RULES OF THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NOISE CONTROL ENGINEERING (I-INCE)

Part 1: I-INCE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Part 2: I-INCE TECHNICAL WORK

Part 3: I-INCE CONGRESS SELECTION COMMITTEE

Part 4: NEXT CONGRESS PLANNING COMMITTEE

Part 5: I-INCE CONGRESS EVALUATION COMMITTEE

Part 6: I-INCE TECHNICAL DIVISIONS

Part 6: I-INCE TECHNICAL DIVISIONS

Article 1. ESTABLISHMENT

At its meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, USA on 2002 August 18, the I-INCE General Assembly authorized the establishment of five I-INCE Technical Divisions. The Technical Divisions provide a focus within the broad field of noise control engineering for the common technical interests of participants at INTER-NOISE Congresses.

Article 2. CONCEPT

The Board of Directors and the General Assembly of I-INCE recognized that the INTER-NOISE Congresses have grown to such an extent that the organizers of a Congress need a broad base of support from members of the noise control engineering profession to maintain the depth and quality of the Congresses. To this end, it was decided that I-INCE needed to create a technical structure consisting of Technical Divisions and within the Divisions certain Focus Groups as required. The scopes of these I-INCE organizations shall cover all aspects of the broad field of noise control engineering. Any person interested in a technical area within the I-INCE field of interest may participate in the activities of the Technical Divisions and their related Focus Groups.

Article 3. TECHNICAL FIELDS REPRESENTED

Individuals who participate in INTER-NOISE Congresses have professional backgrounds in many disciplines including: acoustics, engineering (for example, acoustical, electrical, mechanical, civil, aeronautical, and architectural), physical science (for example, physics and mathematics), life science (for example, audiology, biology, psychology, physiology, sociology, and hearing science), architecture, information technology, signal processing, environmental health, medicine, law, industrial hygiene, education, and government.

Article 4. I-INCE FIELDS OF INTEREST

The I-INCE fields of interest are primarily related to unwanted sounds and the vibrations that produce such sounds, including the applicable engineering, scientific, and socio-economic aspects. Descriptions of the I-INCE fields of interest are given in Annex A. The I-INCE Classification of Subjects (see Annex B) categorizes the many topics that lie within the I-INCE fields of interest.

Article 5. TECHNICAL DIVISIONS

Five Technical Divisions may be established with scopes based on the technical areas covered by the I-INCE Classification of Subjects as follows:

• Technical Division 1: Emission and Noise Control Elements (Subject Classifications 10 to 39)
  

• Technical Division 2: Vibration and Structural Acoustics (Subject Classifications 40 to 49)
  

• Technical Division 3: Immission (Subject Classifications 50 to 69)
  

• Technical Division 4: Instruments and Analytical Methods (Subject Classifications 70 to 79)
  

• Technical Division 5: Requirements and Policies (Subject Classifications 80 to 89)

Technical Division 1 covers subjects related to physical means for controlling airborne noise and is of interest to engineers and others working in the physical sciences.

Technical Division 2 covers subjects that relate to physical means for controlling structure-borne vibrations and is of interest to engineers and others working in the physical sciences.

Technical Division 3 covers subjects that relate to the receivers of sounds and situations with multiple sound sources. Activities of this Division are of interest to engineers, social and life scientists, and others concerned with the causes and effects of noise immissions.

Technical Division 4 covers subjects related to instruments that measure sounds and vibrations, measurement techniques, and analysis of the results of the measurements, as well as analytical methods, computer simulations, and modeling. Activities of this Division are of interest to those concerned with techniques for the measurement or prediction of noise and other analytical techniques.

Technical Division 5 covers requirements and policies related to the control of noise and vibration. Activities of this Division are of interest to engineers, social scientists, representatives of government agencies, and others who are concerned with setting practical limits on exposure to noise.

Article 6. ORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS OF DIVISIONS

The organizational meetings of the Technical Divisions were held during INTER-NOISE 2003, and their establishment was approved by the General Assembly on 2003 August 25.

Article 7. AFFILIATE STATUS

Individuals who wish to participate in the activities of a Technical Division shall be identified as Affiliates of that Division. An individual is not required to be a member of an I-INCE Member Society in order to participate in the activities of a Technical Division but shall be a registered attendee at one or more INTER-NOISE Congresses. An individual may Affiliate with one, or at most two, of the Technical Divisions. If an individual is interested in affiliating with more than two of the five Technical Divisions, or has a broad, general interest in the field of noise control engineering, the individual may become an Affiliate-at-Large, and may participate in the activities of any or all of the Technical Divisions. An Affiliate participates in the activities of a Technical Division as an individual, and not as a representative of an I-INCE Member Society or other organization.

Article 8. FOCUS GROUPS

A Technical Division may establish one or more Focus Groups. Each Focus Group shall concentrate on one, or at most a few, specialized topics within the scope of the Technical Division. With the approval of a majority of the Affiliates of a Technical Division present and voting at a Division meeting, a Focus Group may be formed upon the initiative of individuals who have a mutual interest in a new or especially active technical subject for which the scope is narrower than the scope of the Technical Division. A Focus Group may be disbanded by the Technical Division when the technology is considered to be mature or of little future interest to the members of the Division.

NOTE: Examples of possible topics for Focus Groups are: active noise control, noise legislation of the European Union, noise in neighboring residential areas from generators of electric power, and low-frequency noise from the operation of high-speed trains.

