Subcommittee on Research of the House Committee on Science Testimony of Hans-Werner Braun High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network University of California, San Diego http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/ July 31, 2001 INTRODUCTION My thanks to Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Johnson, and members of the Subcommittee on Research for the opportunity to discuss my activities related to the NSF funded High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network -- referred to as HPWREN. I am Principal Investigator for HPWREN and have previously served as a Principal Investigator for several NSF projects in the past. One such project has been the NSFNET backbone, which was the Internet backbone at the threshold between the Internet being largely a government research project and its commercialization. Several HPWREN collaborators have contributed materials that I would like to bring to your attention. Though I will mention these throughout my testimony to you, I would also encourage you to review the written letters, as they contain valuable information related to current and future network applications in rural areas. I believe that the involvement of the federal government in the evolution of the Internet is as crucial as ever. While the federal government has historically played a key role in driving the network performance edge, significant areas remain underdeveloped, including the sophistication of Internet applications and national network ubiquity fulfilling demanding performance requirements. For example, in rural America, even in technologically advanced areas such as San Diego, the notion of high performance quickly falls apart outside major populated areas, where even cell phone systems often turn into an illusion of reachability. However, the technology needs of rural areas - of perhaps no immediate business case to commercial service providers - should not be underestimated. Stimulating data communications needs and solutions today can pay off significantly over time. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Measuring approximately 50 miles by 50 miles, the HPWREN project aims to demonstrate ways in which a high performance network can be created and used by network applications of remote communities. HPWREN fosters research and education opportunities for Americans that need and deserve the same access as those of us who live in urban areas. HPWREN directly impacts the ways in which area field scientists - such as ecologists, astronomers, and earthquake researchers conduct their studies. HPWREN also provides rural Native American communities in the area with connectivity for education opportunities such as interactive computer classes and remote tutoring programs, and has been directly stimulating such activities. We first work with the network users to define their needs - and then build the network accordingly. This attempts a model shift from the predominantly existing practice of driving the needs from a network-centric view, towards people being able to first define their needs and the network being developed to best fit the situation. It is a partnership that begins with an outreach by the network developer to the scientist and educator users of the network. CURRENT AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS The HPWREN project builds and investigates high performance networks for research and education applications in rural San Diego County, working directly with people responsible for those applications. The research applications specifically include geophysicists who need access to real-time earthquake data in remote deserts and mountains, astronomers needing to detect supernovae within their first hours of decay and near-earth asteroids before they come too close, and ecologists who expect to interact with their field stations from home institutions while also incorporating real-time data into classroom curricula. Our education facet focuses on rural Native American Learning Centers, which serve both tribal and non-tribal members of the local communities, In addition to the research and education applications, we are also investigating ad-hoc advanced network development and experimentation, while collaborating with local crisis management agencies. For example, we recently participated in a demonstration with firefighters of the California Department of Forestry - building, demonstrating, and tearing down a high-performance network within a few hours - and under bad weather conditions. This activity demonstrated that such transient high performance network infrastructures are entirely feasible. The HPWREN research focuses on users and applications in need of high performance networking in these rural, and often quite remote, areas. Considerations include who needs what network performance where and when, and how such information can be used to evolve critical infrastructures? How are performance parameters to be defined that understandably communicate provided services? And how can the needs of new and revolutionary networking applications be assessed and integrated into evolving network architectures? How should the infrastructure deal with legitimate applications able to absorb all available resources by themselves. IMPORTANCE OF FEDERAL FUNDING TO NETWORK TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS The issue of government funding needs to be separated into component issues. At least one is where funding is coming from, another is how the funding is being used. About 15 years ago the NSFNET began to trigger the evolution of the Internet from a government research and development environment towards today's large and commercialized infrastructure. NSF funds were critical to accomplish this, but, once successful, private companies raised issues about government competition. My belief is that the Internet would not have become as quickly successful without the early investment made by the National Science Foundation. After the initial seeding of new initiatives with government funding, the private market should be encouraged to evolve projects, with NSF funding eventually refocusing on the next "new, high risk things." Even for HPWREN, there have already been opportunities of leveraging and partnerships, such as seen by the five million-dollar Hewlett-Packard award to the Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association - more than twice the amount of the NSF HPWREN funding. The Hewlett-Packard grant aims to build upon the prototypes created with the NSF funding for learning centers in three reservations, and to create digital village settings within all 18 reservations of the County. The hope is that the evolution of these Hewlett-Packard activities - which are largely led by the reservations themselves - will eventually create a solid infrastructure that allows the tribes to become self-sufficient. In addition, from the indications I have, including attached support materials, the high speed connections for the science applications we are integrating, would not have happened without NSF's HPWREN investment. This is in large part due to funding. However, the human element of scientists collaborating in an interdisciplinary way with network researchers who are trying to understand, assess, and deliver on their needs, should not be underestimated. In support of this, the measurement infrastructure included in the HPWREN project, and a direct result of prior NSF funded activities, allows us to accurately determine how network resources are being consumed, and we can use such results in turn to evolve future networking environments, while making performance data publicly available. