Consortium

Overview

WISTCIS coordinator is Reseau pour les echanges en matiere d'education et de recherche dans le domain des sciences de la Terre (Earth Data Network for Education and Scientific Exchange, EDNES), non-governmental, non-profit, international association that have its legal seat and headquarters in Strasbourg, France. The association, founded in 1993, has an extensive history of efficient joint work with the CIS countries. Currently, EDNES has its official branches in the following CIS countries: Russia, Moscow; Ukraine, Kiev; Azerbaijan, Baku; Uzbekistan, Tashkent. Moscow, Kiev and Baku branches have been active in the EC DG XIII TAP project "Support for Telematics Application Cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States" (STACCIS) (1996-99), where EDNES was a contractor. EDNES is the leading participant in WP 1 "Project management", WP 2 "IST information dissemination", WP 3 "Conferences and workshops", WP 5 "IST training for the CIS countries" and WP 6 "Assessment and Evaluation".

EU expert Jean-Claude Marot, JCM Consultants, France, is subcontracted by EDNES to contribute his knowledge into implementation of WISTCIS project.

The following organizations from the CIS countries are subcontractors to EDNES: ARMINCO Global Telecommunications Company, Armenia; Baku Scientific and Training Centre (BSTC), Azerbaijan; Information Technologies Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Belarus; Informatics Department of Government of Georgia/Business Communication Centre (BCC), Georgia; RENAM Association/Centre of Information Technologies of Academy of Sciences of Moldova (CIT ASM), Moldova; Centre of Geophysical Data Studies and Telematics Applications of Institute of Physics of the Earth of Russian Academy of Sciences (CGDS IPE RAS), Russia; National Technical University of Ukraine "Kiev Polytechnical Institute" (NTUU "KPI")/Institute of Applied System Analysis of Ukrainean Academy of Sciences, Ukraine.

These organizations have been focal points of the EC DG XIII TAP project STACCIS (1996-99) and subcontractors to EDNES in that project. Following their experiences to work on the EC projects WISTCIS IDCs are deployed in these organizations and will serve as the base for further implementation of WISTCIS conferences, workshops, training and Web-sites.

Two other WISTCIS participants (principal contractors) are the company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), The Netherlands, and University of Ulm, Germany.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), The Netherlands, is the well known company, which deals with technology and management consultancy and certification service for electronic submission. This participant will promote the certification service for electronic submission procedures for EU-CIS team work and will implement them at the CIS market. It will also provide major contribution to preparation of the training courses under WP5 "IST training for the CIS countries" and implementation of WISTCIS conferences and workshops under WP 3 "Conferences and workshops".

University of Ulm, Germany, is well known in its research in the field of collaborative browsing methods and tools. In 1996-99 University of Ulm was the coordinator of two major TAP projects in this field: CoBrow (RE 1003) and CoBrow/D (RE 4003). University of Ulm, as the leading participant in WP 4 "Collaborative browsing for EU-CIS team work", will provide high quality adaptation of CoBrow techniques for EU-CIS team working. The adaptation will be implemented by joint work and telework with the project participants from the CIS countries. University of Ulm also actively participates in WP 2 "IST information dissemination" by providing information on collaborative browing technique and other new methods of work for WISTCIS main Web-site and for IDCs in the participating CIS countries. This participant will also contribute to WP 3 "Conferences and workshops" by demonstration of developed techniques.

Participant description

EDNES (coordinator)

WISTCIS project coordinator EDNES has been a contractor to DG XIII since 1996. EDNES is an acronym for Earth Data Network for Education and Scientific Exchange. It is a non-governmental, non-profit, international association, registered under the French law in Strasbourg, France, in 1993. EDNES headquarters are located in Strasbourg, France. Currently it has branches in Strasbourg, France; Moscow, Russia; Rabat, Morocco; Kiev, Ukraine; Baku, Azerbaijan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Another branch is planned to be opened in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2000. EDNES Lusaka branch in Zambia was active in 1993-95. EDNES has corporate and personal membership.

EDNES members include scientists from Strasbourg Louis Paster University (ULP) and Paris Institute of Physics of the Earth (IPGP), France; Stanford University, USA; Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow Lomonosov State University (MSU), Russia; Tashkent University, Uzbekistan; Mohammadia School of Engineers, Morocco; National Technical University of Ukraine "Kiev Politechnical Institute" (NTUU "KPI") and National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Baku Scientific and Training Centre (BSTC), Azerbaijan. Among EDNES corporate members are scientific and educational institutions from Azerbaijan, Morocco, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. EDNES is open for new members, provided that they are willing to contribute to the goals pursued by the association.

EDNES is headed by President elected by the assembly of the association. The assembly also elects Vice-President and endorses the nomination of Secretary-General made by the President. Since 1993, Prof. Jean Bonnin, Strasbourg, France, has been elected as EDNES President, Prof. Alexei Gvishiani, Moscow, Russia, has been elected as EDNES Vice-President. Dr. Martine Amalvict, Strasbourg, France, has been nominated as EDNES Secretary-General since 1995.

