connecting people, reaching out partnering with national research and education networks (nrens)...

Connecting People, Reaching Out

Partnering with

National Research and Education Networks

(NRENs)

Michael Foley, SARDE, World Bank

What is an NREN?

1. A high performance communications network

- owned and operated for and by the education and research community of a country

2. The organization that operates that network

- constituted either as: a consortium of members, a dedicated agency, a company, an NGO, or other legal entity. Generally not-for-profit

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What does an NREN do?

– Operates the national backbone that connects campus networks to each other and to other RENs globally, with its own routers, switches, servers etc.

– Connects researchers and educators globally using dedicated and private high speed links (not at mercy of commercial Internet traffic)

– Runs its own Network Operations Center (NOC) to monitor the network and manage all traffic on it

– Provides access to high cost instrumentation and laboratories

– Customizes connectivity solutions for research teams collaborating globally

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What other services may it offer?

– Often provide access to the commodity Internet

– Run e-mail service for member organizations

– Host a local Digital Library (saves international bandwidth)

– Host local mirror sites of international databases (ditto)

– Provide platform for new Internet protocols and services (inventing the Internet of the future – commercial spin-offs )

– Operate Videoconferencing bridging

– Host Higher Education Management Information System

– Host Learning Management Systems (LMS)

– Facilitate E-Learning, and Virtual Classrooms

– Provide Web hosting if required

– Provide technical support services to its members if needed

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Applications that need and use NRENs

• Natural Disaster systems – typhoon, flood, tsunami and earthquake warning, prediction, and monitoring

• Climate change research, meteorology, environmental monitoring and data sharing

• Telemedicine and remote diagnostics

• Link with Grid initiatives, computing and data repository sharing

• Monitor emerging pandemics (bird flu, SARS, H1N1)

• Bio-informatics, Agro-informatics, Astronomy, eVLBI (grid of radio telescopes)

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What are the benefits of a NREN?

–Exponentially more bandwidth at same cost–Critical for access to digital resources, instrumentation, supercomputing

–Essential for international collaborative research – without connectivity you are outside the club

–Connects faculty and students to global academic community - reducing “academic isolation”

–Springboard for innovation in country – spin-offs to industry, education, healthcare, e-government

–Building a computer literate population – graduates are the future customers of ISPs

–NREN a foundation for the Knowledge Economy

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The Global REN mesh continues to grow

– ALICE/CLARA - Latin America to Europe

– EUMedConnect - North Africa, Middle East to EU

– TEIN3 – Europe to all of Asia

– AfricaConnect – Europe to Africa

– Pakistan – US (NSF/Pakistan)

– The Virtual Silk Road (Central Asia and the Caucuses, and now Afghanistan – NATO Science Program)

– University of the South Pacific (JICA, AUSAid)

– GLORIAD (multi-country link around northern globe)

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African Submarine Cables – to 2014

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African terrestrial fiber map

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National Knowledge NetworkIndia

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NRENs – Knowledge Networks (fiber) for Knowledge Networks (people)

They can be key partners for connecting people and reaching new audiences

A central strategy of the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN):

• for connectivity solutions for GDLN affiliates• for plugging into the mainstream knowledge world• for reaching key participants in a country through a single connection

NRENs are present or being established in our partner countries

Thank you!

www.gdln.org

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