, Sr. Project Engineer, Arun Kumar K.S, Project Engineer from C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram also participated in the seminar and inauguration function.

DECEMBER 17, 2009: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram organised the Indo-Swedish Workshop on “Medical Image Analysis for Early Detection of Cervical Cancer” during December 08-11, 2009.

The workshop was organized under the strategic Indo-Swedish technical collaboration agreement between the Department of Information Technology (DIT) and the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation System (VINNOVA).

The workshop started off with the Welcome Address by Shri. R. Ravindra Kumar, Senior Director, C-DAC (T) and was followed by an overview by Prof. Ewert Bengtsson, Head, Centre for Image Analysis, Uppsala University and a pioneer in this field. It offered an excellent opportunity to researchers from both sides to share their experiences and ideas on Medical Image Analysis and Classification Methods and to synergise the strategies for the development of CerviSCAN project. 

On the 9th of December 2009, the Memorandum of Agreement was signed between C-DAC (T) and Uppsala University, Sweden formalizing the collaboration.

The workshop was attended by researchers from Uppsala University, C-DAC (T) and RCC-T and included presentations from Prof. Ewert Bengtsson and Mr. Patrik Malm from Uppsala University, Smt. Sudhamony S. and Shri. Rajesh Kumar R. from C-DAC (T) and Dr. K. Sujathan from RCC-T.

NOVEMBER 24, 2009:  Honourable West Bengal Minister for Power and Non-conventional energy Shri Mrinal Banergee visited C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram on November 22, 2009.
Shri Rajan T Joseph, Director General, C-DAC and other senior members of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram received the Honorable Minister and briefed him of the various projects and activities of C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram.
Shri Mrinal Banergee had a detailed discussion with engineers of the Power Electronics Group on the project “Universal Front end for Micro-generators “, which is being developed for deployment in Moushuni Island, West Bengal. He also watched a demonstration of the same in the Power Electronics Lab.
The minister appreciated the good work being carried out in C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram and advised the team to develop indigenous technology for conversion of non-conventional energy resources with higher power ratings at the Megawatt level.

26 March, 2009: A paper "A Knowledge Framework to Search Similar Disease Patterns using Data Mining", authored by Byju N B, Alexander G, Devanand P and Ravindra Kumar R. of Medical Informatics (MEDIF) Section of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has been published in the Proceedings of the IEEE International Advanced Computing Conference (IACC’09) held at Patiala, Punjab during 6th and 7th March 2009.

The paper is based on the core-funded project ‘Knowledge Management based Smart Hospital Information System’, aimed for improving the quality of Healthcare Services. Shri. Byju N.B, Staff Scientist, C-DAC(T) presented the paper and explained how online Data Mining can be used in Healthcare Industry to extract useful patterns for better Healthcare Services. The paper drew widespread attention and interest.

Researchers from many reputed national and international institutions participated in the prestigious conference.

January 14, 2009: National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) under the Department of Health Services, Government of Kerala has approved a project proposed by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, for "Revitalization of Telemedicine Centres and Scaling up Telemedicine Facilities in Kerala".

The project, worth Rs.100 lakhs, is based on the successful implementation of various Telemedicine projects by the Medical Informatics (MEDIF) section at C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram over the last six years.

The project intends to scale up the Kerala Telemedicine System with more centres in the primary care, promote the usage of these centres for patient welfare, bringing all of them under a common frame work.

The outcome of the project will be to fully operationalise all the telemedicine centres set up an across the state under various projects incorporating various advanced features such as Centralized Patient Data Repository for the entire state, Open Source Telemedicine Framework, high-end Video Conferencing System for patient-doctor interaction, broadcasting of CME programs to all hospitals in a multi conferencing mode, Tele-surgery in selected hospitals.

The project, led by Ms.S.Sudhamony, Head, and MEDIF section is of two years duration.

