This
document describes the work Ada-Europe plans to undertake during the
period
January 1st 2008 until December 31st 2008. Additional activities to
those
described here may be undertaken provided that the new activities are
in
conformance with the objectives described below and that they are
approved by
the Ada-Europe Board.
The Ada-Europe Conference 2008 is
planned to
be held in Venice, Italy, in June. The conference is being organized in
association with the University of Padua.
The Ada-Europe Board, through a nominated
Ada-Europe
Board member, provides
a point of contact for all conferences and hence experience gained is
retained
and reused. The conferences and exhibitions are open to the Ada
community
worldwide.
All direct and indirect members of Ada-Europe whose names
have been made
known by their Associate member receive a discount at Ada-Europe
conferences.
Ada-Europe has a Memorandum of Understanding with SIGAda regarding cooperation at conferences. As part of this cooperation, Ada-Europe invites representatives of SIGAda to the annual conference as guests of Ada-Europe and, similarly, SIGAda invites representatives of Ada-Europe to the SIGAda conference.
Current activity concerning standardization is at
an
international level and is focused on the national bodies that are
members of
ISO. Ada-Europe has established a category C organisational liaison
with ISO
JTC1/SC22/WG9, which allows for direct involvement of Ada-Europe and
its
members in the standardization effort.
In the period of 2004 to 2007 Ada-Europe has undertaken a
major
initiative producing a consolidated Reference Manual for Ada that
incorporates
the language changes by an Amendment to the language definition, now
known as
Ada 2005. Ada-Europe is the holder of the copyright of this Reference
Manual
and will continue to endeavour to promote its widespread availability.
Electronic versions of the Reference Manual will be freely available.
Ada-Europe will consider providing grants to support
activities in
connection with the liaison with ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG9 for direct
involvement
in the standardization efforts.
Another means of providing support is by grants to other
organizing
bodies. For example, Ada-Europe has provided grants in the past to
workshops on
topics of real-time programming. Conditions that must be satisfied are
that the
event is located in Europe or is organized in close cooperation with
European
organizations, that it promotes the use of Ada, that it is run on a
not-for-profit basis, and that a report of 4-6 pages is produced
suitable for
publication in the Ada User Journal. Applications for grants should be
sent to
the President.
Ada-Europe is managed by a Board of volunteers elected by the
Ada-Europe
membership. The Board delegates responsibilities to its Members and is
supported by its Secretariat. Ada-Europe will fund the operating costs
of the
Board and the Secretariat according to the agreed budget.
The Board is concerned at the cost of holding Board meetings
which
results from the high cost of international travel which is inevitable
given
its constitution. Much of the work of the Board is carried out through
electronic mail. Whenever possible, the Board meets at events, such as
its own
conferences, where many Board members are likely to be present. In
electing
directors to the Board, the members are urged to consider the
likelihood of
those elected being able to attend meetings without incurring
additional costs
for Ada-Europe.
Despite the recent expenses in support of Ada 2005,
Ada-Europe has a
significant cash balance, in part due to profits from past conferences
and the
Sponsorship program established in 2002. Nevertheless it is prudent to
retain
adequate reserves for the future and for covering financial risks of
the annual
conference. Still, the Board recommends deferring the increase of the
membership fees by 5 Euros, as proposed since 2001, to 2009.