<<October 3, 1998>>
Dear Electronic Colleagues:
(1) Attached is the program of our "Global Lecture Hall (GLH)" videoconference, which is now being organized by Dr. Alexandre Rivas of Fundação Getúlio Vargas/ISAE in Manaus, Amazona, Brazil. This event will be aired in the evening of October 21st (Manaus time) via AMAZONSAT throughout South America and via Internet throughout the world.
We are now preparing to have NetMeeting, CU-SeeMe and web broadcasting via Internet with panelists at various locations, e.g, Tokyo, Finland, Houston, Washington, D.C., etc.
(2) The world renowned panelists will present their talks, e.g., Professor Tapio Varis of the University of Tampere in Finland (a former Rector of the U.N. University of Peace in Costa Rica), Dr. Peter Knight (a former echelon of the World Bank) and many others.
(3) The major presentation will be made by Professor Takahiro Kiuchi of the University of Tokyo and Mr. Yasutaka Onuma of Space Communication Corporation (one of the Mitsubishi family companies) from Tokyo via Internet. This presentation is about the "Medical Information Network by Communication Satellite for University Hospital (MINCS-UH)," which connects about a dozen of university hospitals around Japan via two-way, broadband (45 Mbps) digital satellite with HDTV for high resolution medical image transfer.
Dr. Rivas and other organizing committee hope that this presentation will stimulate the interest of viewers and hence will subsequently lead to the installation of similar networks around South, Central and North America so that the advanced telemedicine and telelearning services can be provided to the people in remote areas of those regions from North America and Japan (and later, vice versa). Our Japanese colleagues are now investigating the technical feasibility of making this network as the backbone of broadband Internet.
(4) Professor Varis will also talk about an epoch-making meeting on "Emerging Global Electronic Distance Education." This will be held at his University of Tampere in Finland next year with the funds from the World Bank and Soros Foundation, etc. -- see <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/Tampere_Conference/Executive_Summary/Executive_Summary.html>.
The deployment of broadband Internet obviously requires huge funds. The major subject of this forth coming meeting is to establish the "Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF)" with the Official Development Assistant (ODA) funds of G7 countries which is to finance the installation of the aforementioned networks in global scale, especially for the "have-not" developing countries -- see <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/Tampere_Conference/GSTF/GSTF.html>.
(5) Since early 1970s we have been devoting our activities for the extension of the U.S. packet-switching networks (e.g., ARPANET, a predecessor to Internet) to overseas countries, particulary to Japan, and the de-regulation of the Japanese telecommunication policies for the use of e-mail which have been emulated in many other countries (now 80 countries with Internet access and 180 with e-mail access). Out of the experiences of many of our GLH multipoint-to-multipoint, interactive, multimedia videoconferencings since 1986, the current direction of our activities is to extend the U.S. Internet to particularly "have-not" countries with broadband (45 Mbps) wireless Internet -- see <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/Tampere_Conference/Outline_of_Events/Outline_of_Events.html>.
We hope that this GLH from Manaus will kickoff the movement for establishing global broadband wireless Internet as the second stage development on the use of Internet, thus eliminating congestion problems for web teaching with 3D animation and virtual reality, Internet telephony, web broadcasting and videoconferencing, medical diagnostic quality image transfer with high-definition TV, etc., with less cost.
(6) We have already briefed the above projects to a former Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications and a candidate for the Director General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Director General of the National Center for Science Information System (NACSIS) of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Chairman of the Internet Association of Japan and many other Japanese colleagues, and received their strong support and encouragements.
(7) Please enjoy viewing the GLH videoconferencing either via AMAZONSAT or RAT local TV broadcasting, or Internet.
Best, Tak
ATTACHMENT I
Tentative Program
(as of October 3, 1998)
of
"Global Lecture Hall (GLH)" (TM)
Multipoint-to-multipoint, multimedia, interactive videoconference
In cooperation with
Rede Amazica de Televisao (RAT)
and
Instituto Superior de Administracao e Economia da Amazonia (ISAE)
Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV)
Manaus, Amazona, Brazil
From 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm (Manaus and US/EST)
October 21, 1998
NOTE:
October 21, 1998
Place: Senai - Manaus
07:00 pm Greeting
Dr. Felipe Daou,
President of Rede Amazonica de Televisao (RAT)Broadcast via AMAZONSAT and Internet
Manaus, Brazil
07:10 pm Greeting
Lincoln Campos,
Superintendent of ISAE/FGVBroadcast via AMAZONSAT and Internet
Manaus, Brazil
07:20 pm Greeting and talk about GLOSAS activities on global electronic distance education.