October 17, 2008: The Department of Information Technology (DIT) has approved the project "Development and Fabrication of ASIC - Productionisation and Deployment of Digital Programmable Hearing Aid" to C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, for a total outlay of Rs.24.96 crores. The project is based on the successful development and field trials conducted on the FPGA-based DPHA over the last three years. The Hardware Design Group at C-DAC (T) is undertaking this project, which will involve the design and fabrication of a million-gate System-on-Chip (SoC) in Deep Sub-Micron technology.

The outcome of the project will be a DPHA product with advanced features and individually customisable hearing profiles. When completed, the DPHA will effectively address the needs of the hearing impaired population, with a low cost of ownership

August 13, 2008: A paper, ‘Telemedicine and Tele-Health services for Cancer-care delivery in India’ authored by Smt. Sudhamony S, Mr. Nandakumar K, Mr. P.J. Binu and Mr. Issac Niwas S. of the Medical Informatics Team, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has been published in the prestigious International Journal “IET-Communications”, Vol.No:2, Issue No: 2, Page No; 231-236, February 2008.

This paper is based on the successfully implemented telemedicine project “ONCONET-Kerala” and the proposed national Tele oncology network project, “ONCONET-India”.

Following is the abstract of the above paper:

Non-communicable diseases including cancer are emerging as major public health problems in India. Awareness of cancer and its management are being taken as a high priority at the national level because of the increase in the incidence of the disease in the country. Telemedicine provides expert-based health care to understaffed remote sites and advanced emergency care through modern telecommunication and information technologies. The incidence of cancer can be reduced if the people are aware of cancer and its root causes. Recently, the introduction of telemedicine in oncology plays a vital role. Telemedicine helps in prevention, early detection, faster cure, palliative care and rehabilitation in the management of cancer. The status of telemedicine services for cancer care in Kerala, India, and how telemedicine can be an effective solution of cancer care delivery in India are explored.

The paper is accessible from the link:
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/4105970/4479509/04479517.pdf?isnumber=4479509&arnumber=4479517

July 22, 2008: Medical Informatics Group of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram published the following papers in the Proceedings of the 10th IEEE International Conference on e-Health Networking, Applications & Services (IEEE HEALTHCOM-2008) held at Singapore during 7th July to 9th July 2008.

1. ‘Nationwide Tele-Oncology network in India - A framework for implementation’. Authors: Sudhamony S, Binu P J, Satheesh G, Issac Niwas S, Sudalaimani C, Nandakumar K, Muralidharan V and Baljit Singh Bedi.
2. ‘Klauder wavelet based QRS Signal variability analysis in Electrocardiograms’.Authors: Issac Niwas S, Sudhamony S and Nandakumar K
The first paper is based on ‘ONCONET-India’, the proposed project for national implementation of tele-oncology network linking 25 Regional Cancer Centres in India with 100 Peripheral hospitals for early detection, follow-up consultation and pain relief for cancer patients in India. (T), Shri. B.S. Bedi, Advisor, C-DAC presented this paper on behalf of C-DAC and explained how cancer disease is being approached through IT in India. The second paper is the outcome of the research work on ECG parameter extraction as a part of ‘Mobile Tele-oncology’ project.

Shri. B.S. Bedi presented another paper titled ‘Cancer Telemedicine Network for remote population in India - A Successful Case Study under National Roll-out’ through Prestigious International Telecommunication Union-Development ITU-D SG-2 Q14 Rapporteurs Meeting held at Tokyo, Japan during July 3rd-4th, 2008. This paper is based on the telemedicine project ONCONET-Kerala and ONCONET-Tamilnadu successfully implemented by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram.

International representatives from reputed institutions and researchers from various countries gathered in both the prestigious conferences and appreciated the work by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram.

