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Broadband Success A Worcester Story

Broadband Success A Worcester Story. Thomas J. Lynch III, Ph.D. Vice President for Information Technology and CIO. Paul Keleher. Consultant. Worcester Polytechnic Institute. tlynch@wpi.edu keleher@wpi.edu http://www.wpi.edu/+IT. July 26, 2004. Background.

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Broadband Success A Worcester Story

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  1. Broadband SuccessA Worcester Story Thomas J. Lynch III, Ph.D. Vice President for Information Technology and CIO Paul Keleher Consultant Worcester Polytechnic Institute tlynch@wpi.edukeleher@wpi.edu http://www.wpi.edu/+IT July 26, 2004

  2. Background • WPI developed a model for regional high performance research and education networks. • Higher bandwidth at lower costs • Internet1 and Internet2 • A peering network among members • Access to regional/national research and education networks • Opportunities for managing data storage • Today, the network is operational and connects Worcester colleges and 70% of Mass K-12s Page - 2

  3. CP U SEGP I1&I2 CP U K12 SEGP K12 I1&I2 Network Model Evolution • “Fiber-centric” network ring approach not feasible • Build your own network • Have control • New approach emerged • Affinity groups • Use existing infrastructure • Vendors as partners • Peering networks Page - 3

  4. Goddard Collaborative 2004: 22 Members • Colleges & Universities • Assumption College • Becker College • Babson College • Clark University • College of the Holy Cross • Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences • Mount Ida College • Olin College • University of Massachusetts Medical School • Wheaton College • Worcester State College • Worcester Polytechnic Institute • Educational Networks • JASON Foundation for Education • MEC Technology Systems (MECnet) • K-12 Schools • Mass Academy of Mathematics and Science • Shrewsbury Public Schools • Worcester Academy • Worcester Vocational High School • Museums & Other • Educational Institutions • American Antiquarian Society • EcoTarium • Higgins Armory Museum • Towns • Town of Needham, MA Page - 4

  5. Why are we working together? To build technological infrastructure and share knowledge and resources • Internet2 Connectivity • Collaboration Opportunities • Expanding Community Outreach • Administrative Cooperation • Academic Cooperation • Leveraging Purchasing Opportunities • Leverage Resources through Partnerships Page - 5

  6. Network Architecture • Local Peering Network (significant cost reductions for On-Net “local” traffic) • Shared access to regional and national networks • Aggregation of demand reduces costs • A Collaborative Community Page - 7

  7. Education/Research Benefits • Colleges and content providers (Museum of Science, for example) are collaborating to provide educational programs over this network to the 70% of Mass K-12 schools now connected • WPI, U Mass Medical School, and Memorial Hospital are using the high bandwidth to enable multi-site research today • Collaborative efforts have already resulted in several significant state and federal grants Page - 8

  8. Gateway Medical Network A strategic framework for the medical industry

  9. Expanding the Network • The basic network model and architecture both lend themselves to expansion with minimal capital investment • Other industries have similar communities of interest and data needs • In particular—the medical industry • Hospitals, physicians’ offices and medical service providers can easily be connected and improve performance and cost effectiveness Page - 10

  10. Medical Overlay • Hospitals, regional health centers • Physicians’ offices, medical service providers • Research collaboration with colleges and universities • Local government: police, fire, EMT Page - 11

  11. Medical Overlay …the pathways Page - 12

  12. Medical Community Benefits • Big bandwidth and cost savings • Enhanced network performance for production needs (high bandwidth file transfer) • Improved collaborative opportunities among universities, medical community and government to improve healthcare • Connect Worcester medical community to Boston and the nation’s research and medical networks Page - 13

  13. Future Opportunities • Data Storage • Patient health information is a critical component of plans to improve healthcare • The Gateway Medical Network may provide opportunities for shared data storage for hospitals and physicians • Data transport • Secure, shared data storage space • Collaboration enables everyone to participate Page - 14

  14. Future Opportunities • Distance Learning • Requirements to implement Distance Learning are capital and cost intensive • Content providers • Academic technology experts • Hardware/software • Bandwidth • Collaboration can solve the problem Page - 15

  15. Future Opportunities A distance learning solution through collaboration? Can this provide a revenue stream? Page - 16

  16. Further Expansion …more overlays • Biotech industry, with strong ties to the medical and education industries, can easily be added to the network Page - 17

  17. Regional Competitiveness • Mass Department of Business and Technology has identified six “IMPERATIVES” that are required to improve the region’s competitiveness. • The WPI network model directly or indirectly impacts five of these Imperatives in the Central region • The overlay approach can be used to add other industries to the network, for example, Biotech Page - 18

  18. Imperatives Directly Impacted Improve business climate to support all industry clusters Support entrepreneurship and innovation Prepare the workforce of the 21st Century Build the Information Infrastructure of the 21st Century Ensure economic growth is compatible with the community and environment Improve the outcomes of government action Page - 20

  19. Bioengineering Institute “Applications in medical technology that encompass bioinformatics and medical informatics are important, but there is so much more. Imaging technologies will require high bandwidth to transmit data between sites (there are already companies formed that receive images from hospitals and apply proprietary image interpretation software to generate a more clinically useful image). Computational flow dynamics will be used to predict fluid flow behaviors in a number of human physiological systems; collaboration among institutions in medical technology development will be critical to research success. For all of these reasons, our new building, and Gateway Research Park, will host the Gateway Medical Network.” Timothy R. Gerrity, Ph.D. Director WPI Bioengineering Institute Page - 21

  20. SAFE Health Info “The health care system today is in a crisis of fragmentation. Our efforts to develop and implement new technology to connect a disparate health care system will ensure that physicians can quickly access clinical information in order to safely treat patients. This partnership tackles an important patient safety issue and speaks volumes to the level of creativity and collaboration that exists here in central Massachusetts.” Mark Fisher Chief Operating Officer Fallon Community Health Plan Page - 22

  21. Summary • The network is: • Operational today—it works! • The model can be applied to other affinity or functional interest groups • This network model can become a critical factor in the infrastructure required to improve the Central Mass Region’s competitiveness Page - 23

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