Milestone-Proposal:Kodak Digital Camera

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Docket #:2017-03

This Proposal has been approved, and is now a Milestone

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To the proposer’s knowledge, is this achievement subject to litigation? No

Is the achievement you are proposing more than 25 years old? Yes

Is the achievement you are proposing within IEEE’s designated fields as defined by IEEE Bylaw I-104.11, namely: Engineering, Computer Sciences and Information Technology, Physical Sciences, Biological and Medical Sciences, Mathematics, Technical Communications, Education, Management, and Law and Policy. Yes

Did the achievement provide a meaningful benefit for humanity? Yes

Was it of at least regional importance? Yes

Has an IEEE Organizational Unit agreed to pay for the milestone plaque(s)? Yes

Has an IEEE Organizational Unit agreed to arrange the dedication ceremony? Yes

Has the IEEE Section in which the milestone is located agreed to take responsibility for the plaque after it is dedicated? Yes

Has the owner of the site agreed to have it designated as an IEEE Milestone? Yes

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Year or range of years in which the achievement occurred:

1975

Title of the proposed milestone:

First self-contained digital camera in 1975

Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance:

For the invention of the self-contained (portable) hand-held digital camera at the Eastman Kodak Company using camera optics, a charge-coupled device electronic light sensor, a temporary buffer of random-access memory, and image storage on a digital cassette. The digital camera has revolutionized the way that images are captured, used and shared; creating new opportunities in commerce, education and global communications.

200-250 word abstract describing the significance of the technical achievement being proposed, the person(s) involved, historical context, humanitarian and social impact, as well as any possible controversies the advocate might need to review.

IEEE technical societies and technical councils within whose fields of interest the Milestone proposal resides.

In what IEEE section(s) does it reside?

Rochester Section of Region 1.

IEEE Organizational Unit(s) which have agreed to sponsor the Milestone:

IEEE Organizational Unit(s) paying for milestone plaque(s):

Unit: Rochester Section
Senior Officer Name: Ram Dhurjay

IEEE Organizational Unit(s) arranging the dedication ceremony:

Unit: Rochester Section
Senior Officer Name: Ram Dhurjaty

IEEE section(s) monitoring the plaque(s):

IEEE Section: Rochester Section
IEEE Section Chair name: Ram Dhurjaty

Milestone proposer(s):

Proposer name: William Fowlkes
Proposer email: Proposer's email masked to public

Please note: your email address and contact information will be masked on the website for privacy reasons. Only IEEE History Center Staff will be able to view the email address.

Street address(es) and GPS coordinates in decimal form of the intended milestone plaque site(s):

Kodak Center at 200 W Ridge Rd, Rochester, NY 14615, 43.198318,-77.630898

Describe briefly the intended site(s) of the milestone plaque(s). The intended site(s) must have a direct connection with the achievement (e.g. where developed, invented, tested, demonstrated, installed, or operated, etc.). A museum where a device or example of the technology is displayed, or the university where the inventor studied, are not, in themselves, sufficient connection for a milestone plaque.

Please give the address(es) of the plaque site(s) (GPS coordinates if you have them). Also please give the details of the mounting, i.e. on the outside of the building, in the ground floor entrance hall, on a plinth on the grounds, etc. If visitors to the plaque site will need to go through security, or make an appointment, please give the contact information visitors will need. This is the main lobby of the Kodak Center a major entry point into the Eastman Business Park, Rochester NY. The lobby has been set up into sort of a mini-museum celebrating many of Kodak's technology achievements.

Are the original buildings extant?

Details of the plaque mounting:

There are some good walls in the lobby, directly off the street, for placing plaques.

How is the site protected/secured, and in what ways is it accessible to the public?

The lobby is open to the public, and is manned by a guard station.

Who is the present owner of the site(s)?

Eastman Kodak Company

What is the historical significance of the work (its technological, scientific, or social importance)? If personal names are included in citation, include justification here. (see section 6 of Milestone Guidelines)

What obstacles (technical, political, geographic) needed to be overcome?

What features set this work apart from similar achievements?

Supporting texts and citations to establish the dates, location, and importance of the achievement: Minimum of five (5), but as many as needed to support the milestone, such as patents, contemporary newspaper articles, journal articles, or chapters in scholarly books. 'Scholarly' is defined as peer-reviewed, with references, and published. You must supply the texts or excerpts themselves, not just the references. At least one of the references must be from a scholarly book or journal article. All supporting materials must be in English, or accompanied by an English translation.

http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=453 https://www.cnet.com/news/photos-the-history-of-the-digital-camera/ http://theinstitute.ieee.org/members/achievements/the-inventor-of-the-digital-camera-and-an-ultrasound-pioneer-receive-technical-field-awards

Supporting materials (supported formats: GIF, JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOC): All supporting materials must be in English, or if not in English, accompanied by an English translation. You must supply the texts or excerpts themselves, not just the references. For documents that are copyright-encumbered, or which you do not have rights to post, email the documents themselves to ieee-history@ieee.org. Please see the Milestone Program Guidelines for more information.

Please email a jpeg or PDF a letter in English, or with English translation, from the site owner(s) giving permission to place IEEE milestone plaque on the property, and a letter (or forwarded email) from the appropriate Section Chair supporting the Milestone application to ieee-history@ieee.org with the subject line "Attention: Milestone Administrator." Note that there are multiple texts of the letter depending on whether an IEEE organizational unit other than the section will be paying for the plaque(s).

Please recommend reviewers by emailing their names and email addresses to ieee-history@ieee.org. Please include the docket number and brief title of your proposal in the subject line of all emails.