June 06, 2008: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has signed an agreement with Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), Jaipur for the implementation of Area Traffic Control System (ATCS) Phase II at M.I. (Mirza Ismail) Road, Jaipur on May 31, 2008. The project value is Rs.94.60 Lakhs and is to be implemented within a period of four months. With this second phase implementation, the entire M.I. Road corridor covering 14 Junctions within a stretch of 5.8 KM will be covered under the C-DAC ATCS. Seventeen surveillance cameras will also be installed in the second phase bringing the total to 40 under both phases. The ATCS control room is set up at the Office of the Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Yadgar, Jaipur from where monitoring and managing of Traffic signal controllers and surveillance cameras on M.I. Road is done over a leased line network.

The ATCS is a traffic responsive system that uses data from vehicle detectors at the junctions to optimize traffic signal settings for reduction in vehicle delays and stops. Vehicle sensors deployed at every link of a road intersection report the presence or passage of vehicles to the traffic signal controller (Urban Traffic Control system - UTCS) installed at the junction. Optimum green timings are generated for each approach, based on the real time traffic demand reported by the vehicle detectors. The timings from all the junctions in an area are made available to the Central Control Room (CCR) online. The ATCS Application Software, CoSiCoSt (Composite Signal Control Strategy), running at the CCR computes the optimum signal timings for all the junctions and approaches in the area and downloads the same to the traffic signal controllers installed at the junctions to ensure a smooth traffic flow.

April 25, 2008: Smt Sudhamony S, of the Medical Informatics Group at C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram presented a technical paper at the ATA-2008 13th Annual International meeting and exposition held at Seattle, Washington, USA during April 6-8, 2008. The paper, titled “Onconet - An effective cancer telemedicine network for remote population” is based on the telemedicine project ONCONET successfully implemented at the Regional Cancer Centre in Kerala and at Cancer Institute Adyar, Chennai. Telemedicine infrastructure, Web based tele oncology software and telemedicine network with VSAT and ISDN connectivity were highlighted in the presentation. The paper was well accepted and published in the International Journal ‘Telemedicine and e-Health’.

ATA-2008, hosted by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is the world's largest scientific meeting and tradeshow, which focuses exclusively on telemedicine, with hundreds of presentations, posters and workshops. Many international representatives from reputed institutions and researchers from various countries gathered in this prestigious conference.

April 21, 2008: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has bagged a prestigious order from Kerala Police worth Rs.2.20 crores for the implementation of an Automated Dial 100 System for the cities of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. This major development order is based on the TETRA, Automatic Vehicle Tracking System, GIS and PSTN gateway technologies developed in house by the Broadcast and Communications Group (BCG) & Control and Instrumentation Group (CIG) of C-DAC (T). Each system consists of 20 patrolling jeep-mounted TETRA/GSM communication units, ten call-taking systems, multiple PSTN gateways, GIS database Server and software. The control rooms will contain "Video Walls" with elaborate large-screen graphics display for command and control operations.

The project, to be completed in a time span of 9 months is being implemented on high priority by a team of ten members from the BCG and CIG. Based on the success of this project, similar system solutions are being actively considered by other State Police Departments in the country.

January 23, 2008: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram signed a Transfer-of-Technology Agreement with M/s.Adtech Systems Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram on January 16, 2008 for the manufacture of Smart AccessPlus, a contact-less smart card based system embedding Workspace Access with Attendance Monitoring. M/s.Adtech Systems Ltd has been manufacturing and supplying electronic security products for the past 15 years, with a wide client base.

The Agreement envisages large-scale manufacture, marketing, deployment and after-sales service of the product. Designed using the E-Smart (C) Engine and technology developed by the Hardware Design Group, it can be adapted and applied to many other applications using contact-less smart card technology, with addition of higher security algorithms, language plug-ins, and many others. Shri M R Balasubramonian, Managing Director and Shri R Ravindra Kumar, Sr. Director, Hardware Design Group, C-DAC (T), signed the ToT Agreement on behalf of Adtech and C-DAC (T) respectively.

On the occasion of the inauguration of ELITEX-2008 at New Delhi on January 17, 2008, Dr Shakeel Ahmad, Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Communications & IT, formally handed over the signed ToT Agreement to Shri Rajan T Joseph, ED, C-DAC (T) and Shri Varun Bharadwaj, Adtech representative in New Delhi for exchange. Shri Ashok K Sharma Director, DIT formally handed over a production-ready unit as part of the ToT deliverables. It may be noted in this connection that SmartAttendance, the first product using E-Smart technology, has been deployed and working successfully in C-DAC, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram since the last two years.