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE APPENDICES I would like to suggest your attention to some highlights I found particularly interesting in the testimony support letters provided to you from collaborators of the HPWREN project in the appendices. Frank Vernon, UCSD-SIO geophysicist If a significant earthquake occurs in our region, we can quickly deploy additional sensors in the epicentral region, evaluate the data, and continue to adapt the station locations to maximize the scientific data return. This is especially important when some or all of the sensors need to be placed at remote sites. The ability to adapt environmental monitoring systems to significant transient events will be of great benefit to all field sciences. Geneva Lofton-Fitzsimmons, UCSD American Indian Outreach Initiative .... the wireless Internet has provided a reliable educational resource, allowing students to do research and other projects. Greg Aldering, LBNL Staff Scientist, astronomy This digital image subtraction involves numerous steps to align the images and account for blurring by the Earth's atmosphere, and requires the equivalent power of 50 desktop computers to keep up with the data. Because the amount of data is so large (50 billion bytes per night), the image archive even larger (presently 8 trillion bytes and growing), and the computations so extensive, it is critical that the imaging data be transferred to a large computing center (in this case NERSC, the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at LBNL) as quickly as possible. Since such extensive computing facilities could not be maintained at the observatory, the only alternative to a fast data link would be to write the data to tape and ship it, at the cost of delaying supernova discoveries by several days. Jared Aldern, Warner Unified School District Most importantly, several of our high school students were able to take part in the installation of the equipment. These students gained the satisfaction of providing a service to their community and valuable experience working with high-tech equipment, and their eyes were opened onto a whole new world of endeavors by the opportunity to collaborate with world-class scientists and technicians. Anyone who cares about the future of rural America - and who realizes how tightly the fate of the countryside is tied to that of urban and suburban America - will do well to consider the state of the nations technological infrastructure in all areas. John Helly, UCSD researcher A particular challenge in this work, and an aspect that makes it especially interesting to other parts of the world, is the general lack of information within San Diego County regarding surfacewater flow. Lorraine Orosco, San Pasqual band of Indians HPWREN has given the Tribes of San Diego a vision of the possibilities of using this technology to build stronger communities. Pam Arviso, Two Directions, Inc. Thanks to the HPWREN project, our labs have been connected to the high-speed Internet for almost nine months. Please convey to the National Science Foundation the sincere appreciation of the Native American community from North San Diego County, California for providing us with this very important technology. Paul Etzel, SDSU astronomer .... and a consensus is now building between SDSU and other CSU astronomers to build a much larger 3.0 meter class telescope to operate in a completely Robotic mode over Internet2 via HPWREN. Robert Pozoz, SDSU biologist Presently, the College of Sciences at San Diego State University and the Super Computer Center at University of California San Diego are jointly developing interactive educational programs for rural American Indian reservations. The educational programs will cover the physiology and clinical implications dealing with diabetes and obesity. Robert Smith and Doretta Musick, Pala Band of Mission Indians We have seen a lot of progress, where students have raised their math levels from D's and F's to A's and B's. Parents are pleased, not only for what its doing for their children, but also how it has helped their community. Sedra Shapiro, SDSU Field Station Programs SDSU efforts to collect and disseminate environmental monitoring data to a variety of users are significantly enhanced by the HPWREN wireless network and an integrated, real-time data management and delivery system. Each of these efforts involves significant IT research challenges including those associated with networking remote sensor arrays, integrating diverse monitoring platforms, acquiring data in real-time, and archiving it continuously. It is important to demonstrate on a regional scale that multidisciplinary environmental monitoring is both practical and scalable. Srinivas Sukumar, Hewlett-Packard E-Inclusion Executive .... we realize that it is possible because of a creative public-private partnership. Without public funding for Internet infrastructure development -- like those programs that bring education to remote schools over the Internet - the Tribal Digital Village would not exist. We respectfully request your coordination and support of increased funding of these important initiatives. Together, we can make a difference. THE FUTURE OF WIRELESS NETWORKS Performance metrics to consider include more than speed, but also real ubiquity and ease of a speedy and cost effective setup. It includes technology being an enabler for science and education activities. For example, astronomers are interested in remotely steerable telescopes and robust image databases. Seismologists need more and more earthquake sensors with reliable real-time access and quick deployability. Ecologists need real-time access to telemetry data in remote areas so that they can incorporate information into databases and classroom curricula. Educators in rural locations need communication capabilities to maintain education opportunities via distance education and tutoring. The HPWREN project attempts to be an early enabler for such applications at a time - and in an area - where there is currently no commercial business case. CLOSING REMARKS Again, I would like to thank you for your attention to these considerations, and emphasize that much work remains to be done to ensure equal network access for both urban and rural research and education communities, and to make a real difference where ever-increasing performance needs require to be fulfilled. Initially it may benefit science and education, but eventually it needs to extend to all people interested in the future of this society. It has been an honor and a privilege to testify before you today, and I welcome your questions.