Pakistan Foundation for the Advancement of Engineering & Technology

Outline of the Division: The division performs research on standards, more efficient and more advanced systems, and on the evaluation and reduction of construction costs related to the series of processes that comprise a construction project-surveys, planning, design, estimation, and supervision of the execution-that it a vital process in the provision of social capital.

Principal theme of research and development: Establishment of a civil engineering project estimation system The division is performing research to construct an integrated and consistent estimation system in order to clarify contract conditions and price calculation conditions, and to perform more efficient and more rational estimations of public works projects. And to further rationalization, the division is also performing research to determine what form of estimation
process is appropriate in the future.

Research on the evaluation and reduction of construction costs: The division is performing research on methods of evaluating overall construction costs incorporating external costs. It is also using a data base of past estimations to perform structural analysis of the cost structure at the execution stage, in order to evaluate basic technologies for cost reduction and to clarify research policies in this field.

Review of standard designs for civil engineering structures to lower costs: The division is reviewing standard designs for civil engineering structures in order to replace the "material minimum" with the "labor minimum" to minimize overall prices in response to changes in the economic environment.

Research on supervision, inspection, and payment methods: The division is performing research on "periodic - design change consultations and partial payment method": periodically consulting on design changes and paying according to the quantity of completed work. The division is also performing research on the way that public works project should be supervised and inspected.

These research & development division respectively cover studies to create and utilize the concepts of new spatial environments required for urban areas and national land; studies on the characteristics of hazardous environments and safe environments on ground; studies to maintain well-engineered and socially favorable water environments, including environmental disaster prevention and water purification in coastal areas and rivers; and studies on the dynamics and materials of structures for the construction of high-quality infrastructure. Aimed at fostering excellent engineers and researchers who have a broad outlook on comprehensive urban and national land.

PFAET has set up a ten-year strategic master plan in accordance with the Pakistan five-year strategic plan. "The Strategic Master Plan on Electronic, Computing, Telecommunication and Information (ECTI) Technologies (2000-2009)" was formulated with emphasis on the research, development, design and engineering (RDDE) on four core technologies: Electronic; High Performance Computing; Telecommunication and Network; and Information, Language, and Knowledge Engineering. There are four in-house laboratories to undertake the RDDE activities focusing on ECTI technologies.

Electronic Research and Development Division (RD-E)
RD-E laboratory focuses on the strategic research in Internet appliances and embedded systems. RD-E comprises of IC-design, electro-optics, industrial electronics, automation and control, and medical instrumentation. The main goals are to improve the product design and manufacturing capability; to establish an international standard testing and certification center responsible for testing and certifying locally-made products; and to develop market opportunities for products and processes using brand names with environmental concern. Microelectronics Center (MEC) MEC is a major undertaking in research and development on microelectronics technology with the aim of developing local manpower and infrastructure in micro-electronics technology. MEC will support the enhancement and leverage of Pakistan's present electronics industry which is the target contribution to the countrys export.

High Performance Computing Research and Development Division (RD-C)
RD-C laboratory is driven towards data warehouse and knowledge management? through the development of high performance computing resources and applications based on principle of multi-disciplines. The objectives are the digital archive and distributed computing technology. RD-C focuses in four research areas, namely geo-informatics, data warehouse, computational science, and grid computing.

Telecommunication and Network Research and Development Division(RD-T)
RD-T laboratory undertakes research and development in telecommunication technology with the focus on the development of broadband wireless communication and wire line applications. The network program focuses on the research and development for the next generation of the Internet and its applications. RD-T aims to support the industrial sector in the provision of products of telecommunication applications and technology transfer.

Information, Language, and Knowledge Research and Development Division (RD-I) RD-I laboratory concentrates on information, knowledge tools and resources and algorithms related to natural language program. The strategic research topics include human-computer interface and machine translation. RD-I aims to build up excellence in software technology, quality control of software and international standards with the main target of widespread use of open-source software.

Key Applications Development
1) Assistive Technology (ASTEC) The Assistive Technological Center is dedicated to the research, development, design, and engineering of assistive technology and devices to help people with disabilities to be able to access information and use computers effectively. Samples of the outputs of the projects are: Write and talk word processor for children,Talker version 1.0: speech output communication program for non speaking persons, and OPAL: hand-held communication device for non-speaking persons.

2) Agriculture Information Network (AIN) The Agriculture Information Network Project aims to create a model of integrated agricultural information gathered by relevant domestic and international research organizations in Pakistan's. It is also to develop a model used for analyzing agricultural areas at risk from flood, drought, and landslide based on geographical information system (GIS). This data can be used to support the agricultural development planning suitable to localities including the creation of truly sustainable occupation of people.

3) Pakistan's Integrated Water Resource Management System The Pakistan's Integrated Water Resource Management Project aims to develop an information network of data collection and compilation on water resources in the lower part of the Indus River. So that the aggregated data are distributed through a computer network for integrated water resource management coordination. This will result in capability to address the overall problems of flood.