January 15, 2008: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram participated in the Indo-Russian Symposium on Biomedical Technology, held on January 11, 2008 at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences & Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram. Shri Rajan T Joseph, Executive Director, C-DAC (T) chaired a panel session. Shri R Ravindra Kumar, Head, Hardware Design Group, C-DAC (T) presented a paper on "Embedded Systems for Biomedical Applications".

The event was organized with the intention of identifying priority areas for collaboration between India and Russia in the various areas of Biomedical appliances, instrumentation and IT products and systems. Dr T Ramasami, Secretary, Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India inaugurated the symposium. Dr W Selvamurthy, Chief Controller (R&D), DRDO and Prof Y V Gulyaev, Director, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow were among the eminent speakers.

About fifty scientists and technologists from BARC, DRDO, SCTIMST, CMC Vellore, and industry participated in the proceedings

December 27, 2007: Mr. Gopan George, Scientist, Hardware Design Group of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram presented a technical paper titled "Design, Simulation and Testing of Switched Capacitor Sigma Delta Analog-to-Digital Converter" at the IP07 International Conference on Intellectual Property-based Electronic Systems held during December 5-6, 2007 at Grenoble, France. The paper was co-authored by M/s. Sanju Gopal, Biju C. Oommen, and R. Ravindra Kumar from the VLSI Hardware Design Group of C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram.

The paper is based on the research and development work being carried out at C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, and describes the system level design of a 16–bit Sigma Delta ADC having a signal bandwidth of 8 kHz. The paper delves into the methods to perform time domain behavioural simulation and the implementation of switched-capacitor sigma delta ADC. The IP-Core has been successfully validated and is now ready for ASIC implementation.

IP07, organised by the Design & Reuse Consortium, Europe, is a prestigious working conference on topics related to complex ASIC design, focusing on reusable Intellectual Property cores for ASIC-based systems, participated by researchers, developers and specialists from all over the world. Papers were presented on various aspects of ASIC-IP including IP Design Methodologies, Modelling, Power Optimisation, Verification, Back-end Design, Analog Mixed Signal Design, SoC implementations, Best Practices, Business Models, etc. Interdisciplinary discussion sessions were also conducted for new ideas, research, development, applications and showcasing the latest advances in the field of VLSI design and IP reuse.

December 24, 2007: Shri G Jaganadh from the Language Technology Section of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram presented a paper entitled “Linguistic Localization Framework for OO.o” at the recently concluded FOSS.IN-2007 held at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, during December 4-8, 2007. The theme of his presentation in the OpenOffice.org Session Track, covered the need for having a linguistic-based localization framework for an Indian language Office Suite, the tasks involved for the same, the resources presently available and those required, to successfully achieve a continuously upgradeable Indian language-based software suite for any office application. The Session was chaired by Dr. Louis Suàrez-Potts of SUN Microsystems.

FOSS.IN is one of the world's largest FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) events, held annually in India. The main focus of the conference is FOSS development, dissemination and contribution. FOSS.IN/2007 addressed various issues on Open Source Software including Programming Languages, Compilers, Database, Embedded Systems etc. More than three thousand delegates from India and abroad participated in the event.

The Language Technology Section at C-DAC (T) concentrates on the development of technology and tools for information processing in Malayalam language. The recently started Post-Graduate Diploma in Language Technology (PGDLT) aims to develop competent manpower in the specialized field of Language Technology and Localization.

November 20, 2007: Resource Centre for Cyber Forensics, CDAC, Trivandrum is organising Cyber Safety Week to bring in awareness regarding Cyber Safety. This is in connection with International Computer Security Day which is celebrated on Nov 30. This programme is jointly organised by CDAC, Kerala State IT Mission and High Tech Crime Cell, Kerala Police.

