 About INFITT: INFITT is a global non-profit non-govt. organization devoted to promoting Tamil computing. Officially registered as NPO in California, USA. INFITT objective is to "Help develop Tamil IT and associated standards", "Provide tech. forums and annual meets/ conferences for Tamil IT developer community", "Serve as a key link between regional interest groups, national governmental agencies", "Provide technical expertise support to MNCs and standardisation agencies" & "Educate/increase awareness of public to advances, attract younger talents by organizing Tamil IT Workshops"
உலகத் தமிழ்த் தகவல் தொழில் நுட்ப மன்றம் (உத்தமம்) அமைப்பின் சார்பில் இந்த ஆண்டின் இறுதியில் சிதம்பரம் அண்ணாமலைப் பல்கலைக் கழகத்தில் மொழியியல் உயராய்வு மையத்தோடு இணைந்து பதினொன்றாவது உலகத் தமிழ் இணைய மாநாடு – 2012 நடக்கவிருக்கிறது என்னும் செய்தியை உங்களோடு பகிர்ந்துகொள்வதில் பெருமகிழ்வுகொள்கிறோம். உத்தம நிறுவனம் அமெரிக்காவின் கலிஃபோர்னியா மாநிலத்தில் தன்னார்வத் தொண்டு நிறுவனமாகப் பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ள ஒரு பன்னாட்டு அமைப்பு ஆகும்.
கணினி, இணையம் ஆகியன தொடர்பாகத் தமிழின் பயன்பாடுகள் பற்றிய ஆய்வுகள் உலகெங்கிலும் தமிழர்களிடையே பரவும் வகையில் உலகத் தமிழ் இணைய மாநாடுகளைக் கடந்த பத்தாண்டுகளுக்கும் மேலாக உத்தம நிறுவனம் நடத்திவருகிறது என்னும் தகவலை உங்களோடு பகிர்ந்துகொள்ள விழைகிறோம். உத்தம நிறுவனம் உலகத் தமிழர்களைக் கணினி வாயிலாக இணைப்பதில் முனைப்புடன் செயல்பட்டு வருகிறது என்றால் அது மிகையாகாது.
இது வரை ஏழு மாநாடுகளை அமெரிக்கா, சிங்கப்பூர், மலேசியா, ஜெர்மனி, ஆகிய நாடுகளில் முன்னனிப் பல்கலைக் கழகங்களோடு இணைந்தும், தமிழகத்தில் மூன்று மாநாடுகளைத் தமிழக அரசின் முழு ஆதரவோடும் உத்தம நிறுவனம் நடந்தியிருக்கிறது என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.. தமிழ்த் தொடர்பான கணினி சார் மொழியியல் துறையில் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க ஆராய்ச்சிகளை மேற்கொண்டு வரும் சிதம்பரம் அண்ணாமலைப் பல்கலைக் கழகத்தின் மொழியியல் உயராய்வு மையத்தில் வரும் டிசம்பர் 28 முதல் 30 வரை “உலகத் தமிழ் இணைய மாநாடு 2012”ஐ நடத்த உத்தமத்தின் செயற்குழு முடிவெடுத்துள்ளது. அண்ணாமலைப் பல்கலைக் கழக மொழியியல் பேராசிரியர் மா. கணேசன் அவர்கள், மாநாட்டின் உள்ளூர்க் குழுவுக்குத் தலைமை தாங்கவிருக்கிறார். உத்தமம் அமைப்பின் துணைத்தலைவர் திரு. இளந்தமிழ் அவர்கள் மாநாட்டின் பன்னாட்டுக் குழுவின் தலைவராகப் பொறுப்பேற்றுள்ளார்.முந்தைய இணைய மாநாடுகளைப் போலவே வரும் 2012 மாநாடும் கருத்தரங்கு, கண்காட்சி, மக்கள் கூடம் என்று மூன்று முனைகளில் செயல்படும். ஆய்வுக் கருத்தரங்கு நிகழ்வுகள் டிசம்பர் 28,29 ஆகிய இரண்டு நாட்களில் நடக்கவிருக்கிறது. கண்காட்சியும் மக்கள் கூடமும் டிசம்பர் 28, 29, 30 ஆகிய மூன்று நாட்களில் நடக்கும். மாநாட்டுக்குப் பதிவு செய்த பேராளர்கள் மட்டுமே கருத்தரங்கு மற்றும் பயிலரங்கில் கலந்து கொள்ளலாம் என்பதையும் தெரிவித்துக்கொள்கிறோம். கண்காட்சியிலும், சமூகக் கூடத்திலும் பொதுமக்கள் பார்வையாளர்களாகப் பங்கேற்கலாம்.
