Digitalization

Digitalization

Digitization - Paradigm Shift in Information Technology

Digitisation, which is currently attracting a great deal of attention in the media and politics, covers a wide range of very different topics of great social importance. In order to present the different facets of digitisation, a system-oriented view, an application view as well as a view of forward-looking topics and new paradigms in information technology are possible. In order to do justice to the numerous previous activities of the Faculty EITP in this field, a description from a system or application point of view will first be given here, in order to enable a better classification of the new and forward-looking activities into the topic areas in the following sections.

In the system-oriented view, digitization can be roughly divided into five levels according to the state of the art:

  1. The actual digitalization process, in which analog signals are converted into digital signals, processed and stored, e.g. execution of software on a processor, computer data on a disc, audio on a CD, digital television, audio encoding via MP3.
  2. Creation of computer systems, connectivity using digitised signals, e.g. mobile networks, WLAN, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, fibre optics.
    Use of connectivity to set up networked environments such as the Internet, but also the networking of industrial plants, vehicles, etc.
  3. In these networked environments data centers, data memories etc. exist, whereby the networks themselves become part of networked computer systems and distributed server farms for "big data". This fusion of networks and data centers allows the realization of current and future applications of very low latency paired with high data security and data sovereignty. This level potentially also enables the outsourcing and distribution of tasks from level 5 "networking in the cloud", to "shared services" etc.
  4. End devices, e.g. laptops, tablet PCs, smartphones, smart watches. This also includes embedded systems, with a variety of sensors, e.g. compass, GPS module, pulse frequency meter, etc.
  5. Applications, e.g. Wide Web, Twitter, Instagram, Home Automation, Aspects of Industry 4.0, Aspects of Digital Medicine, Smart Energy, Smart City, Digital Agriculture, Autonomous Vehicles.

Participating Institutes

Institute of Computer and Network Engineering

  • Prof. Dr. techn. Admela Jukan, AG Kommunikationsnetze

Institute for Communications Technology

  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eduard A. Jorswieck
  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Kürner

Institute for High Frequency Technology

  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Schöbel
  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Schneider

Institute of Computer and Network Engineering

  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rolf Ernst
  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Michalik

elenia Institute for High Voltage Technology and Power Systems

  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Kurrat
  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Engel