Interview with Johannes Koch, Chair of the Joint Advisory Group

Johannes Koch
| BAHDKE editorial department: What is the Joint Advisory Group and why has it been founded?
Koch: The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) created the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) as a platform for the structured and cross-domain exchange of ideas between three Technical Committees (TCs). Among these TCs are
- TC 100 Audio, video and multimedia sytems and equipment
- TC 124 Wearable electronic devices and technologies and
- SyC AAL Active Assisted Living.
With digital interfaces, innovative technologies already offer numerous solutions for a wide range domains which previously only had very few overlaps with one another, and which mean industry boundaries will disappear in the future.
Communication technologies can, for example, be used in the entertainment industry and even in the health sector. Both domains place very different regulatory and safety-related requirements on the same technology. This so-called convergence of technology also has an increasing effect on national, European and international standardization. Companies must increasingly acquire knowledge in adjacent domains outside of their own core competencies, as do standards bodies who need to rethink and continue to develop existing platforms and committee structures.