கருத்தரங்குகளில் பல்வேறு ஆய்வாளர்கள் கணினித்தமிழ் குறித்த தங்களின் ஆய்வுகளை ஏனைய ஆய்வாளர்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வார்கள் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்க ஒன்று. மாநாட்டின் கருத்தரங்குக் குழுவுக்கு முனைவர் பத்ரி சேஷாத்ரி அவர்கள் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பு ஏற்றுள்ளார். கருத்தரங்குக் குழு மாநாட்டுக்கான ஆய்வுக் கட்டுரைகளைத் தேர்வு செய்வதுடன், கருத்தரங்குகளைச் செவ்வனே நடத்தும் பொறுப்பையும் வகிக்கும். இவ்வாண்டின் கருத்தரங்குக்கு “செல்பேசி மற்றும் பலகைக் கணினிகளில் தமிழ்க் கணிமை” என்ற தலைமைக் கருத்தை ஒட்டிய ஆய்வுக் கட்டுரைகளை வரவேற்கிறோம். இது தவிர, கணினி சார் மொழியியல், திறவூற்று மென்பொருள் ஆய்வுகள், மின்வணிக முறைகள், கணினி வழி தமிழ் கற்றல் மற்றும் கற்பித்தல் போன்ற கணித்தமிழ் வளர்ச்சிக்குப் பயன் தரும் பல்வேறு ஆய்வுத் துறைகளிலும் கட்டுரைகளை வரவேற்கிறோம்.
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இவ்வாண்டு மாநாட்டின் மக்கள் கூடம் மூலம் கணித்தமிழ் நுட்பங்களை இத்துறையின் வல்லுநர்கள் மற்றும் மாணவர்களிடையே பரப்புதல், பயிலரங்குகள் நடத்திக் கணித்தமிழின் நுட்பங்களைப் பயிற்றுவித்தல், கணினி வழியாகக் கற்கும் மற்றும் கற்பிக்கும் பல்வேறு முறைகளை ஆசிரியர்களிடம் பரப்புதல் போன்ற முயற்சிகளை எடுக்கவிருக்கிறோம். கணித்தமிழ்ப் பயிலரங்குகளைத் தமிழ்நாடு மட்டுமல்லாமல், மலேசியாவிலும் சிங்கப்பூரிலும் நடத்தி வந்திருக்கும் முனைவர் மு. இளங்கோவன் அவர்கள் மக்கள்கூடக் குழுவின் தலைவராகப் பொறுப்பேற்கிறார்.
ஆய்வுச் சுருக்கங்களை அனுப்பவேண்டிய கடைசி நாள் 20 அக்டோபர் 2012 ஆகும். மாநாட்டுக் குழு ஆய்வுச் சுருக்கங்களைப் பரிசீலித்து மாநாட்டில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படும் கட்டுரைகளைத் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கும். தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட கட்டுரையாளர்களுக்கு 10 நவம்பர் 2012-க்குள் தகவல் தெரிவிக்கப்படும்.
கீழ்க்கண்ட தலைப்புகளில் மாநாட்டின் அரங்குகள் நடைபெற உள்ளது:
- செல்பேசிகள் மற்றும் பலகைக் கணினிகளில், முக்கியமாக ஐ.ஓ.எஸ், ஆண்டிராய்டு தளங்களில் தமிழைப் படித்தல், தமிழில் எழுதுதல்.
- மின் புத்தகங்கள், மின் இதழ்கள் ஆகியவற்றைக் கைக் கருவிகளில் கொண்டுவர உதவும் செயலிகள் மற்றும் தொழில்நுட்பம்.
- திறவூற்றுத் தமிழ் மென்பொருள்கள், தன்மொழியாக்கல்.
- இயன்மொழிப் பகுப்பாய்வு: பிழைதிருத்தி, தமிழ் எழுத்துரு பகுப்பி, ஒலி உணர்தல், தேடுபொறிகள், இயந்திர மொழிமாற்றம், தகவல் அகழ்தல் போன்றவை.
- தமிழ் இணையத்தின் தற்போதைய நிலை: வலைப்பதிவு, சமூக வலைத்தளங்கள், விக்கிப்பீடியா, குரல் வலை போன்றவை.
- தமிழ் தரவுத்தளங்கள்.
- கணினி வழி தமிழ் கற்றல் மற்றும் கற்பித்தல் குறித்தான ஆய்வுகள்
- தமிழ்க் கணினி சொல்லாக்க ஆய்வுகள்
- கணினி வழி தமிழ்மொழி பகுப்பாய்தல் மற்றும் கணினிக்கு தமிழ் மொழியறிவு ஊட்டல் பற்றிய ஆய்வுகள்
கட்டுரைகளை மின்னஞ்சல் மூலமாக மட்டுமே அனுப்பவேண்டும். ஆய்வுச் சுருக்கங்களும் இறுதிக் கட்டுரையும் திருத்தக்கூடிய வடிவத்தில் மட்டுமே அனுப்பப்படவேண்டும். இவை உரைக் கோப்புகளாக, எச்.டி.எம்.எல் வடிவில், மைக்ரோசாஃப்டு வேர்டு அல்லது ஓப்பன் ஆஃபீஸ் கோப்புகளாக இருக்கலாம். பி.டி.எஃப் போன்ற திருத்தமுடியாத வடிவங்கள் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்படமாட்டாது என்பதை உறுதியாகத் தெரிவித்துக்கொள்கிறோம். கட்டுரைகள் ஆங்கிலத்திலோ தமிழிலோ அல்லது இரு மொழிகளும் கலந்த வகையிலோ இருக்கலாம். தமிழில் அல்லது இருமொழியில் இருந்தால், யூனிகோட் குறியீட்டில் மட்டுமே இருக்கவேண்டும். பிற குறியீடுகளைக் கொண்டு அனுப்பப்படும் கட்டுரைகள் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்படமாட்டாது என்பதையும் தெரிவித்துக்கொள்கிறோம்.
