Submission
Submission to Australian Science & Technology Council Inquiry into Research Data Networks
February 1994
Preamble
The National Library of Australia is a statutory authority which provides a range of library and information services to organisations and individuals throughout Australia. It has provided computer based services through communication networks since the mid-1970's, and currently operates the Australian Bibliographic Network and OZLINE services to more than 1,300 organisations, including all Australian universities and a large number of other research organisations.
Introduction
Over the past three or four years, the Internet, with AARNet as its Australian arm, has become the de facto global communication network for a very large number of people and organisations (presently estimated at around 20 million, with a growth rate at around 8% per month, i.e. doubling in size approximately every 9 to 10 months). The Internet reflects its origins in the United States research community, with the USA still comprising a high proportion of total network use, but the growth rate is relatively higher outside the USA. In the USA, the Internet has changed character significantly during the past two years. The network now extends well beyond its original government research and academic communities into the government sector generally, and into the commercial sector. Already the majority of networks connected to the Internet are commercial, and the Internet carries a large volume of traffic which is commercial in nature, or involves the link of commercial and non-commercial organisations, reflecting the increasing inter-working of private and public organisations in a modern mixed economy. In Australia, the use of the Internet (i.e. those networks interconnected through common use of the TCP/IP protocols for a variety of inter-operating purposes) is still dominated by academic and research organisations, in particular those large universities that have invested early in campus networking permitting many academic staff to connect to the wider network. This reflects the fact that AARNet has been the only national TCP/IP network, and has been owned by the universities through the company established by the Australian Vice-Chancellor's Committee. Changes in policy by the AARNet Board have radically affected the ability of other organisations to connect to AARNet over the past 18 months or so. This has allowed:
- Commercial retailing of Internet services by organisations such as Pegasus and Connect.com
- Similar services by public access groups such as APANA
- Gradual connection of most state and territory government departments and agencies through gateways between state government computing networks and AARNet
- A variety of other organisations, such as the National Library, other federal government departments and agencies, and a range of commercial organisations to connect to the Internet
Effectively, AARNet policy now allows any organisation to connect, subject to agreement on a price which is based on the speed of interconnection. Nevertheless, progress has been slow - the National Library has for example only just reached agreement this month on connecting the 1,300 members of its own Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN) to AARNet although Internet access from AARNet has been available for over two years. AARNet thus serves at present as the general Australian arm of the Internet, and its policies effectively control Australian access to the Internet. In part this is due to the very high costs of connecting any Australian network to the interconnection exchange (FIX-West) on the west coast of the USA. This has been a significant inhibitor for any other organisation, even if it were prepared to establish a TCP/IP network connecting, say, all Australian state capitals, from arranging its own links to the USA. Given the volume of Australian network traffic, it could be argued that it is not sensible commercially to duplicate such links. Consequently, AARNet currently is the research data network for Australia. But at the same time, AARNet is also the general purpose wide area network carrier for a large number of organisations. Through its "affiliate member" program, AARNet already receives a significant and growing proportion of its revenue from other than universities. For example, the National Library links to organisations both in Australia and overseas through AARNet, and many of the largest customers of the Australian Bibliographic Network link to the National Library services through AARNet. The percentage of total ABN traffic connecting through AARNet is rising at a rate of about 11% per year.
