Partner und Internationale Organisationen
(Englisch)
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Belgacom (B), Alcatel Bell Telephone (B), Analytical Computing Center Minsk (BEL), Bureau for International Research & Technology Cooperation (A), CANARIE (CAN), Center for Informatics & Computer Technology (BUL), CESNET (CZE), CSC Ploenzke AG (D), CSELT (I), Deteberkom GmbH (D), EUTELSAT (F), France Telecom CNET (F), Institute Jozef Stefan (SI), Institute for Organic Chemistry Moscow (RUS), International Science Foundation, Kiev (UA), Johannes Kepler University Linz (A), KPN Research (NL), KSNet (UA), National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos (GR), North West Labs Ltd (IRL), Novosibirsk International Telecommunications Center (RUS), NTUA (GR), Politecnico di Torino (I), Portugal Telecom CET (P), Post and Telecom Iceland (IS), Royal Technical University (S), Swedish Insitute of Computer Science (S), Swiss Telecom PTT / Swisscom (CH), System Investment Telecommunications Limited / Technical University of Budapest and MATAV PKI (HUN), Telefónica de España SA (E), Telenor AS (N), Thesa Ltd (GR), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (E), Università di Napoli Federico II (I), University of Newcastle (UK), Yaroslavl State University (RUS)
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Abstract
(Englisch)
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The key issue addressed by NICE was how to set up distributed broadband applications on an ATM infrastructure, quickly and easily.
NICE concentrated on teleconferencing applications, together with fast asynchronous services, according to the actual need to support teleconferences and distributed meetings associated with ACTS and other EU R&D activities. The National Hosts were the prime vehicle for providing these experimental services. The aim for NICE therefore was to integrate systems so as to enable groups of National Hosts to provide common, international broadband teleconferencing and fast asynchronous services based on ATM.
The systems integrated were consisting of broadband network configurations, local computers, and applications software. NICE sought to extend the functionality of the applications while enabling them to be set up and run on a variety of infrastructures, including satellite links. Main applications are ISABEL, a versatile teleconferencing application developed by NICE, MBONE for multicasting over the internet, and also the ATM LAN emulation LANE. A special gateway application allows ISABEL-supported events to be 'broadcast' via MBONE and passively followed by any MBONE receiving site on the internet. The entire systems were subject to large scale trials with real users, so as to ensure performance and acceptability. These international trials were done on a scale that no one participant or country could perform by itself.
In addition to the technical part of these trials, NICE provided the organisation and content of a number of such distributed, pan-european or global events, such as the distributed Summer School ABC'96 and Global 360 in 1997. These events included lectures, discussions, tutorials and demonstrations. Upon completion of the trials NICE published the results as 'validated configurations'. These are defined sets of equipment and telecommunications services together with tools and procedures to install and test them.
The membership and activities of NICE were extended in 1996 to Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union (NIS). Canadian researchers were also collaborating in NICE trials. (C.f. list of project partners)
This extension gave rise to activities and events specifically conceived and dedicated to the new members, providing for valuable transfer of specific know-how. Related events performed in 1997 include a NICE CEE/NIS workshop / telemeeting, a big technical trial involving 22 sites, and the NICE CEE/NIS videoconference of November 1997. All these events used ATM high-speed network connections between a dozen or more different sites, with EUTELSAT satellite links to some distant locations (mainly NIS sites). ISABEL was used as the main teleconferencing application, together with the MBONE and LANE applications.
The Swiss / Swisscom participation in the NICE project concentrated on the support of large-scale trials, in particular the distributed Summer School ABC'96 and the Global 360 event in June 1997.
The summer school in '96 included more than eighteen cities spread across Europe and Canada, interconnected with ATM links and sharing voice, video and data in real time during four days from 9th to 12th July. Lectures on advanced broadband communications took place in five main sites. The other sites were attending and could participate, e.g. to ask questions, by simply activating a control button with the mouse. In this way an interactive conference was possible.
The application used was ISABEL, which provides all desired applications support function (ASFs). These functions are the core of the multimedia conference service software, providing interaction control, tele-presence and shared workspace, including, among others, multipoint videoconferencing, application sharing, cooperative editor or slide presentation.
The event was preceded by 8 weeks of testing to verify ATM connectivity and software set-up. The summer school yielded much information on ASF improvement, and provided ATM know-how and experience with teleconferencing.
The Global 360 event was an ambitious trial which presented the so-called symmetric TV, i.e. fully interactive TV with pictures and sound coming from the audience wherever they are. The common theme was the development and use of new telecommunications technologies. The programmes had a variety of formats, including presentations, panel discussions, news reports and interviews. Some were broadcasts from conferences in Calgary, Madeira and Moscow, where technologists and policy makers were discussing the future of telecommunications. Others were panel discussions and tutorials with experts speaking from different cities.
The ISABEL-MBONE application gateway was used, letting many MBONE sites follow the event, over links yielding a heterogenous QoS profile. ISABEL was also used as a sharing component for demonstration of other ACTS project applications.
Performed on 16-18 June 1997, Global 360 connected Brussels (2 sites), Calgary, Praha, Ottawa, Torino, Madrid (2 sites), Sophia Antipolis, Ljubljana, Moscow (conference site), Leidschendam, Athens, Novosibirsk, Madeira (main site), Basel (panel discussion), Haninge, Linz and many MBONE sites all over the world.
The project will be continued in 1998 in a modified form as a separate, new work package group within the ACTS project EXPERT.
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