Northern Illinois University Professor David Gunkel specializes in computer-mediated communication, cyberspace, Web design and programming, and cyberculture. He is an award-winning interactive media designer and author of the book "Hacking Cyberspace." What follows is a Q and A with Professor Gunkel regarding NIUNet.
When we talk about the next generation of the Internet—including 3-dimensional models and virtual reality applications—fiber is the future. It makes possible our entry into virtual worlds. The Web as we know it will evolve from a text and static image experience into a fully immersive, 3-dimensional environment. From a techie point of view, the real advantage of fiber-optic networks is increased bandwidth. In a sense, that’s the whole thing. Fiber optics gives us the opportunity to pass vast amounts of information through the system quicker than most of us can imagine.
Think of the development of the railroad at the turn of the previous century. When the railroad was established, towns sprung up because of access to the rapid and efficient transportation. Towns that weren’t located near the railroad died. The fiber-optic network is like the railroad track—it will hold a power of attraction. And, just as with the railroad, because Chicago is at the crossroads of the country, wiring the region is extremely important.
The increased bandwidth of fiber makes for fast transportation of medical data. Right now if you attempted to transmit an MRI, CAT scan or X-ray to another hospital, the transfer could take half a day or more. Hospitals with pure fiber-optic connections will be able to transport the data much faster, and with better resolution and fidelity. Doctors also will have quick access to massive databases, and hospitals will be able to quickly download multi-media materials for training.
What’s even more exciting is the potential of telepresence, which requires massive amounts of data that can only be transmitted over the increased bandwidth of fiber. Doctors in one part of the world could perform surgery on patients in other parts of the world using teleoperated robotic tools. This has already been done in the United States. The advance of telepresence is especially important for rural areas that might not have local access to specialists and cutting-edge surgical techniques. It’s a way to virtually bring the doctor to the patient, instead of physically transporting the patient to the doctor.
The networks will only attract those businesses and industries that require high-speed fiber-optic transmissions. The number of businesses relying on the new technology will, however, grow exponentially. If the fiber backbone is close to your community, it will become very attractive to connect to it. Equally important, communities that have the fiber infrastructure will attract "telecommuters," professionals who will make virtual commutes to work each day. You could live in Small Town, Illinois and make a virtual commute to Manhattan. This is important for the self preservation of rural towns, which are losing their citizens to metropolitan business centers.
NIU faculty and student researchers will have at their desktop almost instantaneous access to very large databases and online libraries of audio and video provided on demand. With the standard Internet technology, it would simply take too long to transmit such data-intensive material. The new technology will eventually make such things as inter-library loans obsolete.
With its greater bandwidth, Internet2 is capable of distributing fully immersive, virtual worlds to students and teachers located all over the world. Researchers can create all types of three-dimensional virtual environments for research, collaboration and communication. Geologists can recreate the early Earth. Engineers and physicists can create models of complex dynamic systems. Also, researchers worldwide can meet in a virtual space to work with and to discuss those models.
One common example of Internet2 capabilities is teleconferencing. Let’s say researchers at NIU want to hold a worldwide conference on Southeast Asia, one of our research specialties. Conference attendees from all corners of the globe can meet and interact in a virtual environment instead of traveling to and occupying the same geographical place. Or an NIU mathematician might meet with a Russian mathematician in a virtual space to discuss a new model. Think of it as an enhanced telephone call, where you transmit not just your voice but also gestures and facial expressions. Consequently, Internet2 offers all kinds of possibilities for the production of different modes of learning and the creation of entirely different kinds of educational materials. Instead of publishing a paper or a textbook, for example, researchers might begin to think of building more interactive models that make for much more compelling educational resources.
Of course, for the average academic who uses e-mail and surfs the Web, Internet2 won’t make much of a difference. But for researchers who are involved in complex data manipulation and/or the use of visual models—such as our engineers, mathematicians, scientists, communication experts and bioinformatics specialists—they will need Internet2 capabilities.