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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY /
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Special Features:
ACCESS GRID ALLOWS NATIVE
AMERICANS TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE
It was the sudden appearance of cutting-edge Internet technology that first
created a "digital divide" between Native Americans and the rest of the United
States. Now, thanks to Argonne National Laboratory's Access Grid project, a
group seeking to preserve Native American culture is putting technology to
work in hopes of bridging that gap.
The Tribal Virtual Network (TVN), a consortium of Native American
communities,
is using the Access Grid to provide broadband Internet connection to five
tribal museums and cultural centers. Having the Access Grid technology in
place will allow the museums to develop Web-based exhibitions and other
educational tools for tribal members and the general public.
"Some families from the reservation have to make a 120-mile trip to the
city
to have access to some sort of education," said Arlan Sando, an Access Grid
operator for the Jemez Pueblo. "Access Grid technology will make it easier for
rural villages to keep up with everything that's going on in the world."
Based on technology developed by Argonne's Futures Laboratory, the Access
Grid
is an ensemble of resources that gives large groups the ability to collaborate
through video and voice. These systems rely on specialized "nodes," or
custom-designed spaces, that contain the audio and visual technology required
for high-quality user interface. Just as electric companies provide consumers
with easy access to electric power, Access Grid nodes aim to make the user
completely unaware of the infrastructure needed for the service to work.
Though such user-friendly interfacing has had many applications for
scientific
collaborations, TVN members view Access Grid as not only a research tool for
scientists but also a "collaborative ignition switch between communities."
"That villages are located far away from each other is the main problem in
getting different tribes to interact," noted Barbara Tracy of the Indian
Pueblo Cultural Center. "This distance factor makes it difficult for them to
meet frequently, and as a result, the tribes do not have a strong sense of
unity and find it hard to become a political force."
Despite all the potential advantages, TVN still faces obstacles in
convincing
tribal leaders of the significant impact of the Access Grid. According to Lee
Bitson, one of two network programmers for the entire Apache Jicarilla tribe,
a shortage of support staff limits Internet access to a few groups within his
village. Since only a handful of people have first-hand experience with the
technology, many tribal members remain suspicious of its benefits.
Yet, TVN remains optimistic that its efforts to use the Access Grid to link
Native Americans with each other and with the rest of the country will prove
successful. Already, as Sando explained, their team is hard at work on
bringing high-speed T1 Internet connections to the reservations.
"I believe TVN's actions are going to turn a lot of heads in the technology
sector," said Sando.
As it turns out, the TVN project's in-depth focus on art and culture is
even
turning heads within the team that was largely responsible for creating the
Access Grid itself.
"I am continually amazed by the wide range of uses for the Access Grid and
its
continued growth, which now even includes Asian and European Access Grid
communities," commented Mary Fritsch, a member of the Futures Laboratory and
an Access Grid liaison for new users. "Access Grid software continues to
advance and bring hundreds of people together every day."
TVN members will give a presentation on their unique application of the
Access
Grid during SC Global 2003. SC Global is part of SC2003, a supercomputing
conference coming this month.
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