EDNES implemented projects in collaboration with the EC DG XIII, UNESCO, UNIDO, International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), ICSU Panel on World Data Centres (WDCs), International Lithosphere Programme (ILP), Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Programme (GSHAP), European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA), French Atomic Energy Commission, American, British, French and Russian Universities, as well as with numerous research, educational, informatics and telematics organizations in the CIS countries. In 1996-95 EDNES, under the coordination of UNESCO, was the leading participant in the EC DG XIII TAP project STACCIS (SU 1116).

EDNES Moscow branch is based at Centre of Geophysical Data Studies and Telematics Applications (CGDS), that serves as WISTCIS Russian focal point and hosts the project manager. CGDS was founded as a part of Institute of Physics of the Earth of Russian Academy of Sciences (IPE RAS) in 1991. CGDS specializes in development and adaptation of new computer networking technologies, to support research and environmental data studies and exchange, with special emphasis to geophysical and other Earth Sciences applications, as well as to humanitarian activities.The centre includes three research groups: artificial intelligence laboratory (Head, Prof. Alexei D. Gvishiani), laboratory of geoinformation systems and technologies (Head, Dr. Alexander E. Beriozko) and laboratory of network technologies (Head, Dr. Mikhail N. Zhizhin). CGDS staff consists of 32 members including two full professors (DoSc.) and 8 PhDs. well known and recognized at international level. Prof. Alexei D. Gvishiani has been the head of CGDS since it has been founded.

CGDS operates sufficiently powerful local area network (LAN) (8 servers and 32 workstations operating under Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98/95/3.11, Linux Red Hat 5.2 and Solaris 2.5-7) with 100 MBps fiber optic Internet connection to Moscow Internet backbone through campus network of Moscow Lomonosov State University. CGDS staff has long time experience in teleworking with Russian, French, British and American counterparts.

Two other EDNES branches, that play important roles in WISTCIS project, are based in National Technical University of Ukraine "Kiev Politechnical Institute" (NTUU KPI") (EDNES Ukrainean branch) and Baku Scientific and Training Centre (BSTC) (EDNES Azerbaijanean branch).

Ukrainean EDNES branch works in close collaboration with Institute of Applied System Analysis (IASA) of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine - one of the most advanced Ukrainean institutions in the field of teleworking. In particular, Ukrainean EDNES branch has long term telematics applications and teleworking projects with its mother body International Institute of Applied System Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria. Azerbaijanean EDNES branch is hosted by Baku Scientific and Training Centre (BSTC). It has long history of joint projects with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNESCO in the field of education and training in telematics.This EDNES branch will play an important role in WISTCIS development in Caucasian countries.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) (contractor)

The Technology Consultants of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), The Netherlands, are specialised in technology and management consultancy in the field of industrial innovation. The group has a thorough knowledge of innovative industries and of research institutes and universities. PwC has been involved in all stages of government policy-making and programmes in the fields of technology and innovation. PwC services include preparatory studies, scouting, setting-up of programmes, management of programmes, evaluation of programmes. Many of these programmes are aimed at stimulating the development and use of new technology or diffusion of R&D results into industry.

PwC works extensively with the European Commission (DG I, DG III, DG XII, DG XIII and DG XVI). PwC Technology Consultants have been involved in many different research and innovation projects within Dutch industry. They have supported industry in formulating their innovation and R&D strategies, in their search for possible partners and in seeking means of financing innovative projects. Several industrial marketing studies have been carried out. PwC Technology Consultants is distinguished in this sector by the combination of know-how in the fields of methodology and technology.

The PwC technology consultants are a part of the Global Risk Management services, which looks at amongst others at information security in a broad sense, from systems implementation to security audits, and the operation of Trusted services using security products. The technology consultants are specialised in cryptography, market aspects of Trusted Services.

University of Ulm (contractor)

The University of Ulm, Germany, participates with its Distributed Systems Department which is a part of the Computer Science Faculty. Among other topics (distributed operating system, communication systems hardware and operating system support), the department conducts research and development in 3 areas which are directly related to the WISTCIS project:

- Internet Multimedia: the department developed the WebMedia series of tools. They distribute live Multimedia such as Audio, Video and stored video to multiple consumers over the Internet. The expertise includes scalable compression, QoS-adaptivity, and application layer framing;

- Adaptive Media Transmission over ATM systems including wireless ATM with QoS integration;

- Virtual Presence Services in the WWW: the CoBrow toolkit allows Web-users to see other while they are present on a Web-page or on linked page. The users can then start synchronous communication such as chat, telephony, and conferencing.

Numerous cooperations with industrial partners in the area of ISDN, wireless communications and CSCW systems have been conducted successfully and led to several industrial products. The department was partner in the RACE-project R2060 - CIO, where it contributed large portion of the teleconferencing system JVTOS. 4th framework research projects were ACTS Magic WAND and Telematics CoBrow, where the department is the coordinating partner.

The Distributed Systems Department currently employs a staff of 14 scientists.