Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Who (What?) is JANET?
In my new role at the AGI, I am enjoying attending a number of meetings of groups concerned with GIS in their sector. On Thursday I went to Glasgow to attend a meeting of JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) . JISC's mission is to provide world-class leadership in the innovative use of Information and Communications Technology to support education and research.
The meeting I was at was one of the regular meetings held by their Geospatial Working Group. This is a group which does a lot of work relating to accessibility of Geographic Data for the academic community. The meeting was really interesting. But as usual the acronyms were impenetrable. In particular was the constant mention of JANET? Who is she? Or what is she? Dr Finlay's Housekeeper? Or something more?
Well it turns out that JANET is the network dedicated to the needs of education and research in the UK. It connects the UK’s education and research organisations to each other, as well as to the rest of the world through links to the global Internet. In addition, JANET includes a separate network that is available to the community for experimental activities in network development.
The JANET network connects UK universities, FE Colleges, Research Councils, Specialist Colleges and Adult and Community Learning providers. It also provides connections between the Regional Broadband Consortia to facilitate the DfES initiative for a national schools’ network. Over 18 million end-users are currently served by the JANET network.The range of activities facilitated by JANET allows individuals and organisations to push back the traditional boundaries of teaching, learning and research methods.
For example, JANET’s videoconferencing and video streaming capabilities are being used to deliver lectures to remote groups of students. For researchers, the high capacity of the JANET backbone allows the linking of large data storage and high performance computing facilities at a national and international level.
This all sound worthy of more investigation. In the meantime, further information plus a video relating to JANET can be found here.
The meeting I was at was one of the regular meetings held by their Geospatial Working Group. This is a group which does a lot of work relating to accessibility of Geographic Data for the academic community. The meeting was really interesting. But as usual the acronyms were impenetrable. In particular was the constant mention of JANET? Who is she? Or what is she? Dr Finlay's Housekeeper? Or something more?
Well it turns out that JANET is the network dedicated to the needs of education and research in the UK. It connects the UK’s education and research organisations to each other, as well as to the rest of the world through links to the global Internet. In addition, JANET includes a separate network that is available to the community for experimental activities in network development.
The JANET network connects UK universities, FE Colleges, Research Councils, Specialist Colleges and Adult and Community Learning providers. It also provides connections between the Regional Broadband Consortia to facilitate the DfES initiative for a national schools’ network. Over 18 million end-users are currently served by the JANET network.The range of activities facilitated by JANET allows individuals and organisations to push back the traditional boundaries of teaching, learning and research methods.
For example, JANET’s videoconferencing and video streaming capabilities are being used to deliver lectures to remote groups of students. For researchers, the high capacity of the JANET backbone allows the linking of large data storage and high performance computing facilities at a national and international level.
This all sound worthy of more investigation. In the meantime, further information plus a video relating to JANET can be found here.
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Cairngorm
On the way back from Orkney, I stopped off to see my parents and took them up to the Cairngorm car park. We hadn't been here for some time. I love the view from Cairngorm both upwards to the summit of the mountain and downwards to Lock Morlich and Aviemore beyond. As the ski-ing season in Scotland diminishes, areas like Cairngorm have to provide other facilities for tourists, including the controversial funicular railway. In my view they have done this is a sensitive and positive way so that the mountains retain their grandeur and beauty. These are three of the photos I took.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Orkney
Orkney was magnificent. Much more beautiful, much more fertile than I had imagined. And on the surface it seems to be thriving. But since this is a geog blog and not a travelogue, I will not give a full account of where we were and what we did. Instead I will quote from Orkney 2020.
Orkney—key facts
Resident Population 19,245 (2001 Census)
Main towns Kirkwall (pop. 7,500 approx)
Stromness (pop.2,200 approx), both situated on mainland Orkney
Area 100,000 hectares over 67 islands
Industry Tourism, agriculture, fishing, oil processing, craft manufacture and retail
Orkney has 18 inhabited islands, two of which (South Ronaldsay and Burray) are linked to the
Orkney mainland by causeways. Island populations vary in size from a single family to several
hundred, and the geography of Orkney offers a significant challenge to public agencies seeking to
deliver services effectively and efficiently. Orkney 2020 states:
Some of Orkney’s barriers to inclusion are shared with other communities. Poverty may be
less visible in rural areas than in inner cities, but exists nonetheless, and is exacerbated by the
high cost of travel: whether to work, to access shops or services, or to visit friends and
relatives. Those who are disadvantaged by disability, ill health or unemployment will need
their interests represented, and their needs prioritised when targeting resources.
