The GPC Group Covers
The Graphics Waterfront

The GPC Group has developed into an umbrella organization for autonomous project groups that develop new graphics benchmark methods and performance reporting procedures.

"The GPC Group supports the development of a range of graphics benchmarks that have a value to the user and vendor communities," says Mike Bailey, GPC Group chair. "And, we are always looking for new groups that might want to work with us under the GPC charter."

By joining the Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC) in early 1996, the GPC Group became part of an organization that comprises a wide range of performance benchmarking groups. Two years before, the GPC Group reorganized its activities under approved projects to reflect its expanding role in graphics benchmarking. Each project has an organization that operates under the auspices of the parent GPC Group. The project group can adopt the procedures of the GPC Group or develop its own procedures that can be tailored to the objectives of the approved project. This can provide complete autonomy with the exception that the project group procedures cannot conflict with those of the GPC Group and its parent organization, SPEC.

"Under this structure, we provide a forum for all graphics benchmarking," says Bailey. "We think with this structure, we are making graphics benchmarking a one-stop shopping experience for vendors and users alike."

Under its current structure, the GPC Group consists of the following entities:

GPC Steering Group

The GPC steering group provides a forum for technical interchange among the various projects. The scope of this activity might include, but not be limited to, identification of new projects, coordination of existing projects, and recommendations for direction, priorities and schedules for other GPC Group activities.

GPC Project Groups

Project groups are the operational bodies for approved projects of the GPC committee. They consist of two types of members: sustaining and support ing. Project group responsibilities include both the business operation and the technical development work of the approved projects. Sustaining member organizations participate in both elements while supporting individual members who participate in the technical development of a project or project s. Current GPC project groups are the Picture-Level Benchmark (PLB) project, the X Performance Characterization (XPC) project, and the OpenGL Performance Characterization (OPC) project.

Support for the Project Groups

The GPC Group provides administrative support for its project groups, but does not participate in the activities, or influence the results of project efforts. Both sustaining and supporting members participate in the technical development efforts as individual experts, not as official representatives of their organizations.

Who Can Join and How

Sustaining membership in the GPC Group is available for an annual membership fee to any organization committed to fulfilling the Group's goals. This membership entitles the organization to full voting privileges on the GPC Group, as well as a prorated sustaining membership in one or more project group(s).

Membership in project groups is open to all those who are knowledgeable in graphics performance measurement and evaluation, and/or who are directly affected to a project's activities. There are two classes of membership for approved projects:

Sustaining membership is available to organizations for an annual fee; it includes membership on the GPC steering group. Supporting membership is open to any individual that wishes to contribute to the goals and object ives of the project groups and who participates in its regularly scheduled meetings. There is no cost for a supporting membership and it does not include membership on the GPC steering group.

If you would like to receive information about GPC Group membership, please sign our Guest Register. If you are interested in specific project group membership, you can contact the group(s) directly: the Picture-Level Benchmark (PLB) project, the X Performance Characterization (XPC) project, and the OpenGL Performance Characterization (OPC) project.

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