4. Short description of the workshop for Amazon Project:

This international workshop is to brainstorm on and to form a committee for the deployment of broadband Internet in Amazon, Brazil, with;

1. CampusNet which will connect 6 federal universities in Amazon region by broadband satellite Internet; and
2. Community Development Networks (CDNs) which will connect higher, secondary and elementary schools, libraries, hospitals, local government offices and NGOs, etc. in the cities of main campuses of the CampusNet affiliated universities by broadband wireless Internet.

   See the reference web sites of those projects below.

Their deployment will utilize a community development approach with the involvements of all schools, libraries, hospitals, local governments, non- and profit-organizations to have global E-Rate. Joint contents development, teacher and general-public training for digital literacy will also be discussed. This project will promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for economic and social development with special emphasis on the poverty and isolation reductions in Amazon region. This workshop will also initiate US/Brazilian joint reserach and development projects, e.g., a Globally Collaborative Environmental Peace Gaming with globally distributed computer simulation system with the use of globally distributed and yet interconnected massive parallel mini-supercomputers through global neural computer network – as an extension of Beowulf Mini-Supercomputer Network with Access Grid Project both of which are now being funded by the NSF – see APPENDIX VIII-8.

The resultant comprehensive documents out of this workshop will be submitted to the Japanese government’s “non-tied cultural aid.”

Dr. Utsumi of GLOSAS/USA helped the Japanese government pledge US$15 billion to close the digital divide in developing countries during the Okinawa Summit in July of 2000. Mr. Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan, made another pledge of US$2 billion to aid education in developing countries during the G8 Summit in Canada on June 26-27, 2002.

The Amazon projects will combine (1) the Japanese government's Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds and (2) electronic equipment (computer, tranceiver, dish antenna, etc.) of Japan with (a) the Internet technology and (b) content development of the north America to help underserved people in rural and remote areas of developing countries.

This is a joint project of the University of Amazonia (UA) in Brazil, the Global University System (GUS) at the University of Tampere, Finland, and the GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A. (GLOSAS/USA)

GUS will emulate this project in other developing countries around the world (e.g., Nigeria, etc.) in the future.

6. Significance and need of the workshop.

The American scholars with this travel grant will assist Brazilian counterpart colleagues (who are mainly faculty members of the CampusNet affiliated universities) on the followings;

(a) To plan and configure the deployment of the CampusNet and the Community Development Networks (CDNs) with the Japanese government’s ODA fund. (Incidentally, the Brazilian government has already pledged US$2.8 million for the CampusNet.)

In order to obtain this ODA fund, we will produce a comprehensive document of system design, feasibility study, market survey, action plan, design of organizational structures for technical support and administration, etc., during and after our proposed workshop.

(b) To plan and configure joint research and development programs and projects among the CampusNet affiliated universities and the US counterparts through the CampusNet and CDN.

(c) To plan and configure e-learning and e-healthcare programs and projects (i) among CampusNet affiliated universities and (ii) with the US counterparts through the CampusNet and CDN.

See APPENDIX VIII of the grant application submitted to Tinker Foundation attached herewith for the above Items (b) and (c).

After the workshop is over, the Brazilian collagues will become the key persons for the deployments of the CampusNet and the CDN in the cities of the main campuses of the CampusNet affiliated universities.

TOTAL COSTS