மாநாட்டு இதழ் அச்சு வடிவிலும் மின் வடிவிலும் வெளியிடப்படும். ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்டு, மாநாட்டில் நேராகப் படிக்கப்படும் ஆய்வுக் கட்டுரைகள் மட்டுமே மாநாட்டு இதழில் சேர்த்துக்கொள்ளப்படும். கட்டுரைகளை அனுப்புவோர் நேராக மாநாட்டுக்கு வந்து தங்களின் கட்டுரைகளைப் படிக்கவேண்டும் என்பதில் எந்தவித கருத்துவேறுபாடும் இருக்காது. மாநாட்டுக்கு வர இயலாதோரின் கட்டுரைகளை மாநாட்டுக்குழு ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளாது என்பதையும் தெரிவித்துக்கொள்கிறோம்..
(ஏ4 அளவில்) இரு பக்கங்களுக்கு மிகாது கட்டுரைச் சுருக்கங்களை மாநாட்டு நிகழ்ச்சிகள் குழுவுக்கு ti2012-cpc@infitt.org என்ற மின்னஞ்சல் முகவரிக்கு அனுப்பிவையுங்கள். கட்டுரை வந்து சேர்ந்தது குறித்து உடனடியாக உங்களுக்கு மின்னஞ்சல் வாயிலாகத் தகவல் தெரிவிக்கப்படும்.
மாநாடு குறித்த கூடுதல் விவரங்களுக்குக் கீழ்க்காணும் மின்முகவரிகளில் எங்களைத் தொடர்பு கொள்ளும்படி கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறோம்
ti2012@infitt.org அல்லது ed@infitt.org மற்றும் chair@infitt.org
http://www.infitt.org என்ற உத்தம நிறுவனத்தின் இணையப்பக்கத்தில் இம்மாநாடு குறித்தான செய்திகளை அவ்வப்போது வெளியிட்டுவருவோம். இப்பக்கத்தில் தங்களின் மாநாட்டு வருகைக்காகப் பதிவு செய்துகொள்ளும்படி கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறோம்.
இப்படிக்கு,
மணி மு. மணிவண்ணன்
தலைவர், உத்தம நிறுவனம்
International Forum for Information Technology (INFITT) is pleased to announce that the 11th Tamil Internet International Conference, TIC 2012 will be held at the Center for Advanced Linguistics, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, India during December 28-30, 2012. INFITT is an international non-profit organization, registered in the State of California, USA.
INFITT has been hosting Tamil Internet Conferences for over a decade to coordinate research on Tamil Computing and Tamil internet among international researchers and to spread latest software and usage of Tamil on computers among Tamil users.
INFITT has hosted seven conferences in the USA, Singapore, Malaysia and Germany in collaboration with major universities such as University of California at Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Cologne University, National University of Singapore and in Tamil Nadu has organized three conferences with the full support of the Government of Tamil Nadu. This year, INFITT’s executive committee has decided to organize the conference on December 28th, 29th and 30th at Annamalai University, Chidambaram, where significant research on Computational Linguistics related to Tamil is being carried out. Prof. M. Ganesan, Director, CAS in Linguistics, Annamalai University, will chair the Local Organizing Committee (LOC). Mr. Elantamil, Vice Chairman of INFITT, will chair the International Organizing Committee.
Like the earlier Tamil Internet Conferences, the TIC-2012 will also have the three components – Research Conference Program, Exhibition and Community Program. The research papers related to Tamil computing will be presented on December 28th and 29th. Exhibition and Community Program will be open on December 28th, 29th and 30th. Conference Research Program and Tamil Computing Workshops are open only to registered participants while the Exhibition and Community Programs are open to the general public. Dr. Badri Seshadri will chair the Conference Program Committee (CPC) which will deal with research paper submissions and scheduling of the research presentations at the conference. We invite research papers related to the conference theme of “Tamil Computing for Mobiles and Tablet.” In addition to this, we welcome papers related to Computational Linguistics, Open Source software, eCommerce applications, and other topics of interest to Tamil computing.
In addition to hosting a forum for researchers to exchange ideas, Tamil Internet conferences also serve the larger Tamil community by spreading Tamil Computing technology as well as introducing Tamil software applications to the general public through exhibitions. Hosting this conference at Chidambaram gives people in interior Tamil Nadu an opportunity to learn about Tamil Computing development from the Exhibition and the Community Program.
KaniThamizh Sangam, which has been hosting several exhibitions throughout Tamil Nadu with a mission to spread information on Tamil software, will be in charge of the Exhibition at TIC-2012. Mr. C. Anandan, President of Kani Tamil Sangam, will be chairing the Exhibition Committee.
This year the Community Program will be organizing Workshops to train domain experts and students in technologies of interest to Tamil Computing, provide forums to promote interaction among international educators and teachers to share information on using computers to learn and teach Tamil and through Tamil. Dr. Mu. Elangovan, who has been organizing Tamil Computing workshops successfully not only in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, but also in Malaysia and Singapore, will be chairing the Community Program at TIC-2012.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS - ANNOUNCEMENT
The abstracts should be sent in by 20th October 2012. CPC will review all submissions and will select papers for presentation at various technical sessions. Authors whose papers have been selected for presentation at the conference will be informed by 10th November 2012.
The following is a collection of topics to be addressed at various technical sessions of the Conference.
