Problems & approaches to solutions for worldwide access to scientific knowledge

1. Problems & approaches to solutions for worldwide access to scientific knowledge Hilda A. Cerdeira Enrique Canessa The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italy ejds@ictp.trieste.it

2. Outline • Brief overview of ICTP • Recommendations of Trieste to bridge the Digital Divide • Overview of recent Open Round Table on Digital Divide: ‘problems and solutions’

3. ICTP: background • Founded in 1964 by Abdus Salam (Nobel Laureate), The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics operates under the aegis of two United Nations Agencies — UNESCO and IAEA — and is regularised by a seat agreement with the Government of Italy which provides the major part of the Centre's funding. • One of the main aims is to foster the growth of advanced studies and research in the developing countries.

4. ICTP welcomes 4,000 scientists per year to its campus,located at the edge of the Adriatic Sea seven kilometres from downtown Trieste. Of the 80,000 scientists (from 170 countries and 45 international organizations) who have participated in ICTP activities since 1964, 70% have come from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. A fundamental service isThe ICTP library- with more than 100,000 vols and 900 journalsubscriptions. Each year the Centre organizes about 40 schools, conferences and workshops on many subjects: e.g., particle physics, condensed matter physics, mathematics, etc. Some Centre activities are also organized in developing countries. Since 1985, ICTP has awarded the Dirac Medal to some of the world's most prestigious theoretical physicists andmathematics. ICTP: core activities

5. The Centre has a world-wide reputation for itssignificant contributions to theinternationalization of science, and today its mandatehas become even more relevant!

6. Digital Divide: Meetings in Trieste • A multidisciplinary group of international experts gathered at the 2002 open round table on "Developing Country Access to On-line Scientific Publishing: Sustainable Alternatives“at the ICTP in Trieste. • It grew from a need to bring together all interested parties to analyse concrete strategic alternatives for supporting scientists working in remote areas and having low-bandwidth, or suffering expensive access to on-line database services and the Internet. • The participants developed a public set of recommendations to provide guidance and make suggestions to support concrete and sustainable alternatives to help bridge the digital divide and thus facilitate developing countries access to on-line scientific publishing.

7. (Some)Recommendations for Action • To invite more Scientific Publishing Companies to participate in the eJDS program via Web for e-mail of the of the ICTP, Trieste (www.ejds.org). • To increase the critical mass of skilled people in ICT by training on Communication, Networking, Web enabling Technologies and the adaptation of technology to local needs. • To continue to provide capacity building and share methodologies to ensure that content from developing countries has a presence on the Web.

8. (Some)Recommendations for Action • To devote resources to monitor in real time the connectivity of research and educational institutions in developing countries and to encourage (and devote resources to) the development of the connectivity. • To provide low cost or free access to scholarly literature for and by developing countries where reasonable Internet bandwidth is available and for developing countries where publishers revenue is not significantly impacted. • To publicize all access alternatives openly since the general public, the scientific community and/or policy makers are unaware of them.

9. Oct 2003 Round Table A review of progress in implementing the recommendations was undertaken. Videos, Talks, Papers available at www.ejds.org

10. 1.- Open Source Technologies, Training & Support • Free and Open Source Software In Africa (FOSSFA) Gideon Hayford Chonia (Univ Zurich, Switzerland) • International Training Programs in Brussels Related to Scientific Information and ICT Paul Nieuwenhuysen (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) • Virtual Campus and e-LearningBogdan Logofatu (Univ Bucharest, Romania) • A Proposal for ICT and Internet Support for Scientists in Sub-Saharan AfricaBrian Porter (Intern.al Found. for Science, Sweden)

11. 1.- Open Source Technologies, Training & Support • ICT Development: The Experience of the Abdus Salam ICTPSandro M. Radicella (ICTP, Trieste, Italy) • The S&T Collaborium Initiative: On-site Training and ProjectsCarlo Fonda (ICTP, Trieste, Italy) • GATE/GTZ Initiatives for Adaptation, Dissemination and a Sustainable Use of Information TechnologiesCarolin Bothe-Tews (GTZ, Germany) • www4mail: Helping to Bridge the Digital DivideClement Onime (ICTP, Trieste, Italy)