Present Situation
It is therefore already apparent that to call AARNet a "research data network", except in the widest possible meaning of the word "research", is a misnomer. In practice, the success of AARNet and the Internet (indeed the phenomenal success of an enterprise which has doubled in size each year since establishment) can be attributed to the fact it has delivered the interoperability and connectivity facilities that most people want. These include the ability to
- exchange ideas with colleagues. E-mail is often thought of as a relatively "low-level" function of the Internet. In fact, the facilities of current mailing software include the multi-media attachment capabilities of MIME which allow the incorporation of other texts, sound, and still and moving images within e-mail messages. E-mail use has in our experience had a significant effect on the rate of advance, not in research and development, but in the more mundane application of new technologies to practice. An idea produced in one part of the globe can, with the aid of cross linked discussion groups, be taken up by literally hundreds if not thousands of others within days
- share ideas with and receive feedback from groups through a variety of conferencing and discussion group techniques. Cross-linking of groups enables rapid feedback in the interplay of ideas, including from people originally unknown to the ideas' originators, thus creating new research linkages (N.B. This is particulary important for Australia, which is remote from most of the major research centres of the world)
- obtain much information delivered automatically and conveniently to one's own office or home workstation (as with a subscription to a printed newspaper or journal but generally more targeted to information sources of particular interest) through membership of electronic journal and newsletter subscriptions, and of discussion groups
- with the aid of an increasing number of sophisticated retrieval devices such as Gopher, World Wide Web and WAIS, search and retrieve information in an ever expanding range of databases (free and for payment) accessible through the Internet, and download the results immediately to one's own workstation (again a significant improvement in convenience and at a very low distribution cost)
- allow collaborative work on databases, texts, etc. by colleagues widely separated geographically without the need to meet regularly in person, thus saving time and funds
- allow the sharing of specialised and very expensive computer based manipulation facilities, e.g. super-computer processing for modelling purposes, by researchers in institutions that could never afford to duplicate such facilities
(The AARNet submission will no doubt have provided details of the relative extent of use of Internet functions.)
Outlook for the Medium Term
Since these capabilities are so much in demand by almost all individuals, certainly those in employment in government and business organisations, it may be expected that the explosive growth in demand for such services will continue for the medium term. In the Library's view, all federal, state and local government bodies, plus all but perhaps the smallest businesses, are likely to want Internet type connectivity in the medium term, simply for the functions listed above. Nevertheless it is the case that, with the sheer volume of services available through the Internet, even with advanced search and linking tools such as gopher, World Wide Web and WAIS, the average network user needs considerable assistance towards effective network use. AARNet has established a working party to enquire into the needs for an Australian network information service, and the AARNet Engineering Working Group is enquiring into the future of such essential network tools as Archie and Veronica. But these investigations and existing facilities are grossly under-resourced. There is an urgent need for first-class network support services, which prevent unnecessary duplication and waste of effort for Australian users of the networks. However, it is likely that a range of new purposes will impact on the situation in the near future:
Government Delivery of Services
There are a wide range of government purposes that might be met more effectively through the use of wide area networking
- education. Already there is a significant use of networking for educational purposes - in schools, e.g. the Nexus service in South Australia, TAFE, e.g. in New South Wales and Queensland, and the universities, e.g. by several DECs and in particular the ADEnet experiments. The OLESS development will facilitate a significant expansion of open learning applications through networking to communities all over Australia
- health. The federal government is in the early stages of establishing a health communications network. Given the high transaction rates between government departments of health, hospitals, GPs, pathologists, other specialists, insurance providers, university medical departments, etc., the potential of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of health services is immense. Again, those involved are spread right across Australia, in both rural and urban areas. Some of these applications require higher bandwidths, e.g. the transmission of x-ray and CAT images
- library and information services. A significant proportion of information is now being produced in machine readable form, as a direct by-product of word processing, publishing and even the scanning of older documents. A growing proportion of this information is in image format, or comprises material of an audio-visual nature - photographs, video recordings, audio tapes, etc., for all of which it is now technically feasible to transmit through communication networks (albeit slowly where the bandwidth is limited). If information is produced and stored in machine readable form, recent developments on the Internet have indicated that the extra cost of making this information accessible through the network is very low. This is leading to a very rapid increase in the amount of material which may be retrieved over the Internet. Combined with the use of sophisticated retrieval software such as the World Wide Web, this is leading to a very rapid increase both in total transmissions and in the transmission of formats requiring higher bandwidths. [Note: Since 1992, the national libraries of Australia and New Zealand have been co-operating on a project to develop a National Document and Information Service (NDIS) which will:
- provide "resource discovery" services to the Australian and New Zealand communities - that is, services which inform these communities about the existence, location and availability of documents (print, audio-visual, and electronic) in libraries and related information services
- provide access to electronic documents (as full texts or images) either directly, or through gateway services, and
- support request and delivery services for these documents
The NDIS is planned for implementation in the third quarter of 1996]
- individual transactions with government. Most government agencies spend significant funds on inquiry services for the public, each investing separately in phone facilities, shop-fronts, etc. Given appropriate design, there is considerable potential for multi-agency community information centres sharing the same network infrastructure, e.g. by information kiosks in shopping centres, train stations, etc. or through community service points such as public libraries, Skillshare sites, or Telecentres, which allow public inquiry and transactions with all layers of government. (The information kiosk development is in its infancy in Australia, with the Brisbane City Council having gone furthest in development, but is strongly under way in North America with the InfoCalifornia project; and the Canadian Federal Government has advanced plans for its national InfoCentres development, as a "single-window" to the federal government). These initiatives could potentially increase significantly the networked traffic between governments and individual members of the public. For full cost effectiveness there will be a need for a much higher level of collaboration between government agencies than occurs at present. An example in the research community is the research grants process where the present system for lodging submissions, assessments, notifications, etc. could be improved dramatically in speed and efficiency through the use of electronic templates and electronic reviewing processes. In the United States many government agencies are routinely making all publicly accessible information freely available over the Internet, since the costs of provision is so low. A major project to study how such information may best be located is currently under way, the GILS (Government Information Locator Service) project. In at least three states, e.g. California, there is legislation mandating such provision for defined categories of material
University Communication
It is likely that the significant traffic between universities and other government research establishments with the federal government, e.g. in relation to profiles, funding, grants, etc. will also become largely network based as DEET organises its activities appropriately. More significant in terms of potential volume is the establishment of network access to databases presently held or to be developed in universities. Australian universities, in comparison with many of those overseas, have been relatively backward in promoting knowledge of their research and research resources. The establishment of network searchable databases listing research and progress, doctoral theses in progress/received, etc. could greatly increase knowledge of university activities, and promote more collaborative activities with industry and government
Commercial Developments
Potentially high bandwidth requirements are likely to be required by commercial organisations primarily in the entertainment and retail (e.g. home-shopping) sectors who wish to reticulate their services directly to the home, e.g. supply of multi channel broadcasting, or video materials selected from huge video servers (as been developed by Time-Warner in the United States). It seems likely that it will be primarily these developments which will drive the huge investments in broadband communications by Telstra, Optus and future common carriers whether this be fibre-optic, satellite, microwave or simply more efficient use of existing copper cable (through which it is already feasible to provide video into a home via ADSL)
Community Networking
With the widened accessibility of the Internet in the USA, this is leading to rapid development of "community networks", where organisations in a local community band together to enable low cost access to Internet capabilities for members of the local community. With the involvement of enterprising local governments, much local information resides on the community network also, facilitating interaction between individuals, clubs and societies and other community organisations, public libraries, local government officers, etc., as well as providing wide area links generally. Community networking initiatives are currently active in the ACT, Newcastle and the inner east of Melbourne
Research Publishing
The technologies are now largely in place to facilitate publishing of research work directly through the network. While the intellectual property issues are often complex, and there are still some difficulties in transmitting half tones and colour photographs easily, most of the technical issues have now been solved. Already there is a steady stream of electronic journals becoming available, including many which have the normal peer review processes for refereeing articles. The rate at which this will expand is uncertain, as decisions will involve new policies in universities and other research organisations regarding intellectual property and the acceptance of electronic journals as publications for decisions on tenure, promotion, etc. But it would be reasonable to predict a fairly rapid expansion of electronic journals as purveyors of research information in the future
Conclusion