- Reading and writing Tamil in mobile phones and tablets, with particular emphasis on iOS and Android platforms.
- Applications, platforms and technology for presenting e-books and e-magazines across handheld computing devices.
- Open source Tamil software and Tamil localization.
- NLP applications in Tamil: Spellchecker, OCR, Voice recognition, speech synthesis, Search engines, Machine Translation, Data mining, etc.
- Current status of Tamil Internet: Blogging, Micro-blogging, Wikipedia, Podcasting etc.
- Tamil Databases.
- Computer Assisted Tamil Teaching and Learning
All submissions must be in the electronic form. All the abstracts and the final papers must be submitted in an editable format. This could be in the form of Plain Text, HTML, Microsoft Word or Open Office formats. PDF or similar non-editable formats shall not be accepted. The abstracts as well as the papers may be presented in English, Tamil or bilingual (Tamil-English) format. For papers with content in Tamil or bilingual, only Unicode encoding will be accepted. Papers presented in any other encoding will be summarily rejected.
The Conference Proceedings will be published in printed paper format and as an e-book. Only those papers which are accepted and presented in person at the conference will be included in the Conference Proceedings. It is assumed that submission of a paper for possible presentation at TI2012 implies attendance at the conference and presentation in person by at least one author of the paper.
Abstracts of not more than two pages (A4 size) may be sent to the CPC at ti2012-cpc@infitt.org. Conference Program Committee will send a confirmation of the receipt of the abstract.
For further details, please contact:
ti2012@infitt.org or ed@infitt.org and chair@infitt.org
Information about this conference will be updated on a regular basis in our website: http://www.infitt.org. You are also requested to register your participation in the conference using this website.
Sincerely,
Mani M. Manivannan Press Contact : 9444075051
Chair, INFITT
Appendix A: Committee Details:
Local Organizing Committee:
Dr. M. Ganesan, Chair
International Organizing Committee:
Mr. M. Elantamil, Chair
Conference Program Committee:
Dr. Badri Seshadri, Chair
Exhibition Committee:
Mr. Valli Anandan, Chair
Community Program Committee:
Dr. Mu. Elangovan, Chair
Additional member list will be announced shortly
First INFITT Tamil Computing Workshop - Anna University, Chennai
We are pleased to announce the First INFITT Tamil Computing Workshop jointly conducted with Anna University.
Two day Workshop on Tamil Computing and Open Source
Date : 7th and 8th September 2012
Venue : Anna University, Computer Science Dept., Guindy campus
Registration : Brochure, Registration Form and Program schedule attached
Click here for Tamil computing opensource brochure
Click here for Infitt schedule updated
Limited Seats : Only 50 seats. First come first served.
Fees : Rs.1,000/- per participant
Benefits to Participants:
1. Certificate jointly issued by Anna University and INFITT.
2. Free INFITT Associate Membership for 1 year.
3. Chance to participate in INFITT Tamil Computing Award.
INFITT Tamil Computing Award:
Open to all final year engineering students - 475 engg. colleges and about 150,000 students in TN.
First Prize : Rs.50,000/-
Second Prize : Rs.30,000/-
Third Prize : Rs.20,000/-
Co-ordinators:
Infitt - Mr.Iniya Nehru - 94444 11664
AU - Dr.Mala - 94449 55575
A blog of all sections with no images
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Wednesday, 12 May 2004 |
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INFITT runs several working groups in key areas of Tamil IT. Following is a list of currently active WGs. Please contact the Secretariat if you would like to join any of these Working Groups. WG02: Tamil Unicode (Chair: Mr. TNC Venkatarangan) |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 March 2007 )
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Wednesday, 12 May 2004 |
INFITT Membership FAQ
1. Purpose This document defines the terms and fee structures for different categories of members who will constitute the INFITT General Body (GB) as defined in Article 7 of the INFITT Constitution. Any future revision of this membership terms and structures, as directed by the Executive Committee (EC) and approved by the General Council (GC), shall be reflected in this document. 2. Categories of INFITT Membership There shall be four main categories of INFITT membership: - Charter Member
- Institutional Member:
- Institutional Member (Governmental & Business Organisations);
- Institutional Member (Civic Organisations)
- Individual Member:
- Individual Member (Resident in Category A Countries);
- Individual Member (Resident in Category B Countries); and
- Associate Member
3. Brief Description of INFITT Membership Categories: 3.1. Charter Member is any individual or institution that wishes to play a major role in INFITT, with voting rights. "Major role" is interpreted to mean an active role in the development and administration of INFITT and/or the provision of substantial financial support to INFITT. The number of votes allocated to this category of member reflects the "voice" the member shall have in the decision making process of INFITT. However it is not the intention of INFITT to allow "buying" of votes, as there is a cap on the number of votes.
3.2. Institutional Member is any institution with formal structures, authority to represent some constituencies and direct accountability -- governmental, business or civic organisation -- that wishes to be a member of INFITT with voting rights. However, as there are major differences among the institutions in terms of financial and other resources, INFITT has decided to allow for two sub-categories of Institutional Members: Institutional Member (Governmental & Business Organisations) and Institutional Member (Civic Organisations). Though they both will have the same number of votes, the latter will pay a reduced (about 50 per cent less) annual subscription.