12. 2.- ICT Projects for Development • HINARI (WHO's Health Internet Work Access to Research Inititive): What Have We Learned?Barbara Aronson (WHO, Switzerland) • Bandwidth Optimization in Developing Countries UniversitiesSara Gwynn (INASP, UK) • Improving a Website: The SciDev.Net ExperienceBarbara Keating (SciDev.Net, UK)

13. 2.- ICT Projects for Development • Estimation and Characterization of the Digital DivideArturo Serrano Santoyo (CICESE, Mexico) • Use of ICT for Education, Research and Development in Ghana: Challenges, Opportunities and PotentialsJoseph Intsiful (Inst. Math. Sci., Ghana), Philip Fosu Okyere (Inst. Math. Sci., Ghana) • NITDA and ICT in NigeriaGabriel O. Ajayi (NITDA, Nigeria)

14. 3.- Virtual vs Real Laboratories, GRID Computing & Developing Countries • Internet Devices for Scientific ApplicationsCarlos Kavka (Univ. Nacional San Luis, Argentina) • About UNESCO Virtual Laboratory ToolkitClement Onime (ICTP, Trieste, Italy) • Developing Countries Access to Scientific KnowledgeIan Willers (CERN, Switzerland) • Benefits of International Scientific Collaborations for Developing CountriesArshad Ali (Nat. Univ. Sci. & Tec., Pakistan)

15. 4.- Monitoring the Digital Divide • Measuring the Digital Divide with PingER • PingER History and MethologyR. Les Cottrell (SLAC, USA) • Internet Performance to AfricaR. Les Cottrell (SLAC, USA), Enrique Canessa (ICTP, Trieste, Italy) • Network Connectivity in Africa - The Current StatusMike Jensen (Consultant/IDRC, South Africa)

16. 4.- Monitoring the Digital Divide • Challenges for Sustainable Rural Networking in Solomon Islands; The People First NetworkDavid Leeming (PFnet, Solomon Islands) • Experiences with the Digital Divide in Latin AmericaHeidi L. Alvarez, Julio E. Ibarra (Florida Int. Univ., USA) • Creating NREN's in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus RegionHenk van Linde (Silk Highway Board, NATO) • Digital Divide Inside EuropeDavid Williams (CERN, Switzerland)

17. 5.- Open Scientific Contents, Initiatives from NGO's & Publishers • Access to Scientific Knowledge: the Argentinean ScenarioAlejandra T. Chavez Flores (Nat. Atom. Ener. Comm., Argentina) • Collaborium.NET - Portal of Open Source Software & Open ContentsSimone Grassi (Cisbic snc, Italy) • eJDS: Free On-line Access to Scientific KnowledgeHilda. A. Cerdeira (ICTP, Trieste, Italy) • The FAO David Lubin Memorial Library, AGORA and Information for Developing CountriesJane Wu (FAO, Rome, Italy)

18. 5.- Open Scientific Contents, Initiatives from NGO's & Publishers • Blackwell Publishing's Developing World InitiativesEmily Gillingham (Blackwell Publishing, UK) • Access to APS Journals and the Digital DivideRobert Kelly (Amer. Phys. Soc., USA) • Collaboration: The Key to Unlock Open Access PublicationFrederick J. Friend (Consultant, OSI) • DOAJ - Directory of Open Access JournalsJörgen Eriksson (Lund Univ. Libraries, Sweden) • PLoS - Public Library of ScienceMark Patterson (European Bioinformatics Inst., UK)

19. Follow Up • We intend to continue to analyze, share experiences, promote ideas, and discuss thoseissues which will enhance our understanding and assist us quantifying the digitaldivide. • Our efforts will focus on the analysis of differences in network performance fordeveloped and developing countries, effective strategic alternatives, innovativetechnological tools, dissemination of scientific e-contents and licensing issues. • Much work still needs to be done to extend the PingEReJDS monitoring to more countries within Africa.

20. Follow Up • The PingER-eJDS project is arguably the most extensive source of current and long term information on the effective performance of the Internet for learned institutions in Developing Countries. • Much of the future development relies on the access that scientific institutions and universities have to the Internet. In order to address such differences it is critical to measure and understand the performance. • Depending on new world-wide achievements obtained, organize Open Round Table end 2004 or 2005.

21. Thank you!