Demetri Heliotis
Federal Communications Commission
1919 M Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20554
202-418-1463
jheaps@fcc.gov
Dear Mr. Heliotis:
==================
(1) Many thanks for your phone call a few minutes ago.
(2) As for the use of satellite for telemedicine, pls visit;
http://square.umin.ac.jp/kiuchi/ohp/
This is about Medical
Information Network by Communication Satellite for
University Hospital
(MINCS-UH). This connects about thirty university
hospitals around Japan
with two-way, broadband digital satellite
channels for medical
diagnosis with HDTV -- return for question uses C
-band analog channel
simultaneously.
This is a very expensive
system -- total $100 million -- including about
$1.5 million for equipment
at each site. The usage rate is only 3 to 5
times (with 3 to 5 hours
per each) during a month.
(3) We are now start working to construct
a global private virtual network
of broadband Internet,
in order to have similar high resolution images
as MINCS-UH, but which
can be economical sustainable by cost-sharing
with global distance
learning and with community development approach.
This is to be financed
with Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF) which is an
emulation of the Federal
Communications Commission's Universal Service
Fund. However,
the GSTF is especially to cope with the congestion of
Internet backbone across
national boundaries and oceans.
(4) We held a highly successful International
Workshop and Conference on
"Emerging Global Electronic
Distance Learning (EGEDL/'99)" from August
9th to 13th at the University
of Tampere in Finland -- see
<http://www.uta.fi/EGEDL>
for the compilation of the conference materials.
(5) During this workshop, a telepresence
demonstration with echocardiography
was performed by the
Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia University in New
York. The echocardiograph
image (*) of a patient on a tread mill was
sent to the Presbyterian
Hospital for diagnosis with PictureTel via ISDN
at 384 Kbps. The
images were disseminated to the participants around
the world via ISDN and
Internet -- since there aren't many locations
with broadband digital
satellite yet, we used ISDN.
(*) We will add a 3D image of his heart as an upgraded feature,
which can be cut into a half to examine its inside, during our
workshops in Manaus, Amazona, Brazil on May 31, June 1 and 2, and
at the University of the Philippines in Manila in this coming summer.
Pls visit <http://www.uta.fi/EGEDL/>
and click Roger Boston's web
in the home page of this site. Then, click August 9 in the left column.
You can then click Telemedicine1 and Telemedicine2 at the top of
the right-hand side column to view video clipping of our
echocardiograph demonstration with Presbyterian Hospital of
Columbia University in New York with PictureTel via ISDN at 384 Kbps.
In this home page, pls also click "FINAL REPORT OF THE
CONFERENCE." Then go to "IV. Compilation of comments:" in PART I.
Then click Shin Takuma on October 8th. You can then find Dr.
Takuma's (Presbyterian Hospital) report of this demonstration.
(6) Our reasons of having this telemedicine demonstration are;
(a) We promote tele-learning and tele-health/tele-medicine in global scale,
(b) Tele-learning
and tele-medicine need to be two wheels of a cart
for economic sustainability, since each alone cannot be sustainable,
(c) Future of tele-learning
and tele-medicine require broadband
Internet which need huge investment,
(d) Demonstration
of echocardiograph with full-motion video (and 3D
imaging of human heart) is appropriate for opening eyes of
decision-makers for the value of broadband Internet,
(e) Although the
operation of echocardiograph machine can be done by a
nurse, the diagnosis of its image requires expert medical doctor
with 7 to 8 years of accumulated experiences,
(f) If this demonstration
is successful, we can expect its regular
usage for humanitarian purpose with economic viability.
(7) We are now forging ahead to establish
a Global University System with
global broadband Internet
which are to be financed with Global Service
Trust Fund (GSTF).
Pls visit following URLs for more information;
(a) Global University System:
In the left column of the web site <http://www.uta.fi/EGEDL/>,
pls
click SYNOPSIS OF GLOBAL UNIVERSITY SYSTEM in BRAINSTORMING
MATERIALS section,
or,
(b) global broadband Internet:
(c) Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF):
http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/Tampere_Conference/GSTF/Synopsis_2-15-00.html
and
<http://www.informatics.org/clarke/projects.html>.
(8) Other Reference web sites are:
(a) GLOSAS/USA
http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/
(b) Global University System: Asia-Pacific Framework:
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/asia-pacific/index.html
(c) Manaus workshop:
http://www.argo.com.br/~alex_mau/workshop/workshop.htm
Pls feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Best, Tak
**********************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA
*
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association
in the U.S.A.) *
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence
in Distance Education *
* Founder of CAADE
*
* (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance
Education) *
* President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology
and Coordination of *
* Global University System (GUS)
*
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998,
U.S.A.
*
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time
only--prefer email) *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; Tax Exempt
ID: 11-2999676
*
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/
*
**********************************************************************
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Early 2000 Correspondence
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