Presented by Robert Lancashire, JREN. Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network

Transcription

1 Presented by Robert Lancashire, JREN

2 Presentation overview to CARICOM Agencies CKLN CARICOM OECS Secretariat CXC UWI (Mona) UWI SVUS University of Guyana Caribbean Court of Justice Regional Security System Regional Organization for Standards and Quality Implementation Agency for Crime and Security Caribbean Meteorological Organisation Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism Caribbean Public Health Agency Caribbean Centre for Development Administration Caribbean-Export Introduction JREN status JREN pilot projects JREN priorities Ongoing Advocacy Q&A

3 Introduction to speaker Appointed at UWI, Mona, Chemistry Dept. in 1979 Established the first web site in the Caribbean (27 Sept 1994) at For many years involved with Chemistry software development (in collaboration with a company in California). One software package had over 2 million downloads by Developer of an Open Source software project for display of spectroscopic information. One of the Deputy Chairs of JREN.

4 Benefits of JREN will bring Jamaica on par with the rest of the world where NRENs are regarded as a vital and core component of modern research, teaching and learning. JREN will provide Jamaica's scientific and education communities with the opportunity to participate in the globally transformed scientific process by enabling instantaneous sharing of knowledge through virtual collaboration within and between continents using dedicated, private networks. JREN will extend the capabilities and outputs of Jamaica s research and knowledge centres by providing access to resources previously not available in Jamaica such as research initiatives in tele-health and earthquake monitoring, high cost massively parallel computing power, etc.

5 pre-jren status Significant fibre optics infrastructure installed by the major IT service providers (LIME, Flow) UWI, UTECH, Mico, NCU, etc. Wireless 4G WiMax Broadband (Digicel) UWI, UTECH, etc. USF-eLearning Jamaica Broadband Network Schools, Libraries, Community Centres, etc. No Formal National Backbone No Internet Exchange Point (IXP) Limited uptake in homes

6 The JREN CONNECTION

7 JREN status The Interim JREN Task Force has a mandate to: Oversee the completion of the connectivity capacity of the access nodes of C@ribNET located in Jamaica Facilitate connections to Research Institutions, content providers, museums, government departments, etc. Determine and establish an appropriate legal structure for JREN and oversee the transition of the initiative from a project to a fully functioning operational entity Chairman is Prof. Archie McDonald, Principal of UWI, Mona. There are five working groups: (1) Technical Services (2) Governance & Membership (3) Marketing and Communication (4) Applications and Services (5) Collaborative Research.

8 Proposed JREN Management Structure ( ) JREN BOARD JREN DIRECTOR STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY TASKFORCE & WORKGROUPS Administrative Assistant Network Systems Engineer

9 JREN status JREN currently has connections from the node to The University of the West Indies, Mona and The University of Technology, Papine. Connections to Jamaican schools, community colleges and teacher training colleges through USF/e-Learning Jamaica, was approved 23 rd Sept Other institutions looking to follow soon.

10 JREN Network (Future) Topology

11 Public Schools The first phase of the USF-LIME network will connect to 42 High Schools

12 JREN status In general, NRENs need to demonstrate their value in the national and regional research and education agenda. Collaboration among existing national communities of practice in pilot research activities is being developed. Engagement with national and regional communities of practice in pilot research activities is on-going.

13 JREN pilot research activities

14 Quake-Catcher Network The U.S. Geological Survey, along with five universities including UC Berkeley, recently launched a plan to install over six thousand seismic sensors in civilian homes and classrooms to detect movement from the earth. As part of the Quake-Catcher Network, community members can volunteer to host sensors in order to help seismologists track movements in the earth. The first batch of these sensors was distributed across the Bay Area in July According to Elizabeth Cochran, a USGS research geophysicist, having such a large number of sensors would allow researchers to track ground movements after an earthquake from more locations, providing a denser record of seismic data. A sensor can be purchased for $49, or residents can volunteer to host one for free if they live in the specific regions being studied, according to the network s website.

15 Quake Catcher Network O-Navi (USB) seismic sensor at UWI, Mona sending data to the Quake Catcher Network

16 AirPi The AirPi is a Raspberry Pi shield kit, capable of recording and uploading information about temperature, humidity, air pressure, light levels, UV levels, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and smoke levels, etc. to the internet. (Cost per kit starts at US $90)

17 Envirosens wireless sensor network In much the same way that the Quake-Catcher Network operates, it is envisaged that Raspberry Pi computers with a variety of sensors could be deployed across Jamaica (and perhaps the region) to provide data for Risk Management / Climate Change and day to day weather information. If Science Clubs in schools were involved then comparisons between schools could be incorporated into the school syllabus and data displayed on their Tablets. ICENS is already managing soil data and has the expertise and willingness to host and provide support for examination of stored data.

18 Regional pilot projects Introduction to minimally invasive surgery Hugh Wynter Fertility Management Unit (HWFMU) The mission of the HWFMU is to promote, develop, and deliver training, research, outreach and clinical services in the areas of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and health and family life education (HFLE) throughout the Caribbean community.

19 Regional pilot projects- continued Diabetes - A Quality of Care Course by Professor Errol Morrison, UTech and the Caribbean Diabetes Association The number of people with diabetes is growing exponentially worldwide and is projected to become one of the world s main disablers and killers within the next twenty-five years. The disease takes an ever-increasing proportion of national health care budgets. Without primary prevention, the diabetes epidemic will continue to grow. Immediate action is needed to stem the tide of diabetes and to introduce costeffective treatment strategies to reverse this trend.

20 JREN priorities To attain legal status as a Company Limited by Guarantee that falls under the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (MSTEM) To receive budgetary support from Government via that Ministry - USF - JREN as public good Initial discussions indicated the need for a Business Plan Develop the basic technical capacity to establish a data centre and Network Operation Centre

21 JREN priorities A Business Plan that will achieve Government commitment to funding for the implementation and sustainability of JREN. The plan should cover: services to be provided to JREN users, price baskets for different services including subscription fees, management structure for the operation of the NREN physical network projection, operational plan including networking activities, network services, running of the Network Operation Centre and business models for its financing and sustainable operation.

22 JREN s priorities Innovative ahead of the game computer based solutions, but if the experts from the NRENs cannot manage these processes,... Most NRENs see cloud services as a key service in the future. the mixing of NRENs own infrastructure service with public clouds seems to be a value-added IaaS scenario.

23 JREN s priorities Build the capacity to carry out bulk purchase of bandwidth with negotiations on behalf of members Acquire equipment we cannot implement our own projects without this. At present we are trying to utilize spare capacity on Institutions servers. Establish a dedicated Technical team.

24 Ongoing advocacy Your Vision An integrated National Health Information System supporting timely and efficient data management to produce quality health information for evidence based decision making at all levels of the National Health System. Deliver workplace presentations to targeted stakeholders designed to show how JREN can advance their organization s strategic objectives and goals. The JREN Vision An environment where research resources (hardware, software and content) can be readily shared by people engaged in communities of interest and practice accessed where necessary to promote better and more effective research. An environment that integrates hard-, soft- and middleware components, networks, data repositories, and all sorts of support enabling virtual research collaborations to flourish nationally, regionally and globally.

25 Lessons Learnt Don t expect miracles to happen overnight Give compelling examples of need areas that your NREN can address because you are going to have to convince policymakers and technocrats to invest in it Show how your NREN will drive educational reform and attainment.

26 Ongoing advocacy Keep abreast of and share NREN Studies, report findings and innovations ( CIVIC )

27 Implications for BZREN

28 Jamaica Demographics The largest grouping at present is the year olds By 2020 this will have moved to the year olds