RURAL WINGS project FP6-516161

1. RURAL WINGS project FP6-516161 Institute of Communications and Computer Systems Microwave and Fiber Optics Lab, Athens, Greece 14/11/2004

2. Project Overview • Strategic objectives addressed: End-to-end satellite • telecommunications systems for tele-education applications • Main aims of RURAL WINGS • Rural Wings proposes to develop an advanced learning platform through satellite DVB-RCS access technologies, promoting a user-centred methodological approach which constitutes its major innovation. • to support the creation of a new culture in rural communities promoting digital literacy and reducing resistance to the use of new technologies • to offer stimulating and creative learning environments to support vibrant user communities and to attempt an extended implementation in dozens of pilot sites in 18 countries worldwide. • to catalyse the satellite broadband take up in Europe . • the ultimate goal is the transfer of knowledge and the adjustment of these practices in different knowledge spaces (at school, at work, at home) as a mean for interaction between user needs and technological developments

3. Project Objectives • To perform an extended validation process and a usability evaluation of the technology, scenario settings and services that will be offered to the users,during the development and integration of the final system • To determine how the DVB-RCS platform will need toevolve in order to fulfil increasing user expectations and to compare thiswith current developments that are under way at the equipment manufacturers • To create a world-wide network of Learning Hubs in rural areas • To introduce a new learning culture. To empower people in all the stages of their life to invent their own solutions • To provide a range of learning methods that will enable users to become independent learners • Provision of e-Learning tools that can be used by all members of the local community who are in need of continuous training, education and support • Enhancement of the communication between rural communities

4. Project Focus • Amultidisciplinary team has been established • satellite communications’ providers/operators • software experts • telecommunications companies • experts in distance and life long learning methods • large users’ communities in Europe,Canada and S. Africa • The Rural Wings project is a SATCOM project that focuses on tele-education applications. • The project performs an extended validation of the DVB-RCS technology in order to demonstrate its suitability for bridging the digital divide. • A global SATCOM wide band network based on upgraded DVB-RCS technology will be developed to serve the Needs for education and training of widely distributed user communities. • Tele-education is a key element by providing suitable applications that make the most of features of broadband (such as speed, always-on, interactivity and personalisation)

5. Project Innovation • Rural Wings will develop an advanced learning environment through satellite DVB-RCS access technologies to provide major innovation in: • To promote a user-centred methodological approach • To support the creation of a new culture in rural communities promoting digital literacy and reducing resistance to the use of new technologies • To form a Creative community involvement: • to create conditions for the development of people, new ideas, new civic participation and new tools and applications • to move the community into positive participation in a more equitable digital future • to perform Design-based research: • refinement of the underlying interest-driven learning framework • drive the development of both intervention and theory • practitioners and researchers work together to produce meaningful change in contexts of practice • goals and design constraints are drawn from both the local context and research • Through the creative use of the new technologies to empower people through this knowledge and to develop technologies that reflect local needs

6. Project Participants

7. Project Competencies

8. Partnership structure

9. STEERING COMMITTEE Project Coordinator (Project Manager) Project’s Office Scientific Board Dissemination – Commercial Board Quality Manager Implementation Managers Technology Manager Application Manager Commercial Manager Technology Representatives Application Representatives Leaders of WP2, WP7 Leaders of WP8 Leaders of WP3, WP4, WP5 Leaders of WP6 Leaders of WP9, WP10 Leader of WP1 Project Organization Structure

10. RURAL WINGS Main Results An in-depth knowledge and modular development of the DVB-RCS technology how it needs to be configured to provide the standard of service that customers demand, expect and are willing to pay for. Greater awareness of the possibilities satellite systems provide amongst the general public promotion of the DVB-RCS technology and awareness of its suitability for bridging the digital divide An exciting and compelling range of educational tools that make the full use of broadband characteristics (speed, interactivity, personalization, always-on etc) representing a significant value added service that could help drive the uptake of satellite broadband.

11. RURAL WINGS Main Product and target market a broadband satellite service offering different levels of service for different prices training packages and applications The Rural Wings customers will be a mixture of individuals and organizations: Home users and small business need a variety of training tools, for personal or professional reasons, for example a farmer that starts a small business Training companies that need to ensure that their traditional courses are not left behind by the move to distance learning and need to offer online equivalents Governments (and local authorities) that wish to promote the use of the technology and needs to demonstrate the capabilities of the system ASP providers who would simply like to reach more customers than is currently possible Broadband service providers who wish to enhance their portfolio of value added services.