Dr. Takeshi Utsumi,
Chairman, GLOSAS/USA
utsumi@columbia.eduBroadcast via AMAZONSAT and Internet
Manaus, BrazilReference:
<http://www.friends-partners.org./GLOSAS/>
07:30 pm Greeting
Colonel Carlos Jose Pollhuber
Superintendent of SIVAMThe contribution of SIVAM to the electronic distance education
Broadcast via AMAZONSAT and Internet
Manaus, Brazil
07:40 pm Community Development with Wireless Internet (invited)
Prof. Luiz Fernando Melgarejo
Federal University of Santa Catarina - Brazil
fernando@edugraf.ufsc.brBroadcast via AMAZONSAT and Internet
Manaus, BrazilReference:
<http://www.hipernet.ufsc.br>
07:50 pm Greeting and talk (invited)
Dr. Tapio Varis
University of Tampere
tapio.varis@uta.fiTalk about the epoch-making international conference which is now being organized to be held at his University of Tampere with a grant from the InfoDev of the World Bank.
NetMeeting via Internet
Tampere, FinlandReference:
<http://www.uta.fi>
08:05 pm EAESP (Full name in English)
NetMeeting via Internet
Sao Paulo, Brazil
08:15 pm Presentation of web teaching
Prof. Roger Boston
Houston Community College
rboston@tenet.eduNetMeeting or CU-SeeMe via Internet
Presentation will use PowerPoint and RealPlayer via Internet
Houston, TX - USAReference:
Summary of URLs at Houston Community College <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/Bookwriting/PART_I/Chapter_II/Footnote/Footnote_24a.html>
08:30 pm Global CU-SeeMe videoconferencing via a reflector at Houston Community College
Mr. John W. Hibbs
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Global Education
hibbs@bfranklin.eduCU-SeeMe via Internet
Presentation and discussion on Global Learn Day II held on October 11 and 12, 1998 with its participants around the world.Reference:
<http://www.bfranklin.edu>
08:40 pm Greeting
Dr. Peter Knight
Knight, Moore - Telematics for Education and Development
Former echelon of the World Bank
ptknight@ibm.netNetMeeting via Internet
Washington, D.C. - USAReference:
<http://www.knight-moore.com>
08:50 pm Presentation on the future direction of Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the U.S. for digital age
Mr. Gary Poon
dtvision
gpoon@dtvision.comAs a former Director of Digital Television Strategic Planning Office, PBS, his talk will describe the vision of PBS for digital age with high definition television (HDTV), standard definition television (SDTV) or multicasting, and digital data transmission via terrestrial wireless media.
NetMeeting via Internet
Alexandria, VA - USA
09:00 pm Presentation on the "Medical Information Network by Communication Satellite for University Hospital (MINCS-UH)"
Takahiro Kiuchi of the University of Tokyo and
kiuchi@umin.ac.jp
Yasutaka Onuma of Space Communications Corporation
onuma@superbird.co.jpThis connects about a dozen university hospitals around Japan with two-way, broadband (45 Mbps) digital satellite channels for medical diagnosis with HDTV.
NetMeeting via Internet and/or an ordinary analog telephone.
His presentation will accompany a videotape show.Reference:
<http://square.umin.ac.jp/kiuchi/ohp/>
09:20 pm General question and answer
Dr. Takeshi Utsumi,
Chairman, GLOSAS/USA
09:25 pm Closing remark
Dr. Felipe Daou,
President of Rede Amazonica de Televisao (RAT)
October 22, 1998 (face-to-face
meeting)
Place: Senai - Manaus
09:00 am The role of Brazilian Institutions in Distance Education
Lincoln Campos,
Superintendent of ISAE/FGV
09:30 am The University of Amazonas' experience in Distance Education
Rector Valmir Albuquerque
10:00 am Global Challenges
Dr. Takeshi Utsumi,
Chairman, GLOSAS/USAGLOSAS' worldwide experience and funding sources and possibilities.
References:
<http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/GLH/10-21-98_Manaus_Brazil/Agenda.html>
10:30 am Coffee Break
10:45 am Questions and Answer
12:00 am Lunch
02:00 - 04:00 pm Informal discussion
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Organizer:
Alexandre Rivas, Ph.D.
Professor Adjunto
Univesidade do Amazonas
Departamento de Economia
Rua Em lio Moreira, 611 P a. 14
Manaus - AM
Brasil 69000
Tel.: (092) 234.6591
or,
Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV)/ISAE
Av. Djalma Batista, 712 - Chapada
Manaus - AM
Brasil 69050-901
Tel.: (092) 622.6957
633-1514 Ramal 77
Fax.: (092) 633.1827
alexandr@ibrati.com.br
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