Media.Knet.Ca

Jean-Francois Delorme (JF), with the Kativik Regional Government office in Kuujjuaq, arrived at K-Net's office in Sioux Lookout on April 28 and left on May  5. He spent the week working with Dan and Adi on the satellite portion of the Kuhkenah Network. JF and the K-Net team worked together to establish the necessary protocols and procedures for maintaining and supporting our respective partner communities and resources.

Sharing both technical and network development strategies is making it possible for these satellite-served, remote communities in two different regions of Canada (Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec) to share both the hub and network infrastructure as well as the technical expertise required to operate this satellite network. KRG recently was allocated 11mhz of bandwidth on Industry Canada's second public benefit transponder made available by Telesat as part of their agreement for specific orbital spectrum space. Click here to see the news story about this announcement.

The fourteen communities served by the Kativik Regional Government are each served by a C-Band satellite earthstation. They are receive their data connection through the K-Net earth station located in Sioux Lookout. Over the past two years, KRG has been building their network and applications using the K-Net portion of Industry Canada's C-band satellite public benefit resource (see http://smart.knet.ca/satellite for more information about this resource). With the addition of the KRG allocation along with our other partner (Keewatin Tribal Council) in Northern Manitoba, the combined satellite bandwidth resource will be able to be utilized to serve many of the different broadband applications being developed in the communities and these different regions (telehealth, education, justice, administration, etc).

George Ferreira, PhD Candidate, Rural Studies Program at the University of Guelph submitted his thesis Research Proposal to his committee for their review. George is proposing to work with Keewaytinook Okimakanak to complete his research entitled "VIDEO AS THE ORGANIZING STRUCTURE: A PROCESS MODEL FOR INTERACTIVE POLICY EVALUATION IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO’S REMOTE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES".

George also invited Brian Walmark, KO’s Policy Analyst who is working to develop the KO Research Institute to sit on this Thesis review committee.

From his thesis proposal ...

"… Conventional policy evaluation approaches may not capture the reality of life on the ground especially when one takes into account how much time it may take for change in livelihoods to become evident. Surveys, questionnaires and quantitative analysis designed for more homogenous urban and rural communities cannot meaningfully address the nature of change that policy decisions have in these disparate remote communities. This research focuses on developing new tools to enhance the evaluation process in order to provide policy makers with a better understanding of the local impacts of their decisions while simultaneously allowing the communities themselves to become active participants in the policy process by giving them the tools to tell their own stories. …

… As part of the SMART evaluation process, Industry Canada agreed to allow the use of video recordings and short documentary video productions into the evaluation process. New digital video technology allows remote communities, typically overlooked in the policy development process, a medium in which to collectively communicate their experiences with policy makers. …

… Video is a valuable tool for remote communities because it provides a means for contextualized, locally tailored messages in the absence of lobbying influence or access to mainstream media and advocacy. Video also offers a unique way of capturing interim changes in the context of long term policy-driven changes that are in progress yet defy quantification in the short term. For example, a survey may reveal that a certain proportion of households in a community is connected and go on to describe the types of internet applications being used. However, conventional methods fall short in their ability to predict medium and long term changes that will occur as a result of that particular practice. The SMART case in northwestern Ontario took place over three years in which time aspirations and future plans changed dramatically as applications due to connectivity, in virtually every sector of community life, were revealed and explored. Video, with its ability to record and relay contextualized human experiences allows policy makers a more tangible understanding of the real-life impacts of their decisions and initiatives.

… in the KO communities, a more community based, bottom-up approach is being pursued. In addition to the gathering of local stories around the connectivity experience as they relate to such subjects as health, education, economic development and community development, a training component was included so that the capacity to manipulate the medium was left in the community. Workshops in video production were conducted in each community’s e-centre with participation open to any interested community members. In addition, KO provided video cameras and multi-media editing stations to the communities to foster the ongoing production of video material by and about the communities. Communities have already begun producing their own stories and an online video archive site is presently under construction to provide them a global distribution system. …

RESEARCH QUESTIONS & OBJECTIVES

The research design set forth is inherently constructivist. Key to the constructivist approach is an acknowledgement that no single research question can guide the research without being modified as the researcher uncovers layers of previously hidden reality. The research question ensures that with each learning cycle the abstract conceptualizations contained therein remain within the realm of co-generalization.

