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devices/soft wares (modalities). Now used by the majority of medicalStandards are critical to the rapid imaging hardware manufacturers, this emergence of new technologies, standard encourages technological but to succeed, they must be progress and makes well crafted, forward looking, it possible to predict the interconnection responsive to business conditions, of various imaging modalities, through and generally accepted by a conformance statement emitted users, manufacturers, and for each machine/ other stakeholders. soft ware following this standard. Thus, the standard allows the equipment to communicate remotely through a network or various media by ensuring the compatibility of the equipment and by eliminating NEMA is actively engaged in a number of proprietary formats. emerging technologies where standards page 8.) DICOS (Digital Imaging and Communications in Security) will enable network and component integration in the sending and receiving of digital images and related information. NEMA is developing an industry standard that would enable equipment users to install or upgrade devices that are manufactured by different companies. The standard will establish the initial negotiation between the communicating devices. The requesting device will need to know what the capabilities are of the receiving device. The exchanges are based on the capabilities that the two entities have in common. The standard will address the differences in how imaging devices represent values and define the transfer syntax. The resulting standard will communicate across physical and commercial boundaries, as well as between heterogeneous or disparate applications. It will enable the wide deployment of devices and systems used for security and protection purposes. EVOLVING SMART GRID DEPENDS ON STANDARDS A very good example of a system driven by market forces rather than standards is today’s electric power grid. It is largely the result of George Westinghouse’s collaboration with Nikola Tesla to NEMA Leads Emerging Technologies Standards are key to their development and broad acceptance in the marketplace. DICOM DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is a series of documents that defines a method of communication for the various equipment of digital medical imaging DICOS Using the DICOM concept, NEMA and its members are working in partnership with U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration to develop a digital imaging and communications standard for airport security applications. (See NEMA Writes DICOS Airport Security Standard In a newly announced partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), NEMA is writing a new standard for airport security. Digital Imaging and Communications in Security (DICOS) will standardize the format of documents created when baggage is screened and enable any airport in the U.S. to capture results of a security scan, use common automated threat detection mechanisms, and permit “real-time” remote evaluation of these scans for various security threats. As scanning, inspection, and analysis become more automated, the need for more immediate and consistent information-sharing becomes more critical, particularly for homeland security reasons. This protocol will allow consistent and interoperable threat detection through a networked and integrated system of DICOSenabled components by permitting the transmission of digital images and related information among devices that are manufactured by different companies. While DICOS will be a “new” standard, its roots are found in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM), which is implemented worldwide and is maintained by the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA—a division of NEMA). DICOS will effectively “translate” DICOM from a medical implementation arena to security and provides a common fi le format that NEMA electroindustry • October 09

NEMA October 2009 ElectroIndustry

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEMA October 2009 ElectroIndustry