Shri. V S Achuthanandan, Hon’ Chief Minister of Kerala has kindly agreed to inaugurate the function on Thursday , Nov 22, 2007.

We are also organising a one day seminar on Cyber Safety on the same day after the inauguration. The following week Nov 26 – 30 will be celebrated as Cyber Safety Week by providing talks on different areas of cyber safety for public with a closure ceremony on 30.11.2007.

April 03, 2007: The Malayalam Language Technology & Resource Centre of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram launched its latest software product - BRAILLE MOZHY, a Malayalam Document Editor for the Visually Handicapped. Shri. V S Achuthanandan, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Kerala released the software by performing the first sale to Dr. G Sankaran Nair, Director, IT@School Programme of the Govt. of Kerala.

On the occasion, he also initiated the state-wide distribution of the free Malayalam Software Tools and Fonts CD (recently launched by Thiru Dayanidhi Maran, Hon’ble Union Minister for Communications and IT at New Delhi), by handing over the first CD to Shri. Jiji Thomson, Principal Secretary, Dept. of Official Languages, and Shri. Jyotilal, Secretary (IT) of the Govt. of Kerala. The event also coincided with C-DAC’s launch of a new Post-Graduate Diploma in Language Technology, in association with the University of Kerala.

Shri. E K Bharat Bhushan, JS&FA, DIT was also present on the occasion. Shri. Rajan T Joseph, Executive Director, C-DAC (T) welcomed the gathering. Shri. R Ravindra Kumar, Head, Language Technology Centre delivered an overview of the centre’s activities. Smt. K G Sulochana, Dy. Head gave a product presentation. The highlight of the event was a live demo of Braille Mozhy by Shri Balaram, a visually impaired user, which was keenly watched by the Chief Minister and all present.

BRAILLE MOZHY is a Document Editor using which a visually challenged person can create and edit Malayalam text using the standard computer keyboard, with voice prompting, and with full rendering support for Malayalam script. Navigation of the software menus can also be done using computer generated voice output. It can also be used as an intelligible text reading system for electronically generated documents.

April 02, 2007: Sri V.S. Achuthanandan, Hon. Chief Minister of Kerala inaugurated the Hospital Information System for Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram and Tele-Health and Medical Education Facilities in Kerala, developed by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram at a function held at Dr.C.O.Karunakaran Memorial Auditorium, Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram recently.

The meeting was presided over by Smt. P.K. Sreemathi Teacher, Hon. Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Kerala. Dr.Vishwas Mehta IAS, Secretary to Govt., Department of Health and Family Welfare welcomed the gathering. Dr. Meenu Hariharan, Director of Medical Education, Dr. T.K. Kuttamani, Director of Health Services, Sri. K.Ramamoorthy Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Health, Govt. of India, Sri.V. Sivankutty MLA, Sri. Surendran Pillai MLA, Dr.B.N. Suresh, Director, VSSC and Dr.Dinesh Arora IAS spoke on the occasion.

Sri. Rajan T. Joseph, Executive Director, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram in his felicitation speech briefed the various technological initiatives undertaken by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram for the State Health sector. The meeting was attended by various dignitaries in the health sector, staff and students of the Medical College, media and the public. Dr. A.V.Remadevi, Principal, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, proposed the vote of thanks.

The Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram is the biggest Hospital in Kerala, under the Department of Health & Family Welfare. This is the first time an attempt was made in the State to computerize a major Government Hospital. The Computerization includes a campus wide network of 250 nodes with Fiber Optic backbone. The functional areas include, OP Registration, In Patient Admission, Ward Management, Staff Scheduling, Lab Management, Pay ward Reservation and Enquiry.

The Telemedicine project was initiated by C-DAC Pune, funded by the DIT, Govt. of India and implemented by C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram. This project links four Taluk Hospitals, Mental Health Centre and three specialty Hospitals in Kerala through 128 Kbps ISDN and provides tele consultation services to the rural people.

