NCSA transfers technology to the Silicon Prairie

by Alaina Kanfer, NCSA Education Outreach

Champaign County Network (CCNet) has moved out of the planning stages and into sites around the county. Centerwide efforts have provided technical, educational, and organizational contributions to CCNet, which is spearheaded by the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce [see access, Spring 1994].

Now anyone in Champaign County can explore the Internet using NCSA Mosaic via a high-speed CCNet connection.

Connections

Eight schools in Champaign-Urbana have ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) connections to the Internet through a joint project with Ameritech and UIUC's Computing and Communications Services Office. Three high schools in the cities are being connected to Internet with remote link adapters (RLAs), an asymmetric networking solution from Hybrid Technologies Inc. in California.

The RLAs enable high-speed transmission through a cable channel provided for this pilot project by Time-Warner/Cablevision. Out-going data transmission is at modem speed over a telephone line. The Hybrid equipment provides sufficient bandwidth to readily access information from the WWW via NCSA Mosaic. Currently being tested are technologies with very high transmission rates, including wireless technologies, that allow for providing as well as accessing large amounts of information.

The Urbana Free Library is Champaign County's first public CCNet site. Library patrons can discover and retrieve information using a personal computer fully equipped with sound, image, and video viewers connected to the Internet via a Hybrid RLA.

Champaign County businesses are able to conduct their business via Internet. As the first business site of CCNet, Monarch Color Company of Champaign can receive files to print from their local clients connected to the Internet. Other businesses were scheduled to be connected this fall prior to press time.

While CCNet offers high-speed information access and communication, Prairienet, the local FreeNet, offers free modem connections to the Internet and provides local information in text-only and HTML formats. Prairienet, operated largely by volunteers, is managed by UIUC's Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Online exhibits

The Silicon Prairie exhibit provides a glimpse of Champaign County to Internet users around the world, with general descriptions and images of communities within Champaign County. The exhibit also provides information about National Information Infrastructure activities in the county, as well as listings and directories of interest to the local community. See the URL below.

Several local businesses are in the process of creating HTML documents for their own exhibits on the WWW using NCSA Mosaic software.

Continued outreach

To date, more than 200 individuals and over 70 organizations around the county have contributed to CCNet efforts. While CCNet is developing quickly and the involvement of people continues to grow, CCNet members realize the importance of keeping Champaign County's leaders updated.

A September presentation was given to county leaders, including Champaign and Urbana city councils, Champaign County board, Chamber of Commerce board, Champaign-Urbana Community Visitors' Bureau board members, and school board presidents.

It showcased a CCNet video, Champaign County NCSA Mosaic exhibits, examples of the benefits of electronic communications, and applications of Geographic Information Systems [see access, Spring 1994], both inside and outside the county.

access / Fall 1994 / NCSA