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WHO-ITU consultation on the Making Listening Safe initiative

– Standards –

Simão Campos

Counsellor, ITU-T Study Group 16

"Multimedia"

simao.campos@itu.int

Geneva, 6-7 March 2017

About ITU

ITU is the specialized agency of the UN for telecommunications and ICTs …

… and turned 150 years in 2015

Theme for all year celebrations: “Telecommunications and ICTs: drivers of innovation”

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ITU-T Telecom Standardization

ITU-D Telecom Development

ITU-R Radiocommunication

ITU’s three Sectors: Radiocommunication, Standards and Development

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Celebrated 60 years of CCITT / ITU-T in 2016!

ITU: a unique Membership 193 Member States

670+ companies Business associations International organizations NGOs

115 universities and research

establishments

Part of the UN family: WHO, WMO, UNESCO, WIPO, …

(as of March 2016) 6

A sample of ITU private sector members

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ITU collaborates with relevant standards development organizations

40+ formal partnerships

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A sample of ITU standardization areas

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Impact of standards

BSI study on The Economic Contribution of Standards to the UK Economy (June 2015)

• Use of standards improves client-supplier relationship through improved confidence

• Most productive companies are those heavily deploying standards

• Standards encouraged innovation through the diffusion of new knowledge

• standards facilitate compliance with regulations (e.g. health and safety legislation)

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Benefits of global standards

• Known, trusted processes

• Pre-clearances

–WTO technical barriers to trade (TBT)

–European Commission

–National administrations

• Facilitates adoption in national initiatives

–Personal Connected Health programmes in Norway and Sweden

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Standardization on safe listening • Collaboration between WHO and ITU

– Capitalize on strengths of each organization

– Collaboration with other stakeholders

• October 2015

– WHO and ITU stakeholders meeting – develop an integrative standard.

– ITU Study Group 16 meeting – work item launched

• June 2016: gap analysis discussed at the ITU Workshop

– Confirmation of overall findings; initial steps

• July 2016: WHO Stakeholders meeting on prevention of deafness and hearing loss

• March 2017 – this meeting

Suggested action from gap analysis (1/2)

• Safe listening devices inform user about exposure

– Uses global standards for measurements using sound level, listening period and signal energy.

– Hourly, daily and a weekly safe listening dose based on listening period, sound level and energy

– Display the remaining safe listening time if the user carries on listening at the current level.

• PMPs adapt listening levels according to the transducer used.

• PMPs suggest safe listening practices.

Suggested action from gap analysis (2/2)

• PMP could provide access to WHO’s information about risks

• Hearing tests integrated into PMPs for periodic hearing checks and detect beginning of hearing loss.

• Customizable thresholds for warnings accounting for actual listening configuration and user hearing capability.

• Clear labelling of products monitoring the dose or the peak levels.

• Different labels can be proposed for devices monitoring dosage and for those only levels.

Follow up points

• Dosimetry is an essential element of safe listening

– Understanding of the assumptions and limitations of underlying models is important

– Practical, evolutionary approach

• Messaging: technical aspects defined in a standard

• Free availability is felt as important

– Publications

– WHO app

Conclusion

• Fruitful collaboration between WHO and ITU

–Coordination with other stakeholders has been essential

• Important milestones reviewed

• Expect progress in experts discussions at this meeting

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Simão Ferraz de Campos Neto

Simão joined the secretariat of the ITU Standardization Sector in 2002, and is the Counsellor for ITU-T Study Group 16 (for standardization work on multimedia, including media coding, accessibility, e-health, IPTV and digital signage). He has a long experience in standardization, having started with voice compression standards in 1989. Prior to joining ITU, Simão was a Scientist at COMSAT Labs in the USA and a researcher at CPqD, a telecom research center in Brazil.

A Senior Member of the IEEE, Simão authored several academic papers and position papers, served in the review committee of several IEEE-sponsored conferences, and organized the first ITU Kaleidoscope Conference.