ACCESS GRID TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS NATIVE AMERICANS TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE

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ACCESS GRID TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS NATIVE AMERICANS TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE
06 April 2007 - DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

It was the sudden appearance of cutting-edge Internet technology that first created a "digital divide" between Native Americans and the rest of the United States. Now, thanks to Argonne National Laboratory's Access Grid project, a group seeking to preserve Native American culture is putting technology to work in hopes of bridging that gap.

The Tribal Virtual Network, a consortium of Native American communities, is using the Access Grid to provide broadband Internet connection to five tribal museums and cultural centers. Having the Access Grid technology in place will allow the museums to develop Web-based exhibitions and other educational tools for tribal members and the general public.

"Some families from the reservation have to make a 120-mile trip to the city to have access to some sort of education," said Arlan Sando, an Access Grid operator for the Jemez Pueblo. "Access Grid technology will make it easier for rural villages to keep up with everything that's going on in the world."

Based on technology developed by Argonne's Futures Laboratory, the Access Grid is an ensemble of resources that gives large groups the ability to collaborate through video and voice. These systems rely on specialized "nodes," or custom-designed spaces, that contain the audio and visual technology required for high-quality user interface. Just as electric companies provide consumers with easy access to electric power, Access Grid nodes aim to make the user completely unaware of the infrastructure needed for the service to work.

Though such user-friendly interfacing has had many applications for scientific collaborations, TVN members view Access Grid as not only a research tool for scientists but also a "collaborative ignition switch between communities."

"That villages are located far away from each other is the main problem in getting different tribes to interact," noted Barbara Tracy of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. "This distance factor makes it difficult for them to meet frequently, and as a result, the tribes do not have a strong sense of unity and find it hard to become a political force."

Despite all the potential advantages, TVN still faces obstacles in convincing tribal leaders of the significant impact of the Access Grid. According to Lee Bitson, one of two network programmers for the entire Apache Jicarilla tribe, a shortage of support staff limits Internet access to a few groups within his village. Since only a handful of people have first-hand experience with the technology, many tribal members remain suspicious of its benefits.

Yet, TVN remains optimistic that its efforts to use the Access Grid to link Native Americans with each other and with the rest of the country will prove successful. Already, as Sando explained, their team is hard at work on bringing high-speed T1 Internet connections to the reservations.

"I believe TVN's actions are going to turn a lot of heads in the technology sector," said Sando.

As it turns out, the TVN project's in-depth focus on art and culture is even turning heads within the team that was largely responsible for creating the Access Grid itself.

"I am continually amazed by the wide range of uses for the Access Grid and its continued growth, which now even includes Asian and European Access Grid communities," commented Mary Fritsch, a member of the Futures Laboratory and an Access Grid liaison for new users. "Access Grid software continues to advance and bring hundreds of people together every day."

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About: DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is one of the US Department of Energy's largest research centres. It is also the nation's first national laboratory, chartered in 1946.

Argonne is a direct descendant of the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, part of the World War Two Manhattan Project. After the war, Argonne was given the mission of developing nuclear reactors for peaceful purposes. Over the years, Argonne's research expanded to include many other areas of science, engineering and technology.

Today, the laboratory has about 4000 employees, including about 1200 scientists and engineers, of whom about 700 hold doctorate degrees.

Argonne occupies two sites. The Illinois site is surrounded by forest preserve about 25 miles southwest of Chicago's Loop. About 3200 of Argonne's 4000 employees work on the site's 1500 wooded acres. The site also houses the US Department of Energy's Chicago Operations Office.

Argonne-West occupies about 900 acres about 50 miles west of Idaho Falls in the Snake River Valley. It is the home of most of Argonne's major nuclear reactor research facilities. About 800 of Argonne's employees work there.

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