SOLU - the UK North Midlands based Staffordshire Open Learning Centre is currently involved in exploring the potential of high capacity video-servers as a means of providing interactive learning over broadband networks.
As a partner in the partially EU funded DOMITEL project it seeks to exploit the potential of cable networks to deliver learning into the home. The UK demonstration will take place in the Birmingham area where the City Council is directly involved in the DOMITEL project and is integrating it with the work with other complementary projects in the city.
The hardware to be used is the ICL Pim Server, similar to that used in the Cambridge interactive TV trial. The Pim Server has been developed as a parallel interactive multimedia server for use with broadband ATM networks. It supports large scale high throughput systems for the delivery of interactive multimedia services that require full-screen video, CD-quality audio, as well as text, graphics still images and Hyper Text Mark-up Language data. The Pim Server consists of a number of individual video-element processors in parallel which have access to local disk storage and the outboard ATM network.
The system is scaleable so, as the consumer population or the amount of programme and application content increases, additional video-elements can be added.
The Birmingham Trial involves the collaboration of the BROADNET project based at Wolverhampton University which utilises Pim Server technology and of the cable TV company Telewest Midlands which serves the Wolverhampton area and Birmingham Cable.
Birmingham City Council’s Concierge scheme is equipping community centres and common facilities in tower housing blocks with resources to support learning alongside improved communal facilities for security, advice and support. This scheme has received support from the UK government’s "Challenge" funding and from European Structural Funds. It is aimed to create new training and employment opportunities in inner city areas. Initially about twenty locations will be connected to Birmingham Cable’s Advanced Digital Network. These include some of the concierge locations and some established centres for adult education and training provision.
Students who will use these community learning facilities have to first register before they can use the system and then access is controlled via a PIN code. The central server will keep a record of each student’s process and will be able to present it at any time to an authorised tutor.
It is planned that students will be supported by a range of additional facilities as well as the interactive TV service. These will include "hot-lines" to tutors and interactive teletext based upon a telephone activated response. Electronic mail and fax-forwarding facilities will also be available.
A consortium headed by SOLU will produce the first training package which is aimed at teaching functional day-to-day English to those for whom it is not their language of birth.
SOLU is also a partner in Worldgate Limited which is the outcome of a successful bid under the U.K. Regional Challenge programme by Stoke-on-Trent City Council as part of its "Digital City" initiative.
Other partners in Worldgate include Staffordshire Training and Enterprise Council, Staffordshire University, North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and ICL. The Worldgate Centre, a 1.4 million pound investment, offers a range of services to business users particularly SMEs seeking to exploit new technology, including substantial training provision.
The Pim Server has recently been commissioned at Worldgate which also has a multimedia development service under the same roof. So it is well placed to create content for delivery of broadband networks as these develop.
For further information contact:
Andrew Haldane
E-mail: solu@cix.compulink.co.uk