3.3. Individual Member is any person who wishes to be a member with voting rights. The members of this category are seen as the bedrock of INFITT in the sense they will make up the majority of INFITT members. They are likely to have more direct involvement with the organisation and at an affordable cost. However, given the grave disparities in the economic status of countries around the world, two sub-categories of Individual Members have been created based on the member's residential location: Individual Member (Category A) and Individual Member (Category B). The lists of countries under the two categories are attached as Annexe 1. The list may be altered periodically after consultation with GC and approval by EC. As with Institutional Members, there will be a difference in the annual dues between the two categories though they both will have the same number of votes.
3.4. Associate Member is available to any students registered in academic institutions. This category has been specially incorporated to encourage young students of schools and colleges to take active interests in Tamil computing and to get technical help from INFITT to carry out Tamil IT related projects. 4. Membership Fees (Annual dues) 4.1. Charter Member: USD 10,000
4.2. Institutional Member (Governmental & Business Organisations): USD1,000
4.3. Institutional Member (Civic Organisations): USD500
4.4. Individual Member (Category A): USD25*
4.5. Individual Member (Category B): USD10*
*The membership fee is to be based on the economic standing of the country of residence of the member. Based on the country's per capita GDP in terms of Purchasing Power Parity, as listed by the World Bank, two categories of countries have been created for this purpose: those who fall below the USD10,000 line and those who remain at or above USD10,000. Those in the first category will pay USD 50 and the others will pay half that sum -- USD25.(See Annex on PPR for current data provided by World Bank.)
4.6. Associate Member: FREE
4.7. Membership dues will be based on the country of permanent residence (not on nationality) for individuals and country of registration for institutions.
4.8. Membership fees will be due for the calendar year from January 1 to December 31. For administrative ease, fees will be collected only on an annual basis. Those who join in June or earlier will pay the full subscription and those who join in or after July will pay half the dues.
4.9. All fees must be paid in advance for membership to take effect.
5. Membership Benefits 5.1. Charter Members - 10 votes
- 30 per cent discount to 10 nominated persons on any normal fees for conferences, publications, products and services produced by INFITT
- Priority booking & preferential treatment as appropriate
- Inclusion in appropriate mailing lists
5.2. Institutional Members (Both categories) - 5 votes
- 20 per cent discount to 5 nominated persons on any normal fees for conferences, publications, products and services produced by INFITT
- Priority booking & preferential treatment as appropriate
- Inclusion in appropriate mailing lists
5.3. Individual Members (Both categories) - 1 vote
- 10 per cent discount to member on any normal fees for conferences, publications, products and services produced by INFITT
- Priority booking & preferential treatment as appropriate
- Inclusion in appropriate mailing lists
5.4. Associate Members - 5 per cent discount to member on any normal fees for conferences, publications, products and services produced by INFITT
- Inclusion in appropriate mailing lists
6. Membership Responsibilities 6.1. All members must abide by the Constitution of INFITT.
6.2. All members must observe common etiquette in their interaction with INFITT members.
6.3. Failure to comply with the membership requirements as set out by the EC of INFITT may result in suspension or expulsion of the member concerned.
7. Waiver of Membership Fee 7.1. All members are required to pay their dues promptly and regularly. However, INFITT does recognise that there may be exceptional circumstances of hardship, which prevent individuals or organisations from making payments to INFITT. Under those circumstances, the EC may decide to waive the fees for a fixed period of time.
7.2. The waiver of fees shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the EC or by a committee appointed by the EC.
8. Benefactors & Patrons 8.1. Benefactors are those organisations or individuals who make donations or grants, between USD20,000 and USD100,000 in a single tranche.
8.2. Patrons are those organisations or individuals who make donations or grants, exceeding USD100,000 in a single tranche.
8.3. Benefactors and Patrons do not have voting rights but will be duly acknowledged in all appropriate publicity materials of INFITT and will be given free admission to all INFITT events and other priority treatments as appropriate.
Released by INFITT Secretariat, 25 July 2002 |
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CONSTITUTION
for the
INTERNATIONAL FORUM for
lNFORMATION TECHNOLOGY in TAMIL (INFITT)
PREAMBLE
Tamil is an ancient language but it will remain an ancient unless it takes advantage of Information Technology. Information, as technology, got its start in the United States in the early 1950's. The language of choice was English. Handling of Tamil text materials in computers, in Tamil script form, became possible in the mid-eighties through the advent of a handful of Tamil fonts and text editors. Free fonts, for use in all three of the commonly used computer platforms (Windows, Mac and Unix), and the emergence of the World Wide Web, as a powerful medium for information exchange, started from the mid-nineties. It enabled the widespread exchange of Tamil digital materials worldwide through Internet-based communication tools (Email, Web). Tamil Information Technology efforts expanded phenomenally and became firmly established amongst Tamils worldwide thereby introducing a phase transition in the Tamil, and through it, Tamil culture.
The first International Conference devoted to Tamil Computing-TamilNet 97- organized at the National University of Singapore, in June 97, laid the foundations for bringing together, annually, key players in the field of Tamil Information Technology. The primary issues for attention were delineated and the urgent need for standardization of basic elements, such as font encoding and associated keyboards, was recognized. The second International Conference-Tamilnet 99- was organized in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India in February 1999. It brought together representatives of Tamil speaking peoples and took a landmark step in recommending official glyph encoding and keyboard layout standards. The third International Conference -Tamil Inaiyam 2000- was held in Singapore during 22-24 July 2000.
