Enhancing services through communication and collaboration

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Enhancing services through communication and
collaboration
IUISC, March 7th 2007

• Brendan Tuohy
• Department of Communications, Marine Natural
  Resources

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Presentation

• Moving towards a Knowledge Society
• Challenges for IUISC in helping to create a
  Knowledge Society
• Creating the online learning of the future
• Implications challenges
• Market Developments
• Some specific examples
• Service delivery and collaboration
• Specific examples
• Conclusions

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Ireland 2007 Moving Towards a Knowledge Society

• "Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject
  ourselves, or we know where we can find
  information upon it."
• (Samuel Johnson)

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Ireland 2007 Moving towards a Knowledge Society

• The increasing importance of innovation and
  creativity for competitiveness - in public
  service, business and the community sector
• The development of information societies based
  on diffusion of new information communications
  technologies (ICT), new ways of doing business
  (BPR) and creation of new ideas and knowledge
  (RD)

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Ireland 2007 Moving towards a Knowledge Society
II

• The development of service economies, in which
  the bulk of economic activity, employment, and
  output is taking place in service sectors of the
  economy with increasing higher value work and
  global reach
• Increased focus on knowledge management,
  particularly as organisations seek to make more
  effective use of their data resources,
  information assets, procedures, practices and
  expertise
• Increased capacity building education, training
  and new skills (e.g discernment)

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How do we develop a Knowledge Society?

• Infrastructure Continuing rollout of high-speed
  broadband internet and Information Communications
  Technologies (ICTs) - convergences
• Capacity Building Increased focus on science,
  technology, engineering, innovation and
  creativity in 2nd, 3rd 4th level education
  plus the critical humanities to complement the
  science and technology
• Services Widespread use of new technologies in
  government public services (eg health,
  education), business communities to deliver
  better services
• Content Utilising ICTs to provide educational
  material ubiquitously to society, through the
  digitisation of existing new material,
  promoting the provision of audio and a/v content
  on the internet free public information

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Possible role of IUISC in the development of the
Knowledge Society?
Enhancing Services

• Whom do you serve?
• - Students
• Faculty
• Research development
• Public/community et al

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Possible roles of universities information
services in the Knowledge Society?
Dissemination
Information
Generation
Possible role of IUISC
Capture
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Step 1Capturing Information

• Types of Information
• Static written content (textbooks, research
  publications, manuscripts etc.)
• Quality certified (eg peer reviewed)
• Other
• Dynamic audio, audio-visual, interactive
  learning, experiential learning material
• Quality certified (eg peer reviewed)
• Other

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Capturing Information II
Question Do Universities adequately utilise
Irelands educational resources?

• Internal
• - Existing library resources
• - GIS etc.
• Lectures (audio-visual)
• - Presentations
• - Publications
• - Locally generated knowledge incl. a/v
  archives

• External
• - External University libraries
• - Non-Third level educational institutions
• Irish Institute of European Affairs
• Royal Irish Academy
• National Museum of Ireland
• RTE Archives
• Others

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Utilising ICT Creating the online learning of
the future

• Increasing internet bandwidth capacity will allow
  digital content to be accessed instantly,
  anywhere - (audio-visual, interactive learning,
  etc.)
• Possible Applications
• Recordings of class lectures (from home and
  abroad) will be accessible on demand in all
  locations to all students
• Live A/V interaction between faculty in
  different institutions
• Live debates/discussions will be transmitted
  nationally/globally
• Digital archives will be available anytime,
  anywhere

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Implications?
New forms of competition will drive new forms of
working - With lectures on-line, why attend in
person? - Collaboration with best in class
globally virtual colleges and entities,
demanding very strong collaboration - Access for
disabled and non-traditional learners - Changing
the business models Google, Amazon,
YouTube What will determine success? - Quality of
the lectures and support material (sourcing and
delivering the best available) - Quality of the
library/knowledge assets, timely ease of access
to - quality materials and availability remotely
as well as on campus - Focussing on customers
needs and meeting their expectations
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Implications II
Standards - For content filing and access (but
not just traditional content) - For archiving -
For transmission (IP and beyond) Resources -
Funding - Capacity - Training Strategy
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Online Learning Challenges Ahead

• Collaboration
• Universities and educational institutions must be
  willing to share resources and source the best
  for their students from wherever
• Support only the best quality and scale are
  important
• Checking what is there at the moment
• Digital Rights
• Issues related to rights will need to be
  addressed
• Storage
• Audio-visual content (MPEG 2 or MPEG4 format
  requires large storage facilities.)
• Role of GIS related material and privately
  generated material

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Online Learning Challenges Ahead 2

• Communications/Security Infrastructure
• Transmission of audio and a/v content will
  require greater bandwidth speeds from university
  networks
• Firewalls will need to be enhanced to cope with
  the increased traffic
• Tension between ease of access for all and
  security of system
• Vicarious responsibility for use of material

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So, what changes are happening??
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What is happening today? Broadband take-up
- 49 of Households connected to Internet (CSO
Figures 06) - Most prolific internet users
15-24 Age Group - 45 Broadband Penetration (
of internet connections) (21 2005) - 24 of
broadband users did not have a previous internet
connection. - 6/10 individuals who use
high-speed internet contend that their online
activity has increased since they adopted
broadband.
Note Figures Taken from ComReg Trends Survey Q4
2006
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Other parts of the comms