Article 9. ACTIVITIES OF TECHNICAL DIVISIONS

Technical Divisions shall provide continuity of interest in each category of the I-INCE Classification of Subjects. The activities of the Technical Divisions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Organize Focus Groups and support their activities
  

• Report on the activities of their Focus Groups to the I-INCE General Assembly
  

• Propose special technical sessions and symposia to the I-INCE Next Congress Planning Committee; the proposals should be accompanied by a proposal for the names of the organizer and the chair of the special session or symposium
  

• Maintain interest in the vision and mission of I-INCE through development of structured workshops and discussion groups that would be scheduled to occur at a future INTER-NOISE Congress or I-INCE Symposium
  

• Prepare detailed proposals to the I-INCE Board for future I-INCE Symposia
  

• Prepare detailed proposals to the General Assembly for new technical initiatives that could lead to the establishment of new Technical Study Groups; the proposals should be accompanied by a proposed scope of work, estimated time from start to completion, and a proposal for the name of the person who is willing to act as the Chair for the proposed technical initiative
  

• Periodically review the I-INCE Classification of Subjects and recommend changes to the I-INCE Board
  

• Provide the Editor of Noise/News International with material on topics or items of interest
  

• Provide the I-INCE President with advice and recommendations whereby I-INCE can help meet the needs of professionals in the I-INCE field of interest

Article 10. MEETINGS OF TECHNICAL DIVISIONS

At annual INTER-NOISE Congresses, the Technical Divisions shall each hold a meeting to take action on the tasks that the Division has decided to undertake. These meetings shall be open to all Affiliates of the Division, as well as other individuals. The chair of a Technical Division shall prepare an agenda for the Division meeting that shall be circulated to the attendees at the previous meeting and made available to prospective attendees in advance of the meeting. Approval of proposals for actions by a Technical Division shall require at least a majority of the Affiliates in attendance and voting. In the intervals between annual meetings, the work of the Technical Divisions shall be carried on by electronic communications.

Article 11. ACTIVITIES OF FOCUS GROUPS

The activities of a Focus Group are similar to those of a Technical Division, but are limited to a narrower subject area. A Focus Group shall have great latitude in the manner in which it operates, and may meet during, before, or after an INTER-NOISE Congress. It is expected that much of its work will be carried out by means of electronic communications. Participants in the activities of a Focus Group are limited to Affiliates of the Technical Division sponsoring the Focus Group.

Article 12. CHAIRS

The Chair of a Technical Division shall be an ex-officio member of the General Assembly and shall be appointed by the I-INCE Board of Directors for a term of three years that may be renewed. The Chair shall report to the Board through the I-INCE Vice President-Technical Activities who is responsible for bringing recommendations for Chair appointments to the Board. As far as possible, the Chair should attempt to establish a balance in Division participants among those active from the three I-INCE geographic areas of the world, Europe-Africa, Pan-America, and Asia-Pacific. At each meeting of the I-INCE General Assembly, the Chair of a Technical Division shall submit a brief written report on activity and progress of the Division. The written report should be supplemented by an oral presentation if requested by the I-INCE Vice President-Technical Activities. The I-INCE Board of Directors shall appoint the Chair of a Focus Group for a specific term that may be renewed. The Chair of each Focus Group shall report on the activity and progress of the Group to the I-INCE General Assembly through the Chair of the respective Technical Division. The Chairs of Technical Divisions and Focus Groups shall maintain rosters of Affiliates associated with their Divisions and Groups. The rosters shall include e-mail addresses as well as postal addresses and telephone numbers.

Article 13. BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS

In addition to participation in the technical activities to be undertaken by the I-INCE Technical Divisions and the I-INCE Focus Groups, individuals through their affiliation with an I-INCE Technical Division represent and foster one of the subfields within the broad field of interest of I-INCE. The Divisions and Groups provide an important channel of communication between individuals active in these subfields and the I-INCE General Assembly and the I-INCE Board of Directors. A listing of the Affiliates in an I-INCE register is a possible future benefit that may be made available.

NOTE: Part 6 of the I-INCE Rules was discussed and approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors in Den Haag, The Netherlands, on 2001 August 26 and discussed and approved by the General Assembly in Dearborn, MI, U.S.A. on 2002 August 18.

ANNEX A. I-INCE FIELDS OF INTEREST

The primary focus of I-INCE is on unwanted sounds and on vibrations producing such sounds. The fields of interest of I-INCE include the engineering and scientific aspects of this primary focus. Engineering aspects involve the application of physical means to analyze and optimize the levels of noise and vibration produced by structures, machines, products, systems, and processes by controlling the generation, transmission, and radiation of fluid-borne sound and solid-borne vibration. Scientific and socio-economic aspects relate the effects of noise and vibration on individuals and communities to the optimization of the acoustical climate for human activities. The study of these relations involves psychological and physiological acoustics, social and economic studies of the response of people to sound and vibration, as well as cost-benefit analyses of technical options to control noise and the quality of sounds. Included within the I-INCE fields of interest are international standards, health and safety regulations, ordinances, and governmental policies including those related to land-use planning. The I-INCE Classification of Subjects categorizes the many topics that lie within the I-INCE fields of interest (see Annex B).

ANNEX B. I-INCE CLASSIFICATION OF SUBJECTS

General Subjects

• 00 General
• 01 International INCE
• 02 International INCE (continued)
• 03 International INCE (continued)
• 04 International INCE (continued)
• 05 Publications (other than technical articles)
• 06 History and philosophy
• 07 Education
• 08 Noise programs
• 09 Definitions and descriptors

Revised 2005 April 01
Approved 2005 August 7

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