As a follow up to Tamilnet 99, National Steering Committees have been formed in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Singapore and several regional committees being established, to promote Tamil Information Technology in the respective countries and regions. Substantial amounts of monetary and human resources have been made available to develop standards and software in key areas of Tamil Information Technology.
There is an urgent need to coordinate the efforts of various national and regional initiatives, through an International Forum for Information Technology in Tamil (hereinafter referred to as INFITT), consisting of regional and national representations, concerned institutions and individuals.
Many Asian languages already have such International Steering Committees. An example is the Asia-Pacific Networking Group (AP-NG? devoted to Chinese. In addition to China, there are regional representatives from North America, Europe, country and individual representatives from Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc. The chairmanship is rotated and all decisions are collectively made. Another type of association is the Unicode Consortium, a voluntary grouping of representatives of major hardware and software industry that coordinates and leads world-wide efforts on the emerging Unicode standard. INFITT is an international body created to meet the felt needs of the Tamil Information Technology community.
Article 1
Introduction
The Tamil speaking people around the world, presently of about 80 million, strongly feel that the preservation and development of their culture and language critically depends on their ability to come to terms and taking advantage of evolving Information Technology. The International Forum for Information Technology in Tamil ( INFITT ) is founded for the purpose of coordinating Tamil Information Technology efforts worldwide, furthering the growth of on-line Tamil content globally, and facilitating the development of new Information Technologies for the advancement of Tamil culture, language, education and skill development, especially through global information infrastructure.
The INFITT will provide a forum and a mechanism for coordinating such activities through conferences, workshops, symposia, meetings, working groups, commissioned research and studies and other means, legal and appropriate.
Article 2
Status
1. The INFITT is established with the support of governmental and non-governmental organizations, agencies and institutions, the private sector, foundations, research and education institutions, industry and concerned individuals all focused on the promotion and development of Tamil culture and language through Information Technology.
2. The INFITT shall operate as a non-profit non-governmental autonomous organization, international in status, and non-political in management, staffing and operations. The INFITT shall be organized for coordination, research, development and education.
3. INFITT does not have a regulatory or enforcement role. Its primary functions are advisorial, promotional, facilitative and liaison with bodies and individuals concerned with the promotion of Tamil Information Technology
4. The collective decisions of the INFITT shall be in the form of recommendations to multinational agencies, nations, states, economies, organizations, institutions and individuals.
Article 3
Aims
1. The mandate of the INFITT is to promote Tamil culture and language through Information Technology, computing, Tamil Internet, Tamil electronic content by the coordination of their regional, national, international and individual efforts and resources worldwide.
2. The aims and key objectives of INFITT are,
1. To organize and coordinate the efforts of its own policy and technical groups, various regional and national steering groups, independent groups (including Internet-based 3 organizations) industry and individuals and, within a global framework, facilitate, dialogue and promote cooperation and collaboration among various groups and individuals;
2. To identify key application areas for development of Tamil Information Technology, to define broad guidelines for their implementation and to provide technical assistance wherever possible;
3. To develop norms and standards for Tamil computing, including text and data handling, across different platforms, and the development of "open source-application programming interfaces (OS-API);
4. To promote education and the dissemination of Tamil Information Technology knowledge regarding Tamil computing;
5. To organize "Tamil Internet" ("Tamil Inaiyam") conferences regularly (preferably annually) in different parts of the world in cooperation with concerned national organizations.
6. To provide a mechanism for the Tamil Information Technology community to be represented collectively at international, regional and national Information Technology and networking organizations and their conferences or meetings, and to act as a liaison body and a voice for Tamil Information Technology in these bodies.
Article 4
Guiding Principles
1. The INFITT shall serve as an international catalyst, forum and resource devoted to developing competence and expertise in Tamil Information Technology.
2. The INFITT will complement its activities with those of other international and national societies, associations and institutions, industry and individuals, that have similar aims. Its activities will, wherever appropriate, be planned and implemented in collaboration with such societies, associations, institutions and individuals.
3. The INFITT will promote the standing of Tamil Information Technology in the global arena through liaison and cooperation with other international bodies.
Article 5
Activities
1. In fulfilling the aforementioned aims and functions, in the spirit of the guiding principles, the lNFITT shall engage in a range of activities including:
• holding meetings and arranging lectures, training courses, workshops seminars, symposia and conferences;
• commissioning the publishing and dissemination of books, periodicals, reports and research and working papers through print and electronic on-line and other media;
• establishing and maintaining contact with individuals and institutions with expertise in relevant fields through collaborative research, seminars, exchange visits, sabbatical attachments and likewise;
• commissioning studies and other projects on behalf of or in collaboration with other organizations and institutions;
• maintaining offices, information resources (including websites, databases, archives) and other facilities as may be necessary for its proper functioning;
• assist in development of international standards and norms in formats recognized by the lnformation Technology industry, such as Internet Drafts (ID) and Requests for Comments (RFC), in all key areas of Tamil Information Technology;
• and taking such other actions as may INFITT further and fulfill the aims and objectives of the
2. The INFITTs activities, programs and plans shall be reviewed periodically, taking into account the changing needs of developing and developed economies and the INFITT's capacities in meeting these needs.