Research Question: How does the introduction of ICTs to aboriginal communities empower them to change relationships with policy-makers, other aboriginal communities and each other?

Collectively, the objectives seek to describe the implications of ICTs and video as a tool for interactive policy making. The conditions required for participants (from the community level up to and including policy-makers) to view the use of video, not merely for the delivery of a pre-determined media product, but as a catalyst for community capacity building and interactive policy development will also be explored. The implications of locally directed media on the self-perception of aboriginal communities in relation to the larger dominant culture and policy-makers whose decisions rarely take into account the reality of life in these communities is particularly significant.

Objective 1: Determine the conditions under which of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), in particular video can be used to develop capacity in aboriginal communities

Objective 2: Identify the processes that aboriginal communities develop and engage in order to produce communication materials to build capacity.

Objective 3: Determine how access to and control of ICTs and new media tools change the self-perception of remote aboriginal communities

Objective 4: Determine how access and control of ICTs and new media tools change relationship between remote aboriginal communities and urban policy makers.

Objective 5: Explore how policy makers identify the significance of new media tools and products to change their relationship with remote aboriginal communities.

There was a total of 56,467,159 hits occurring on five of the monitored K-Net servers over the month of April. The six servers generating this amount of traffic include myknet.org, knet.ca, webmail.knet.ca, highschool.knet.ca, and photos.knet.ca (just click on the server to see the traffic monitoring chart for each server). These hits were made by the 734,007 visitors to these servers during the month.

Dan Pellerin, K-Net's Network Manager is in San Diego, California meeting with other VSAT users at VISTA 2004, the 11th consecutive conference of the VSAT International Satellite Telecommunications Association. The theme of this year's gathering is “Winning through Innovation”. K-Net staff were invited to this gathering by ViaSat, our partners in the supply and support of the satellite modems used in the satellite served First Nations.

From the president's invitation letter ....

"This meeting facilitates the ViaSat user community’s continued desire to interact with one another and the Company to broaden the use of VSATs in the market and expand the range of benefits offered.

Our previous conference anticipated the broadband wave. Now we are in a position to look at innovative ways of using this technology, together with new developments in the traditional products, for new applications and winning business ideas.

The conference provides many opportunities to learn from and interact with a wide range of professionals in the industry:

• Real-life case studies presented by satellite network operators and technology users.
• Presentations by and discussions with industry experts on industry trends, new technologies and their uses in local and global networks.
• Team building activities that encourage interaction with other network operators, service providers and maintenance organizations.
• Exchanging ideas with the engineers that are intimately involved in developing new networks and products.
• Briefing sessions by ViaSat executives, including chairman and CEO Mark Dankberg, recently named “Satellite Executive of the Year” for 2003, on the future of ViaSat products and services.
• Providing feedback and suggestions that will shape future ViaSat products.

Click here for the conference agenda.

K-Net staff showcased a number of applications to the  Institute for Connectivity of the Americas' Hemispheric Advisory Board. Representatives from South and North America learned about Cal Kenny's wilderness trip with the elders and their families up the Severn River and Jesse Fiddler's work with the Native Language and legends web sites. The value and investment from Industry Canada's programs including tthe First Nations Schoolnet program, FedNor, Smart, CAP,  BRAND and NSI were highlighted by the different applications that were showcased. KO Telehealth, the Keewaytinook Internet High School, the Grade 8 Supplementary program, the portals and other on-line services were presented to the   board members.

The group were meeting in Ottawa at the Smart Central video conferencing facility. The entire session was webcast live and is now archived at http://webcast.knet.ca/schoolnet. This archive includes a presentation by Gerald Chouinard from the Communications Research Centre (just skip the first 24
minutes of waiting for everyone).

The full version of the K-Net presentation is also available as a Windows Media version that is 47MB and is available by clicking here.

