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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