March 06, 2007: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram celebrated the National Science Day (NSD 2007) on February 28, 2007. This year’s theme was “More Crop Per Drop”. Mr. John Mathai, Scientist, Geo Science Division, Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram and Dr. Kuruvila Varughese, Head, Cropping Systems Research Centre were the key speakers of the day. Shri R. Ravindra Kumar, Senior Director, C-DAC (T) chaired the function. The Welcome Address was delivered by Shri P.M. Sasi, Additional Director, C-DAC (T). This was followed by the Presidential Address by Shri. R. Ravindra Kumar. Dr. John Mathai formally inaugurated the function by lighting the traditional lamp. He delivered the key note speech on ‘Ground water recharge – the need of the hour’. Dr. Kuruvila Varghese spoke on ‘Improving water productivity in agriculture’. Prizes were distributed to the students and staff who emerged as winners in the various competitions held in connection with the National Science Day. This year, the National Science Day committee had organized an online quiz competition for students in rural schools as well as for the public, an essay competition for college students and a presentation competition for the employees of C-DAC. The function came to an end with the NSD Convener Ms. Meera Joseph delivering the vote of thanks.

The highlight of the Science Day competitions held this year was the Online Quiz conducted for students in the rural schools. The quiz was conducted in six UP schools in Karakulam, Azhicode, Attukal, Perayam, Ednila and Nedumangad. A six-member team from C-DAC (T) visited these schools to conduct the quiz program at the school itself. An initial screening was performed by the school authorities to select 10 participants from the upper primary level in each school. Two toppers from among the participants were given cash awards and all the participants were given certificates. Also the top 5 students were given gifts along with the certificates. At the final level, two toppers from all the schools were awarded bumper cash awards.

February 21, 2007: C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram was honored by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam with an Industry Appreciation Award and a Citation in appreciation of C-DAC’s support to the R&D programmes of the NSTL. Padmashri Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller (R&D), gave the award away in a function held at the NSTL. Shri.R Mohanachandran, Head, Strategic Electronics Group received the award on behalf of C–DAC (T).

C-DAC has executed two important projects namely, DUAL DSP Boards for Torpedo Signal Processing, and Underwater Ranges at Goa for the NSTL.

August 03, 2005: The second meeting of the National Steering Committee for the National Mission on Power Electronics Technology (NaMPET) was convened at C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram under the chairmanship of Dr. V.K. Aatre, former Scientific Advisor to the Defense Minister, Government of India on July 26, 2005. C-DAC (T) is the nodal centre of NaMPET, a five-year programme funded by the DIT, to make India a global player in Power Electronics Technology.

Experts from organizations like VSSC, NSTL, CAT, CPRI, BEL, SAIL, IEC, Railways, IITs, IISc and DIT officials participated in the meeting. The Committee reviewed the progress of various activities, and considered new proposals and plans.

The committee cleared a proposal submitted jointly by the IITs and IISc on the development of a Full Spectrum Simulator for a total outlay of Rs.2.76 crores. The project aims at developing a simulator to serve as a platform for the design and real time simulation of circuits and systems in Power Electronics / Power Systems, and enable hardware-in-loop testing. The committee also expressed their overall satisfaction with the progress of NaMPET.

July 22, 2005: C-DAC, Thiruvanthapuram’s ERDCI Institute of Technology (ERDCI-IT) has registred a 95% pass percentage. Of the 59 students who took the final exams, 31 obtained a distinction, with Mr .Koshy Mathew obtaining the second rank in the University. A few of the top ten ranks have also been bagged by the ERDCI - IT students. Last year, students of ERDCI - IT had secured the first three ranks of Kerala University.
Affiliated to the prestigious Cochin University of Science and Technology this year, ERDCI-IT's 3-year MCA course is in high demand, with real-life project assignments and an assured job placement for almost every student. The fully self-financing course has produced 120 post-graduates till date. Ms V S Roshni is the Principal of the ERDCI– IT, C-DAC (T).