The geography of Orkney gives rise to other barriers to inclusion. It is impossible to achieve
truly equal access to services such as the Pickaquoy Centre when some communities are
several hours away by sea. Many hospital services can only be accessed in mainland Scotland.
Consequently, some compromises are inevitable. We can try to deliver local services which
meet as many needs as possible, and ensure that they are available to all. Where services
cannot be delivered locally, we can do our best to help people to travel to them.
Orkney 2020, OCPP, April 2003
Orkney mainland by causeways. Island populations vary in size from a single family to several
hundred, and the geography of Orkney offers a significant challenge to public agencies seeking to
deliver services effectively and efficiently. Orkney 2020 states:
Some of Orkney’s barriers to inclusion are shared with other communities. Poverty may be
less visible in rural areas than in inner cities, but exists nonetheless, and is exacerbated by the
high cost of travel: whether to work, to access shops or services, or to visit friends and
relatives. Those who are disadvantaged by disability, ill health or unemployment will need
their interests represented, and their needs prioritised when targeting resources.
The geography of Orkney gives rise to other barriers to inclusion. It is impossible to achieve
truly equal access to services such as the Pickaquoy Centre when some communities are
several hours away by sea. Many hospital services can only be accessed in mainland Scotland.
Consequently, some compromises are inevitable. We can try to deliver local services which
meet as many needs as possible, and ensure that they are available to all. Where services
cannot be delivered locally, we can do our best to help people to travel to them.
Orkney 2020, OCPP, April 2003
Orkney’s population has fallen dramatically over the past century, to the point where the survival of the smaller isles communities is uncertain. To quote again from Orkney 2020:
A century ago, Orkney’s population stood at around 29,000. In 2000 it was 19,500 and, if
current trends cannot be reversed, it is forecast to fall to 17,500 by 2016. Over the last 50
years, with the mechanisation of agriculture, there has been a steady drift away from the isles
towards the towns on mainland Orkney, as people move to find work, or to retire closer to
their families. Most of the predicted population decline can be expected to affect the isles and
more remote mainland areas, where it will threaten the survival of communities whose
existence is already marginal. Below a certain critical mass, communities die. There are too
few children to keep a school open, and essential services cannot be provided at a reasonable
cost. Young people move away and there is nobody to replace the older generation.
In 1901, Orkney had 26 inhabited islands; today, only 16 islands have permanently resident
communities. If these fragile communities are to survive and flourish, we need to take action
to halt and reverse the population decline. Lifeline transport services and supply lines must be
kept open, and communities helped to establish new economic activities to replace those in
decline. Young people will always want to move away, to study or travel, and we should
encourage them to do so. Our challenge for Community Planning is to ensure that they can
return to live and work in a thriving community.
Orkney 2020, OCPP, April 2003
A century ago, Orkney’s population stood at around 29,000. In 2000 it was 19,500 and, if
current trends cannot be reversed, it is forecast to fall to 17,500 by 2016. Over the last 50
years, with the mechanisation of agriculture, there has been a steady drift away from the isles
towards the towns on mainland Orkney, as people move to find work, or to retire closer to
their families. Most of the predicted population decline can be expected to affect the isles and
more remote mainland areas, where it will threaten the survival of communities whose
existence is already marginal. Below a certain critical mass, communities die. There are too
few children to keep a school open, and essential services cannot be provided at a reasonable
cost. Young people move away and there is nobody to replace the older generation.
In 1901, Orkney had 26 inhabited islands; today, only 16 islands have permanently resident
communities. If these fragile communities are to survive and flourish, we need to take action
to halt and reverse the population decline. Lifeline transport services and supply lines must be
kept open, and communities helped to establish new economic activities to replace those in
decline. Young people will always want to move away, to study or travel, and we should
encourage them to do so. Our challenge for Community Planning is to ensure that they can
return to live and work in a thriving community.
Orkney 2020, OCPP, April 2003
It is the cry of all small communities. But I will return to visit.
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