Sioux Lookout Principals learned how to create and maintain web pages for their schools using Post Nuke on the evening of April 22. Once again, SLAAMB kindly provided access to their board room for this training session. The six principals who attended this special evening session were part of a larger group attending the Principal training session being coordinated by the Kwayaciiwin Educational Resource Centre.

Click here to views some pictures from the session.

The "Ontario's Far North Study: Broadband Best Practices in Fort Severn and Big Trout Lake" report is the third in a series of cross Canada case studies, commissioned by Industry Canada's Broadband Office, examining the benefits of broadband. This report is a collaborative effort between the Connect Ontario: Broadband Regional Access (COBRA) and the Broadband Office.

The "Ontario's Far North Study: Broadband Best Practices in Fort Severn and Big Trout Lake" is a comparative study that examines the best practices and benefits associated with the planning and implementation of broadband infrastructure in Fort Severn and Big Trout Lake. New jobs and new spending, improvements in health care, young people acquiring skills more easily, e-Banking, video conferencing for training and increases in the effectiveness of band management are only some of the benefits realized in the two broadband-served communities which this study documents.  You may access this study directly through the following link:
http://www.broadband.ic.gc.ca/pub/program/case_studies/ontario/index.html

Click here to read the entire report (PDF - 234KB)

Executive Summary

Fort Severn and Big Trout Lake have gained experience in broadband that other communities can benefit from. Best practices identified include the following:

1. Clear and far-reaching vision
2. Strategic planning
3. Effective leadership
4. Community engagement
5. Local control
6. Cost-effective infrastructure
7. Technical innovation
8. Creation of informed users
9. On-line services
10. Performance measurement and sustainability.

Both communities developed a clear and far-reaching vision and engaged in the planning and execution of effective implementation strategies. Residents of both communities were fully engaged in the planning and execution of their broadband systems and these systems are now owned locally and provide reliable service. Users are well-informed about the capabilities.

These and the other best practices identified, have led to significant benefits for each community. The benefits include advances in health care for residents, the availability of videoconferencing, better access to research, improved training opportunities and reductions in outlays for air travel.

Industry Canada's National Satellite Initiative recently announced the List of Selected Applicants for the Round 1 allocation of the second Telesat C-Band public benefit transponder. See http://smart.knet.ca/satellite for additional information about the first transponder that included a 12.5 mhz allocation for Keewaytinook Okimakanak.

Over the past couple of years KO staff worked with a number of different partners, in particular FedNor, to support the development of the C-Band satellite infrastructure that supports communities required to use this type of connection. The Kativik Regional Government in Northern Quebec and the Keewatin Tribal Council in Northern Manitoba are partnering with KO to deliver these connectivity solutions in their member communities.

The following pages from the Industry Canada web site provide details about each of the selected applicants for the first round of transponder space allocation by the National Satellite Initiative program. It includes contact names and numbers of  the successful applicant. In addition, a map of the general area of the proposal is provided. The shaded area encompasses communities that are suggested in the proposal along with immediately surrounding regions, and is meant as a general guide only. Click on a dot to view more details about that community.

British Columbia: British Columbia Satellite Network

Manitoba: Sustainable Northern Connectivity Strategy

Ontario: Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishnabek Broadband

Quebec: Kativik Regional Government

On Sunday evening, Maori leaders from across New Zealand met to discuss among other things how video conferencing can be utilized to support training and economic development opportunities for their communities. The following message was sent from New Zealand following the meeting ...

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Re: A big fat THANKS!!
From:    "Tom Winitana"
Date:    Sun, April 18, 2004 9:33 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello again Brian,  :-)

I would like to once again express on behalf of our organisation and  our Marae Based Studies office, many many thanks for the giving of your  weekend and precious family time to speak to our people via video conferencing.  They will have seen a small example of an application in  action.  It will also give them some  appreciation of the technology  available when our team travel to these marae for engaging and consulting with the kaumatua (elders) and whanau (families) of the  marae.  Well Brian, the mind "boggles" just thinking about how far our  people and your people have come in terms of ICT.

Until we meet (VC) again, may your summer be a warm one and hopefully  any grass that you have left after the snow has melted will turn "Green"  :-D  

Cheers for now

Tom