The National Library has always taken a broad view of "research data". Its collections have been built primarily for researchers, but the Library has always been conscious that "research" is carried out at many levels and by not only individuals surrounded by the major infrastructures of departments in universities, but by the many in the wider community who undertake research as occasional parts of their work, as students, or simply as a result of personal interest. The Library urges ASTEC to take a broad view, in advising the federal government how best it may encourage the development of networking in the public interest. For "research" purposes (i.e. the formalised research carried out in universities, CSIRO and other research organisations, both publically and privately funded), the Library considers that ASTEC needs to look at the issues from the viewpoint of the individual researcher or group of researchers. The aim must be to facilitate cost effective research in this country. The development of AARNet has shown that global inter connectivity for a wide range of functions leading to significant benefits may be provided at a very low cost, as a percentage of the budgets of the organisations concerned. It is essential that continued access for the purposes of research, teaching and learning be maintained for research students as well as those in departments without access to large research grants. The requirements of a few researchers for very large bandwidth for specific research purposes (e.g. super computer users) should not result in costs for the rest of the research community becoming prohibitive. Researchers need continued access to an open network such as that provided by AARNet and the Internet to communicate with colleagues, work on collaborative projects, receive freely the increased information in the public domain on the Internet, improve interaction with government and other organisations in the administration of the research process, and share high cost facilities. Academics and researchers in general are likely to benefit from broader band applications, such as video conferencing, remote image processing and multi-casting. How best this is done should be based on the best technical advice from AARNet and elsewhere on bandwidth requirements needed over the medium term. (The Library nevertheless considers that it is unlikely that duplication of long-distance links solely for high bandwidth researchers will be economic in Australia in the medium term, rather than sharing broadband links for a wide variety of both narrow and broadband applications). Research and test bed projects may be required to enable planning to be optimised. The Library considers that for all the above reasons, there is now a wider public dependency on AARNet and its network applications, which go beyond the needs of the universities and other science/technology based research organisations. The need for an adequate national information infrastructure as a factor in achieving economic competitiveness is being increasingly recognised. The educational, business and government sectors are dependent on the transmission and appropriate use of information to ensure education and skilling of staff, research and development and international competitiveness. In some other countries, particularly in North America where network services have developed furthest, this has been recognised by the establishment of national processes for developing national policy in this area. In the United States this has included the setting up of an Information Infrastructure Task Force chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, and the U.S. Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure to provide advice from the commercial and non-government sectors, chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Within the US federal government itself, detailed study of government information access issues is being undertaken through the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) project. In Canada, the Canadian network for the advancement of research, industry and education (Canarie) has been set up with government and commercial sector input and support to build a national resource expanding the Canadian Internet structure created through Ca*Net (the earlier Canadian equivalent to AARNet). In both countries these developments are being supported by federal grants awarded on a competitive basis, aimed at stimulating network developments, including test bed architectures, applications and services. The rate of development in this area is such that there are many uncertainties regarding future technologies, how applications may best be developed, effective use of network services, intellectual property issues, and how network information may be effectively located and used. These all require further research and development in Australia to achieve the best national outcome.
Recommendations
The National Library recommends that:
- ASTEC recommend to the federal government:
- The establishment of an ongoing broadly based taskforce to plan Australia's future networked information infrastructure
- Development of a plan through which AARNet may be upgraded to meet the emerging needs of the whole education and research sectors (the Canarie initiative in Canada is worthy of study)
- The establishment of a program of grants (matching or direct) designed to stimulate the development of high speed networking, networked technologies, products, applications and services (in addition to the existing more theoretical CRC initiatives, since many desirable initiatives will be small-scale or community-based)
- The establishment of a federal government body, with membership from a wide range of federal agencies, to recommend a strategy for the effective networked delivery of government information and services
- ASTEC provide a submission to the Broadband Services Expert Group
inquiry, designed to ensure that:
- The research and educational sectors have equitable access to the broad bandwidth facilities being developed by the common carriers (i.e. Telstra and Optus at present)
- The federal government can meet its own public policy objectives in areas such as health, education and social services, via cost effective networked delivery of government services to the community
- Low cost community access to networked information is available throughout the nation, in line with the government's traditional community service obligations to more remote and otherwise disadvantaged communities
- AARNet establish an effective network information service to provide Australian Internet users with guidance on the use of Internet services, and Internet search and retrieval tools, and to ensure the availability of effective training and documentation
