SOI ASIA Project utilizes satellite based Internet to provide Internet environments in a less expensive, easy to deploy, and more feasible way for the universities located in the regions where Internet environments are insufficiently developed; conducts research and development of the necessary technology for IT human resource development in Asia while using the environments; and proposes, through field experiments, a new educational methodology for universities in Japan as well as educational institutions abroad.
As of August 2002, this project has ten universities and research institutes partners within Asia (Table1), and has deployed receive-only satellite earth stations at each partner site to share the distribution of live lectures from Japan as well as archived lectures.
Table1. Partner Organizations
| Organization | Country |
|---|---|
| Brawijaya University Sam Ratulangi University Hasanuddin University Institute of Technology Bandung | Republic of Indonesia |
| Laos National University | Lao People's Democratic Republic |
| University of Computer Studies, Yangon | Union of Myanmar |
| Chulalongkorn University AIT (Asian Institute of Technology) Prince of Songklang University(PSU) Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy(CRMA) | Kingdom of Thailand |
| Asian Youth Fellowship | Malaysia |
| IOIT (Institute Of Information Technology) | Socialist Republic of Viet Nam |
| Adcanced Science and Technology Institute | Republic of the Philippines |
| Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) | Mongolia |
| Institute of Technology of Cambodia(ICT) | Kingdom of Cambodia |
| Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology(BUET) | People's Republic of Bangladesh |
| Tribhuvan University(TU)* | Kingdom of Nepal |
Using receive-only satellite systems to enable downstream bandwidth up to 6Mbps by using UDLR (UniDirectional Link Routing) technology, the standard SOI ASIA site was designed in a relatively inexpensive and easy to setup in order to develop the Internet environments of the partner sites (Figure1).
Figure1. Equipment Configuration
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The project uses multicast technology to efficiently utilize satellite circuit to distribute archived lectures to partner site's mirror server, which enables each site students to refer to each site mirror server for self-study.
Each partner site utilizes satellite based Internet to attend Internet technology related lectures in either Japanese or English. Asian students can enjoy more technical and high level lectures using the Internet lecture distribution from all over the world.
In autumn of the year 2001, SOI ASIA project has delivered key note speech by Prof. Jun Murai of Keio University and four lecture series titled "IT Special Lectures" by Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology to seven partners in Asia(Table2), which includes Laos National University, University of Computer Studies, Yangon, Chulalongkorn University, AIT, Brawijaya University, Hasanuddin University and Sam Ratulangi University.
Table2. IT Special Lecture List
| Lecturer | Topic |
|---|---|
| Prof. Jun Murai | SOI ASIA Key Note |
| Prof. Yoichi Shinoda | MPLS: A Packet forwarding technology for next generation Internet |
| Associate Prof.Yasuo Tan | Essential technologies and concepts for home networks |
| Prof. Koichiro Ochimizu | Topics in Tools and Environments for a Distributed Cooperative Work |
| Prof. Takuya Katayama | Topic in Object-Oriented Methodologies |
We achieved our aim to deliver live lecture via satellite Internet in this lecture. However, we failed to have a stable system which is a requirement for distance learning. These were mainly due to electric power supply trouble or network equipment failure because of thunder. There were also troubles which can be avoided through well prepared operational designs or technical deployments. We have also confirmed that operators at each site needed more technical knowledge and experiments on the network management.
On-demand lectures were also delivered to each site in Asia in the year 2001. The titles were selected from the archives of SOI project, which are effective to SOI ASIA project such as overview and introduction to basic Internet technology. It includes ten titles which range from special lectures done within the SOI project to excerpt of Internet 2000 lecture series. All the lectures were subtitled by a software developed in this project, and delivered to each partner universities using multicast file transfer software, which is also developed in this project.
Although the lectures were developed as we aimed, to see the lecturer video, material and the subtitle at the same time turned out to be quite difficult for the students. We learned that dubbed lectures and briefed subtitles are more useful for Asian students from this experiment.
From June to July of 2002, Keio University, Shonan Fujisawa Campus has offered a series of eight lectures on "IT & Social Science" given by professors from each field (Table 3).
Table3. IT & Social Science List
| Lecturer | Topic |
|---|---|
| Prof. Michio Umegaki | International Relations, Interactive History and IT |
| Prof. Naoyuki Agawa | Peace and Prosperity in East Asia: Japan's Role in the 21st Century |
| Prof. Mitsuyo Hanada | Changing HR Paradigm and Practices in Japan |
| Prof. Hiromichi Fukui | Geo-informatics and Digital Asia |
| Prof. Shigeru Ban | Works and Humanitarian Activities |
| Prof. Jun Murai | IT Strategy in Japan |
| Lecturer Hiroyuki Yoshida | The Rise of the Network Society: Geo-Informatics as a foundation for empowerment |
| Prof. Jiro Kokuryo | Business in a Network Environment |
In September 2002, 21 technical staff from 5 partner organizations in 8 countries gathered at Keio University, Shonan Fujisawa Campus to have a operators workshop. In this workshop, the staff learned basic knowledge of network operation, UNIX operation and server administration.
Although this workshop aimed to learn server operation and UNIX operation, it also worked for growing cooperative spirit among the partner staff. In the mean while, practice test average at the first and end of the workshop went up for 10 points.
Later in the month, SOI ASIA project have assisted "Advanced Topic of Fisheries" four lecture series from Tokyo University of Fisheries to the partner universities. SOIASIA project had been aimed to foster human resource for Internet technologies so that they can build SOIASIA Internet Infrastructure. This lecture became a good example for future lectures which will be in other fields other than Internet technology.
In November 2002, we have started "Advanced Internet Technology" lecture series which invites cutting edge researchers of Internet technology in Japan(Table4). Before the operators workshop, we had some trouble at each lectures such as equipment troubles and we could not deliver lecture to every sites, but after the workshop, we saw that every site could receive lectures without problems.
Table4. Advanced Internet Technology lecture list
| Lecturer | Topic |
|---|---|
| Dr.Jun Murai(Keio University) | Introduction |
| Dr.Youki Kadobayashi (NAra Institute of Science and Technology) | Grid Computing |
| Dr.Nagatsugu Yamanouchi (Toho University) | Multicast |
| Dr.Kenjiro Cho (SONY CSL) | Measurement and Analysis |
| Dr.Jun Takei (JSAT Corporation) | Internet and Satellite |
| Dr.Jun'ichiro Hagino(Internet Initiative Japan) | IPv6 Infrastructure Technology |
| Dr.Yoshifumi Nishida (SONY CSL) | TCP congestion control |
| Dr.Suguru Yamaguchi(NAra Institute of Science and Technology) | Security |
| Dr.Jun Murai (Keio University) | Closing |
Through these practice experiments, we aim to create a operational project to deliver and archive lectures to Asian countries, and human resource of educational fields in developing countries will grow. Ultimately, we can equalize educational opportunities among developed countries and developed countries.
School on Internet E-mail Address : soi@sfc.wide.ad.jp
URL : http://www.soi.wide.ad.jp/
SOI ASIA Project Page : http://www.soi.wide.ad.jp/soi-asia/
Keio University : http://www.keio.ac.jp/
Asia-SEED Institute : http://www.asiaseed.org/
WIDE Project : http://www.wide.ad.jp/
JSAT Corporation : http://www.jsat.net/
AI3 Project : http://www.ai3.net/