• 70 of consumers Fixed Line
• 86 of consumers Mobile Phones
• 103 Mobile Phone Penetration
• 1.4bn Text messages sent in Q3 2006
• 55.91 ARPU for mobile phones per month
• Other Subscribers
• 465,000 Sky subscribers
• 595,200 UPC Cable/MMDS subscribers

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What is happening today? New Market Developments
Next-Generation Networks - New investment (1bn
by Eircom) will provide broadband speeds of up to
25Mb/s in urban areas. Entrance of Cable
Companies into Market - UPC will spend 400m
upgrading its network, enabling a triple-play
(TV, Internet, VoIP) service and providing
inter-platform competition to telecommunications
providers.
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Which means
- Inter-platform competition will drive prices
lower and increase connection speeds for home
users - This will spur new applications for
IP-based networks (fixed and wireless) -
Students and faculty will demand higher standards
of their information services - full services,
anywhere, anytime - Public et al will be
equally demanding
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So, if thats happening in society..
What is happening in universities????
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HEAnet B/W usage since 1991
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For the non-mathematical!
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HEAnet Bandwidth Use
2007 - 2012
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Case Study IPTV Test-bed
The National Testbed represents a unique venue
for connecting students and researchers in
Irelands Universities and Institutes of
Technology with each other and with industry
partners in an unprecedented real world
environment designed to foster significant
advances in IPTV hardware, software, and
interactive digital media applications.
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Initial Network Channel Lineup
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IPTV Test-bed

• Creating a shared, online Video-On-Demand
  audio-visual archive for universities
• Benefits
• Provides students and staff with valuable
  academic material previously limited to
  individual institutions
• Gives academic institutions, such as the Royal
  Irish Academy, greater national reach
• Represents a very convenient and efficient
  method of informationsharing for students,
  faculty others

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City Council Edge Router
RTE Edge Router
Traffic Camera
Multiplexed TV Channels
Vsicam RTP MPEG Encoder
Adtec DTA-3150 IP Gateway
Dublin City Council
RTE
GT Ireland Edge Router
Entone Video-on-Demand
University Edge Router
SI/SDS source Linux Computers
HEAnet
University
GT Ireland Athlone
DCMNR Edge Router
Met Network
Set-Top Box (or PC)
Vsicam RTP MPEG Encoder
DCMNR
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HEAnet Schools Network
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Step 2 Dissemination of Information

• Changing role of Librarians
• Changing skill-set for students

Information providers and storage
Knowledge gatekeepers and guardians
Information Retention
Discernment
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How will information be disseminated?

• On-site libraries and depositories
• Externally accessed libraries and depositories
• Real-time updating and collaborative working
• GSI/Marine Institute Seabed Survey
• Coastal Zone Management
• Airborne LiDAR Coastal Survey 2006

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Geological Survey of IrelandNational Seabed
Survey
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Engineering Coastal Zone Management

• Video of the coastal protection (See Media
  Player)

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Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
Digital Surface Model (DSM)
Aerial Image
Contour Model
Airborne LiDAR Coastal Survey 2006 Little
Island, Cork Harbour
TIN Model
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Case Study Exploration and Mining Division,
Dept. of Communications, Marine and Natural
Resources

• one-stop-shop for mineral exploration and
  mining permits in Ireland.
• Extensive Range of Services available online
• Web-based GIS mapping tool, that allows users to
  access a variety of geographic data sets held by
  the Department.
• - Applying for Prospecting Licences (exploration
  permits), including payment, and for registering
  a 'Statement of Interest' over available ground.

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Web-based Mapping Tool
Themes - Location and Permit Status Displays
topographic maps at various scales, exploration
permit (PL) boundaries and status, and joint
venture opportunities.  - Mineral Exploration
Provides bedrock geology layers, borehole data,
mineral deposit occurrences, airborne geophysics
survey information and permit (PL) areas for
which online exploration reports are available.-
Mining Gives current and historic mining
permits, active, post-1950 and historic mining
sites, plus locations of underground workings
(e.g. shafts).- Environmental Includes national
parks, nature reserves, forestry areas, locations
of national/historic monuments and gas pipelines.

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Example Mineral Exploration
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Zooming
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Selecting a mineral deposit
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Service delivery

• Quality of service delivery will be critical and
  the expectations will be based on what services
  people receive generally.
• Every public body is changing its service
  delivery mechanism
• Revenue Online Service
• Motor Tax Office
• e-Consultation on Legislation
• Others

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Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT)

• DTT will provide a free-to-air digital
  television service throughout the country that is
  also regulated in Ireland.
• A move to DTT will allow for the provision of
  more channels and services to citizens and may
  also create possibilities for additional private
  sector investment and product offerings.
• The European Commission envisages total analogue
  switch-off in or around 2012.

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Conclusions

• Changes are happening rapidly - partially in
  response to strategy but also spontaneously
  bottom-up
• ICT will play a key role in the delivery of
  services and generation, dissemination storage
  of knowledge/information
• Quality content will be critical
• Universities have a key role to play in
  delivering Irelands strategy

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Conclusions II

• The Universities Information Services have an
  equally critical role in delivering this strategy
• Leadership is required to deliver a strategy and
  the resources (role of IUISC?)
• Strong collaboration and delivering high quality
  services will have to be features of the future
  services

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brendan.tuohy_at_dcmnr.ie
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