Article 6
INFITT and its Organs
1. The INFITT is a corporate body, consisting of a General Body of members, having a common scale.
2. It can sue and be sued
3. The organs of INFITT are
i) The General Body,
ii) the General Council, and
iii) An Executive Committee including a Secretariat
Article 7
Members of General Body
1. Members of General Body may consist of
1. A state;
2. A regional body;
3. A national body;
4. Non-governmental organizations, agencies, institutions, the private sector, research and education institutions or industry;
5. Individuals.
2. Anyone who subscribes to the Aims of INFITT and abides by its rules and regulations can become a member of General Body.
3. General Council of INFITT shall periodically fix the membership fee of members in each of these categories. Continuation of membership would require prompt payment of membership fee.
4. No partisan group including a state, economy, country, non-governmental organization, agency, institution, company, industry, or organization shall have majority representation in the General Body.
5. Conduct of members. Members shall perform all duties for the INFITT as well as conduct their own professional activities in an ethical and professional manner. The INFITT may recommend disciplinary action for conduct of any member inconsistent with the purposes of the INFITT.
6. Resignation. Any member may resign at any time. Such resignation shall be made in writing and shall take effect at the time specified therein, or, if no time is specified, at the time of receipt by the Chairman or Secretary.
7. Removal. Any member can be removed by the Executive Committee subject to approval by the General Council.
8. Each member shall have voting rights as per one.
Article 8
INFITT General Council
1.1 The membership of the General Council shall consist of 51 members constituted by geographical, institutional and individual representation.
1.2 The geographical representation will be as follows:
India- 16
Sri Lanka - 06
North America - 08
Malaysia - 04
Singapore - 03
Europe - 05
Australasia - 01
Middle East & Africa - 02
1.3 The number of Institutional Members and Members-at-large in the General Council will be 6 and they will be elected by the General Body.
1.4 Wherever there is a national or a regional steering committee, its nomination to the General Council shall be limited to 50% of that geographical unit.
1.5 The rest of the geographical representatives will be elected by their respective geographical members of the General Body.
1.6 The duration of membership to the General Council shall be limited to two years
1.7 The General Council will elect the executive committee from its membership
1.8 The General Council will review and accord its approval wherever necessary the decisions of the executive committee.
2. The General Council may appoint sub or ad-hoc committees or working groups composed of appropriate technical experts to address specific topics of Tamil Information Technology as it may deem necessary for the performance of its functions. These committees/working groups will function under the direction of the Executive Committee.
3. The General Council will work largely as an Internet working group, except when it meets in annual "Tamil Internet" conferences, or through a mailing list (a closed list open only to members).
4. The Members of the General Council shall meet at least once a year in person, preferably during the "Tamil Internet" Conference. At this Meeting, amongst other things, the General Council shall elect or renew the office-bearers of the Executive Committee in accordance with the rules laid down in article 9.
Article 9
Executive Committee
1.1 The Executive Committee shall consist of 9 members, the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Secretary, the immediate Past Chairman and three other Member all being members of the General Council.
1.2 The Executive Director of the Secretariat shall serve as the Secretary of the Executive Committee.
1.3 Except for the Past Chairman and the Secretary all other offices and members of the Executive Committee will be elected by the General Council from amongst its members.
2.1 The members of the Executive Committee will hold office for two years.
2.2 The Chair and Vice-Chair shall hold office for one year. In general, the Vice-Chair is Chair-elect and succeeds to the Chair the following year.
2.3 The election of the Chair and Vice-Chair may be by direct ballot or through rotation.
2.4 Tamil Nadu shall have a permanent position in the Executive Committee.
3. Executive Committee Members, upon assumption of their post, shall serve in their personal capacity and are not considered, nor do they act, as official representatives of their source
states, countries, economies, institution, community or organization.
4. To this end, the Executive Committee shall:
1. define objectives and approve plans to meet INFITT aims and monitor the
achievement of these aims;
2. formulate policies to be followed by the Secretary in pursuing the specified objectives;
3. ensure INFITT's cost-effectiveness, financial integrity, and accountability;
4. approve INFITT's program and budget;
5. appoint an external auditor and approve an annual audit plan;
6. approve INFITT's broad organizational framework and that of the Secretariat;
7. approve the INFITTs fund raising and resource mobilization strategies, policies and programs, and promote such fund raising and resource mobilization activities;
8. perform all acts which may be considered necessary, suitable and proper for the attainment of any or all of the aims of the INFITT as set forth in the articles herein. In special cases or routine matters, Executive Committee may meet informally via teleconferencing or on-line asynchronous means, and take decisions.
9. The Chairman of the Executive Committee shall preside over a meeting of the General Council.
Article 10
INFITT Secretariat
1. The Executive Director shall head the Secretariat and shall report to the Chairman of the Executive Committee and through him to the Executive Committee
2. The Executive Director shall be responsible to the Executive Committee for coordinating the operation and management of the INFITT and for ensuring that its programs and objectives are properly developed and carried out. The Secretary shall work closely with the financial committees of the INFITT to coordinate fund raising and resource mobilization activities.
3. The Executive Director shall implement the policies determined by the Executive Committee.
4. The Executive Director shall be the legal representative of the INFITT.
Article 11
Capacity
1. The INFITT shall have the following capacity:
1. to receive, acquire or otherwise lawfully obtain from any governmental authority or from any corporation, company, association, person, firm, foundation, other entity or individual, whether international, regional or national, such charters, licenses, rights, concessions or similar assistance - financial or otherwise - as are conducive to and necessary for the attainment of the aims of the INFITT without compromising its neutrality and non-partisan, non-governmental and non-profit role in Tamil Information Technology worldwide.