12. RURAL WINGS evolution • The project’s pathway advances through a process of continuous interaction between the User Need (horizontal axis) and the Technology Push (vertical axis) • Three groups of advanced learning scenarios for different contexts (Learning at School, at Work and at Home) are developed • Enables the provision of value-added services to people in rural areas

13. RURAL WINGS evolution up to 18th month • The work is concentrated towards the “User Demand” Axis • The “Technology Push” will start delivering content to remote users via satellite. • 4 WP’s main tasks will be finalized • The pilot sites will be equipped with infrastructure and the Test Run will start

14. Project Outcomes • In the first 18 months • Feasibility report (WP.2) • User Needs analysis (WP.3) • User profiles and tasks (WP.3) • RW scenarios (WP.4) • RW learning environment (WP.5) • End to end system adaptation (WP.5) • Learning Hubs (WP.6) • Supportive material (WP.6) • Validation methodology (WP.7) • Usability plan (WP.8) • Market definition and Business Case Report (WP.9)

15. RURAL WINGS positioning The project will push the current boundaries further by providing a platform that integrates contextual information into learning setting. The geographical breadth of the project will help bring together experiences from different countries and cultures, which is not possible with the other projects TECHNOLOGY PUSH BARRD RURAL WINGS TWISTER RIA SCHOOLSAT ZEUS VERDI RCST MUSE USER DEMAND

16. Satellite Support System • South Africa • By Hellas Sat using its S1 steerable beam • Northen Sweden and S. America • by EutelSat using the W3 and the Atlantic Bird 2 satellites • Alternatives: • Hispasat 1A/1B, 1C or 1D (S. America) • Sirius 2 or 3 • Thor II or III (Nordic region)

17. Satellite Cover Regions

18. Satellite network DVB-RCS hub Remote area LAN Satellite terminal PLATFORMS LEARNING HUB WIRED AND/OR WIRELESS LAN @ INTERNET backbone CONTENT END USERS terminals • TWO WAY EXCHANGE OF DATA • FDW LINK DVB/MPEG2 DATAFORMAT (45Mb/s) • RTN LINK USING MULTI-FREQ.TDMA (2Mb/s) System Architecture

19. System Architecture Learning Hub and the Learning Community • The Learning Hub will provide a ‘lab’ where innovative ideas can be tried out • establishment of a wireless (Wi-Fi) communications infrastructure, • the new technology facilitates flexible interpersonal communication patterns • project evolvesto“learning networks and communities”

20. System Architecture Typical hybrid satellite-WiFi infrastructure

21. System Architecture DVB-RCS Platform Network Management System • four functional manager blocks areutilized at the gatewayconfiguration: In order to achieve upgraded DVB-RCS ability toaccommodate multiple service providers on a singlegateway platform • Gateway manager • Subscriber management system • Connection manager • SIT command system Number of terminals and hubs to be deployed • 1 satellite DVB-RCS hub will be deployed for HELLASSAT • Existing EUTELSAT DVB-RCS hubs will be used • Existing EMS DVB-RCS hub will be used • 15x10 Satellite Terminals/Learning hubs will be deployed

22. Objectives of Pilot Trials: e-Learning Tools • A combination ofopensource, proprietary and co-developed components / customizations ofexisting opensource and proprietary tools • A number of education-oriented simulations using a numberof basic proprietary components customized to the user needs • The final solutionswill be developedin collaboration with the pilot usersand then distributed as opensource • The distributed learningplatforms supporting collaborative • and peer-to-peer learning are based onopensource kernel components • their customization and specific servicesdeveloped on top of them • to commercial products • distributed throughtraditional commercial channels or to opensource components

23. Country # of pilot sites Greece 30 Spain 10 Sweden 10 France 5 Romania 10 Cyprus 5 Estonia 7 Finland 10 Poland 10 UK 10 Israel 6 Canada 10 Chile 10 Colombia 10 Argentina 10 Peru 10 Turkey 5 S. Africa 10 TOTAL 168 Implementation • Theselection criteria are: • variety of target userscovering all the potential customers categories • representativeness, in terms of presence of a large number of similartarget communities in Europe • knowledge of the context and access to key decision makers, in order toguarantee a facilitated access for the analysis of specific needs and arapid involvement in the pilot projects.

24. Implementation (2) • An extended validation of the DVB-RCS platform will be performed in Europe and beyond • extended use of the system in different settings and under different conditions • It is important to keep pilot sites in all targeted countries as it will allow the project team to perform ethnographical studies • acceptance of the system in different cultures • to create demonstrators (Learning Hubs) and core nodes of the Rural Wings in more countries • System performances and Quality of Services (QoS) • Default system performances:2Mbps for downlink/ 512kbps for uplink • QoS will manage in and out satellite traffic. • This will be implemented using specific equipments. As the DVB-RCS network is concerned, QoS provisions are included in the terminal and the gateway

25. Final remarks The target is • to lay the groundwork with a technical infrastructure supported by continuing efforts to introduce new ideas • support the development of technological fluency, methodologies to help harness creativity • support to develop a pathwayfor the effective use of satellite applications for distance learning in rural areas The project will follow the targets of the European Space Policy (Green and White Paper 2003) by: • Contributing to the emerging knowledge society and the ompetitiveness of European industry • Supporting sustainable development • Develop solutions responding to the various needs of European citizens • Provision of a wider institutional market (EU25 and Beyond)

26. Contact Prof. Nikolaos K. Uzunoglu nuzu@cc.ece.ntua.gr Microwaves and Fiber Optics Lab Institute of Communications and Computer Systems