2. to receive, acquire or otherwise lawfully obtain from any governmental authority or from any corporation, company, association, person, firm, foundation or other entity, whether international, regional or national, by donation, grant, exchange, device, bequest, purchase or lease, either absolutely or in trust, contributions consisting of such properties, real, personal, or mixed including funds and valuable effects or items as may be useful or necessary to pursue the aims and activities of the INFITT and to hold, operate, administer, use, invest, sell, convoy or dispose of the said properties in accordance to the principles laid down elsewhere in this document;
3. to enter into agreements and contracts;
4. to employ persons according to its own regulations;
5. to institute, and defend in, local proceedings; and
6. to perform all acts and functions as may be found necessary, expedient, suitable or proper for the furtherance, accomplishment or attainment of any and/or all of the purposes and activities herein stated, or which shall appear, at any time, as conducive to or necessary and useful for the aims and activities of the INFITT.
Article 12
Financing
1. The budget of the INFITT shall be funded by signatories of the Establishment Agreement for INFITT, international, regional and national organizations, public and private institutions and individuals which wish to make financial and other voluntary contributions to it. The INFITT may receive contributions from other sources. It may also receive contributions and gifts toward the establishment of an endowment program.
2. The financial operation of the INFITT shall be governed by financial regulations to be developed by the Secretariat and approved by the Executive Committee.
2.1 The budget for the INFITT will be approved, annually, by the Executive Committee.
2.2 The budget shall consist of two components: a "core" budget covering activities and resource requirements which are central and critical to the operational effectiveness and sustainability of INFITT, and a "special " budget which is fully supported by voluntary funds and contributions from donors who support specific initiatives and activities of the INFITT.
2.3 Special initiatives may include named programs, activities or grants provided by donors.
3. The "core" budget shall be supported primarily by fees collected from individuals, institutions and from obligatory contributions provided by signatory economies which shall be calculated in direct proportion to total GDP of each economy/state/country, except that such contribution from any one economy shall be capped at no more than 25% of the core budget.
4. An annual audit of the operations of the INFITT shall be conducted by an independent international accounting firm or by the appointment of Honorary Auditors appointed by the INFITT on the recommendations of the Secretary. The results of such audits shall be made available by the Secretary to the Executive Committee. The audit report with the comments of the Executive Committee shall be circulated to all members of the INFITT.
Article 13
Transparency
1. The deliberations of INFITT shall be conducted in a totally transparent manner.
2.1. The INFITT and its subordinate entities shall operate to the maximum extent feasible in an open and transparent manner consistent with procedures designed to ensure fairness.
2.2. The INFITT shall maintain one or more World Wide Web sites.
3. INFITT shall constantly search for additional transparency policies and transparency procedures designed to provide information about, and enhance the ability of interested persons to provide inputs to the INFITT and subordinate entities. Any such additional transparency policies and procedures shall be widely publicized by the INFITT in draft form,
both within the INFITT membership and on a publicly-accessible Internet World Wide Web site maintained by the INFITT. Any such additional transparency policies and procedures may be adopted only after a process for receiving and evaluating comments and suggestions has been established by the INFITT Executive Committee, and after due consideration of any comments or suggestions received by the INFITT.
Article 14
Relationships with Other Organizations
1. In order to achieve its objectives in the most efficient way, the INFITT may enter into agreements for cooperation with relevant national, regional or international organizations, foundations and agencies, both public and private, and with individuals.
Article 15
Amendments
I. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of all voting Members of the General Body, provided notice of such a proposed amendment together with its full text shall have been mailed to all members at least eight weeks in advance of the ballot.
2. The Quorum required for constitutional amendments shall be 50% of the General Body membership.
3. Voting may be carried out by electronic means or as designated according to procedures instituted by the Executive Committee.
Article 16
Dissolution
1. The INFITT may be dissolved by a three-fourths majority of all voting Members, if it is determined that the purposes of the INFITT have been achieved to a satisfactory degree or if it is determined that the INFITT can or will no longer be able to function effectively.
2. The Quorum required for dissolution of INFITT shall be 50% of the General Body membership.
3. In the case of dissolution, any land, physical plant and other assets situated in participating economies, and made available to the INFITT, and permanent fixed capital improvements thereon shall revert to their legal owner. The other assets of the INFITT shall be transferred for use for similar purposes or distributed to institutions having purposes similar to those of the INFITT in the participating economies.
3.1. The decision of the Executive Committee, in all these matters, will be final.
Article 17
Transitional Arrangements
1 The participants at the "Tamil Internet conference, convened to approve the Establishment Agreement, shall elect a pro-tem chairman .
2 The INFITT shall come into being with the approval of the constitution by the participants at a special meeting held during the Tamil Internet2000 conference in Singapore.
3. The first General Council shall be constituted in consultation with the participants of that meeting.
4. The first Executive Committee will be established by the first General Council.
5. The first Executive Committee will decide on the location of the Secretariat and the appointment of Executive Director.
6. Within one year, the first General Council will take necessary steps to establish the General Body.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 March 2007 )
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